5 Thriving Fast-Food Chains in 2025

We’ve surpassed the midway point of the year, and I remain confident that 2025 will prove to be a solid year for fast-food and fast-casual restaurant chains. Same-store sales are up. And, there’s no longer the labor problem that we recently had.

Yes, tariffs are absolutely a thing, and costs are going up. But the perception of impending doom is overstated. The fear of “the monster” is always worse than the monster in reality. The restaurant chains that are thriving don’t wait until tariffs happen; they get out in front of it. They price that in.

There are restaurant chains that are thriving right now. In fact, here’s five of them:

Cava

This Mediterranean chain is the fresh, hot thing. For one thing, it’s perceived as healthier-for-you food. And, they’re big, bold flavors. Cava’s CEO, Brett Schulman, has also proven to be successful from coast to coast, and everywhere in between.

Cava hugely benefits from the fact its food costs are under 20%, whereas Chick-fil-A or Five Guys are at 25% to 30% for food costs. Cava is public, and its stock is going crazy. A big reason for that is top line sales. It’s indisputable that customers like it, because of the volume.

Customers vote with their wallet. Cava has also really mastered marketing. These days, marketing isn’t about running TV ads or radio ads. Marketing nowadays is all about the tech stack. It’s more impactful to engage with people online and through affinity marketing, and Cava thrives at that.

Chick-fil-A

More than anything, Chick-fil-A provides a guest experience that customers love. If you go to McDonald’s you’re happy to just get what you ordered; at Chick-fil-A you expect a bit more – and you get it.

Chick-fil-A brought “dining” to fast-food. There’s a difference between going out to eat and dining. Dining is more of an experience that leaves people feeling good. And Chick-fil-A excels at that. They have enough volume to afford really good employees – and a lot of them. That makes it easier to provide a great experience.

Chipotle

Chipotle has become a fan favorite in large part because its menu items are highly customizable, and they’re served impressively fast. They can make your burrito as you simply walk down the line. You can also order online and it’s typically ready when you get there. Three-quarters of Chipotle’s sales are from the chain’s app.

Chipotle invested in Hyphen – technology that automates tasks so you can get rid of two or three employees on the line. As a result, Chipotle has mastered efficiency.

Raising Cane’s

As far as chicken chains go, Raising Cane’s seems to be a better option in 2025 than KFC. That’s the main competition in terms of chains that specialize in chicken served at drive-thrus. Raising Cane’s is simply a newer, better, ingredient-play version of KFC – which, sadly, is now such an old chain that it’s atrophied.

Raising Cane’s is the new, fresh player among chicken chains; all it has to do is be the new kid on the block and talk about having better sauce and ingredients than its competition.

Dave’s Hot Chicken

Everyone in the world is trying to serve hot chicken in 2025, but Dave’s Hot Chicken’s sales are two or three times what everyone else’s are.

Dave’s Hot Chicken franchisees are established pros that know what they’re doing. So, they pick better sites, they staff well, they do great marketing, and they stack for the volume that they’re trying to get. Conversely, these other, goofy chicken concepts partner with first-time franchisees and they just don’t know what they’re doing. Shaquille O’Neal did a chicken concept and it struggled from the get-go, because it was superficial and he just lent his name to the project. Dave’s Hot Chicken is an authentic player in the chicken space.

To me, these are five restaurant brands that are killing it right now – with a bright future that should stretch well beyond 2025.

Editor’s note: Dan Rowe is the CEO of Fransmart, a leader in franchise development. Under Rowe’s leadership, Fransmart developed an extensive portfolio of franchise brands. He’s Co-Managing Partner at The Kitchen Fund and FranInvest, which have invested in the likes of Cava and Sweetgreen. He’s an active board member of YPO and the NRA.


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