2026 Multi-Brand 50: Scale Evolves into Strategy

By: Ambika Oberoi | 6,372 Reads | 5 Shares Add Franchising.com

Featured in: Multi-Unit Franchisee Magazine: Issue 2, 2026

The 2026 Multi-Brand 50 ranks the 50 largest multi-unit, multi-brand franchise operators in the U.S., drawing on FRANdata’s proprietary database that spans more than 4,000 franchise brands and more than 200,000 franchisees. To qualify, operators must hold active franchise agreements across two or more concepts. The 2026 ranking reflects unit counts as of late 2025.

Key themes

This year’s list is defined by consolidation and restructuring. Several operators reorganized how their entities are reported, changing their apparent ranking without necessarily changing their underlying scale. Aggressive acquirers, particularly in QSR, continued to climb while operators tied to contracting brands or non-food concepts gave back ground.

The broader pattern across all of these: Large, experienced operators are starting to add brands that would have seemed out of place in a traditional QSR portfolio five years ago, including dessert chains (Nothing Bundt Cakes), childcare, specialty, and chicken (like Dave’s Hot Chicken). It suggests that the most forward-thinking multi-brand operators are thinking less like franchise operators and more like diversified portfolio companies.

Dominators

Flynn Group holds the top spot for another year. Its portfolio spans Pizza Hut, Applebee’s, Arby’s, Wendy’s, Taco Bell, Panera Bread, and multiple hotel flags. The recent acquisition of Grand Fitness adds 141 units of Planet Fitness to its portfolio.

KBP Brands grew from 1,119 units in 2025, driven by two rounds of Sonic Drive-In acquisitions totaling 167 units. The Kansas-based operator remains the nation’s largest KFC franchisee at 831 locations.

Notable brands

With 66 units across four operators (new to 2026), Nothing Bundt Cakes is one of the most consequential emerging brand debuts on the list. It shows up under Chunara Group, Quality Restaurant Group, Luihn VantEdge Partners, and Fresh Dining Concepts.

Dave’s Hot Chicken is a new brand to Multi-Brand 50, and 87% of its operators are multi-unit, multi-brand owners.

Movers

Every year, the list captures changes in franchising:

Moving up. Purple Rock Investment/Purple Square Management jumped nine spots to #20 (371 units). Fresh Dining Concepts rose to #43 (235 units). Ampler Group climbed to #11, and Luihn VantEdge Partners reached #29.
New to the list. Delight Restaurant Group debuts on the list with 232 units, including the recent addition of two 7 Brew locations.
Heading down. Aramark dropped six spots to #16 as its franchise unit count contracted. Summit Restaurant Group fell five spots to #22. Warner Foods slipped seven spots to #48.

Bottom line

The 2026 Multi-Brand 50 reinforces that franchise scale increasingly belongs to operators who combine acquisition discipline with brand diversification. The largest franchisees on this list are not passively managing locations; they are actively reshaping their portfolios in response to brand performance, capital markets, and consumer trends. These 50 organizations represent the leading edge of where franchise power is concentrated and how it continues to evolve.

Ambika Oberoi is director of information management for FRANdata. Visit FRANdata.com or email [email protected].

2026 MULTI-BRAND 50

Ranking	Company	Total Unit;	BRAND	# of units
1	FLYNN GROUP	2828	Pizza Hut	998
			Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar	459
			Arby's	360
			Wendy's	308
			Taco Bell	302
			Panera Bread	145
			Planet Fitness	140
			Residence Inn by Marriott	27
			Courtyard by Marriott	22
			Hampton Inn by Hilton	17
			Fairfield by Marriott	15
			Homewood Suites by Hilton	11
			Comfort	5
			SpringHill Suites by Marriott	4
			Country Inn & Suites by Radisson	4
			Hilton Garden Inn	4
			KFC	3
			TownePlace Suites by Marriott	1
			Four Points by Sheraton	1
			Hampton Coffee Company	1
			Holiday Inn	1
2	THE DHANANI GROUP	1541	Burger King	513
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	394
			Pizza Hut	387
			Dunkin'	151
			La Madeleine	43
			Baskin-Robbins	23
			Sonic	12
			DQ Grill & Chill	12
			Wendy's	5
			Church's Chicken	1
3	KBP BRANDS	1235	KFC	831
			Taco Bell	162
			Arby's	120
			Sonic	85
			Long John Silver's	33
			A&W	4
4	SUN HOLDINGS LLC (RMH FRANCHISE - APPLEBEE'S)	997	Arby's	230
			Papa John's	226
			Burger King	139
			Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar	128
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	119
			McAlister's Deli	73
			GNC Live Well	44
			IHOP	34
			Golden Corral	4
5	LOVE'S TRAVEL STOPS & COUNTRY STORES INC	814	Subway	244
			Godfather's Pizza	171
			Chester's	122
			Arby's	108
			Hardee's	88
			Carl's Jr.	35
			Bojangles	16
			Taco John's	13
			Dunkin'	6
			Sleep Inn by Choice Hotels	4
			DQ Treat	2
			Best Western Hotels & Resorts	1
			Bimbo Foods Bakeries Distribution	1
			Fairfield by Marriott	1
			MainStay Suites Extended Stay by Choice Hotels	1
			Naf Naf Middle Eastern Grill	1
6	SIZZLING PLATTER INC	708	Little Caesars	361
			Wing-Stop	176
			Jamba	94
			Jersey Mike's	33
			Dunkin'	31
			Sizzler	6
			Red Robin Gourmet Burgers and Brews	5
			Cinnabon	2
7	PILOT COMPANY	622	Subway	198
			Cinnabon	172
			Dunkin'	82
			Wendy's	80
			Arby's	51
			Taco Bell	28
			Moe's Southwest Grill	6
			Pizza Hut	4
			Chester's	1
8	HAZA GROUP	568	Wendy's	416
			Taco Bell	152
9	CMG COMPANIES	553	Sonic	179
			KFC	161
			Rent-A-Center	78
			Little Caesars	60
			Ace Hardware	40
			Taco Bell	35
10	TASTY RESTAURANT GROUP	490	Pizza Hut	210
			KFC	161
			Burger King	56
			Dunkin'	38
			Taco Bell	19
			Baskin-Robbins	6
11	AMPLER GROUP	482	Burger King	188
			Taco Bell	109
			Little Caesars	97
			Church's Chicken	88
12	ARMY & AIR FORCE EXCHANGE SERVICES	477	Subway	123
			Burger King	102
			Charleys	81
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	58
			Arby's	29
			Taco Bell	24
			Qdoba Mexican Eats	23
			Einstein Bros. Bagels	19
			Baskin-Robbins	4
			Dunkin'	4
			Rice King	3
			Wing Zone	2
			Regal Nails Salon & Spa	2
			Taco John's	1
			Manchu WOK	1
			Pizza Hut	1
13	CHARTER FOODS INC	465	Taco Bell	385
			Long John Silver's	42
			KFC	26
			A&W	6
			Pizza Hut	6
14	Anchor Point Management / PACIFIC BELLS LLC	457	Taco Bell	285
			European Wax Center	91
			Buffalo Wild Wings	63
			7 Brew	16
			Signarama	1
			Fully Promoted	1
15	GPS HOSPITALITY LLC	454	Burger King	390
			Pizza Hut	46
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	18
16	ARAMARK	413	Chick-fil-A	109
			Einstein Bros. Bagels	84
			Panda Express	37
			Subway	35
			Dunkin'	25
			Moe's Southwest Grill	21
			Pizza Hut	13
			Which Wich	13
			Qdoba Mexican Eats	11
			Steak n Shake By Biglari	7
			Panera Bread	7
			Jamba	6
			Auntie Anne's	6
			Freshii	5
			Raising Cane's	5
			Tim Hortons	4
			Village Juice Co.	4
			Taco Bell	3
			McAlister's Deli	2
			BurgerFi	2
			PJ's Coffee of New Orleans	2
			La Madeleine	2
			MOOYAH	2
			Quiznos	1
			Caribou Coffee	1
			Extreme Pita	1
			Smashburger	1
			Baja Fresh	1
			Jersey Mike's	1
			Paciugo Gelato Caffe	1
			Erbert & Gerbert's Sandwich Shop	1
17	K-MAC ENTERPRISES INC	412	Taco Bell	350
			7 Brew	45
			WHATABURGER	17
18	TACALA LLC	392	Taco Bell	371
			7 Brew	21
19	WKS RESTAURANT GROUP	371	Wendy's	137
			Denny's	109
			El Pollo Loco	78
			Krispy Kreme Doughnuts	47
20	PURPLE ROCK INVESTMENT COMPANY LLC / Purple Square Management Co	371	Rent-A-Center	116
			Dunkin'	99
			Take 5 Oil Change Center	47
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	42
			Baskin-Robbins	27
			RimTyme	27
			American Family Care	11
			The Brass Tap Craft Beer Bar	2
21	DIVERSIFIED RESTAURANT GROUP (DRG)	365	Taco Bell	334
			Arby's	31
22	SUMMIT RESTAURANT GROUP (NEIGHBORHOOD HOSPITALITY INC / ARGONNE CAPITAL)	362	IHOP	263
			Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar	68
			Sonny's Real Pit Bar-B-Que	31
23	QUALITY RESTAURANT GROUP	357	Pizza Hut	157
			Sonic	73
			Moe's Southwest Grill	62
			Arby's	26
			Nothing Bundt Cakes	23
			Primrose Schools	16
24	DESERT DE ORO FOODS INC	355	Taco Bell	239
			Pizza Hut	87
			KFC	24
			Dave's Hot Chicken	5
25	JIB MANAGEMENT INC (YADAV ENTERPRISES)	345	Jack in the Box	231
			Denny's	67
			TGI Fridays	44
			Sizzler	2
			Corner Bakery Cafe	1
26	GS DALLAS GROUP / GSR GROUP LLC	335	Wing-Stop	205
			Subway	121
			Massage Envy	7
			European Wax Center	2
27	KOVAN GROUP LLC / DEKK GROUP / NGP Management	332	Dunkin'	296
			Baskin-Robbins	36
28	LUIHN VANTEDGE PARTNERS LLC / VANTEDGE PARTNERS	330	Taco Bell	194
			Dunkin'	99
			KFC	15
			Take 5 Oil Change Center	14
			Nothing Bundt Cakes	8
29	HARMAN MANAGEMENT CORPORATION	321	KFC	199
			A&W	81
			Taco Bell	38
			Long John Silver's	3
30	COMPASS GROUP USA INC	321	Chick-fil-A	61
			Einstein Bros. Bagels	56
			Panda Express	31
			Papa John's	22
			Dunkin'	18
			PJ's Coffee of New Orleans	13
			Subway	12
			Caribou Coffee	9
			Qdoba Mexican Eats	9
			Pizza Hut	8
			Jersey Mike's	7
			Panera Bread	6
			Firehouse Subs	6
			Jamba	6
			Slim Chickens	5
			Moe's Southwest Grill	5
			Taco Bell	5
			Erbert & Gerbert's Sandwich Shop	5
			Wendy's	4
			Which Wich	4
			Smashburger	3
			Bojangles	3
			Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers	3
			Auntie Anne's	3
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	2
			Tim Hortons	2
			The Habit Burger Grill	2
			Baskin-Robbins	1
			illy Caffe	1
			Steak n Shake By Biglari	1
			Blimpie	1
			Chili's	1
			KFC	1
			Sbarro	1
			Pita Pit	1
			Burger King	1
			Freshii	1
			MOD Pizza	1
31	G & M OIL CO LLC	301	Chevron	163
			ExtraMile	138
32	FEAST ENTERPRISES LLC / BESHAY ENTERPRISES / DMSD FOODS	289	Jack in the Box	229
			Denny's	24
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	16
			Del Taco	16
			Corner Bakery Cafe	4
33	SODEXO INC	281	Chick-fil-A	75
			Einstein Bros. Bagels	60
			Qdoba Mexican Eats	25
			Dunkin'	20
			Pizza Hut	17
			Subway	15
			Jamba	8
			Moe's Southwest Grill	7
			Panera Bread	7
			Taco Bell	5
			Steak n Shake By Biglari	5
			Erbert & Gerbert's Sandwich Shop	4
			Firehouse Subs	4
			Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh	4
			Which Wich	3
			Auntie Anne's	3
			Baskin-Robbins	3
			McAlister's Deli	3
			Godfather's Pizza	2
			The Habit Burger Grill	2
			Papa John's	2
			Blaze Pizza	2
			PJ's Coffee of New Orleans	1
			DQ Treat	1
			Burger King	1
			Mrs. Fields	1
			NrGize Lifestyle Cafe	1
34	TA OPERATING LLC / TRAVELCENTERS OF AMERICA	279	Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	72
			Subway	39
			Taco Bell	36
			Burger King	35
			Pizza Hut	31
			Dunkin'	12
			Black Bear Diner	9
			IHOP	9
			Arby's	7
			Baskin-Robbins	6
			Wendy's	5
			Charleys	5
			Fazoli's	3
			KFC	2
			A&W	2
			Papa John's	2
			TacoTime	1
			Tim Hortons	1
			Jamba	1
			Carl's Jr.	1
35	THE COVELLI FAMILY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP	275	Panera Bread	263
			DQ Grill & Chill	5
			O'CHARLEY'S	3
			Caribou Coffee	2
			Oath Pizza	1
			DQ Treat	1
36	Parikh Network	271	Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	228
			Arby's	41
			Uno Pizzeria & Grill	2
37	EYAS CAPITAL	256	Bojangles	128
			Subway	73
			Burger King	55
38	FOURTEEN FOODS	246	DQ Grill & Chill	244
			DQ Treat	2
39	ALVARADO RESTAURANT NATION / ALARADO HOLDINGS / PALO ALTO INC	238	Taco Bell	221
			KFC	12
			Pizza Hut	5
40	H&S ENERGY PRODUCTS LLC	238	Chevron	142
			ExtraMile	80
			Texaco	16
41	FRESH DINING CONCEPTS LLC	235	Auntie Anne's	137
			Jamba	53
			Cinnabon	38
			Carvel	4
			Nothing Bundt Cakes	3
42	NORTHWEST RESTAURANTS INC	234	Taco Bell	165
			KFC	57
			A&W	12
43	COTTI FOODS CORPORATION	233	Wendy's	124
			Taco Bell	104
			Pieology Pizzeria	5
44	DELIGHT RESTAURANT GROUP	231	Wendy's	201
			Taco Bell	28
			7 Brew	2
45	CHUNARA GROUP OF COMPANIES (CG) / THE FALCONS GROUP	227	Dunkin'	53
			Nothing Bundt Cakes	32
			Rally's	28
			Checkers	27
			Baskin-Robbins	17
			Qdoba Mexican Eats	12
			Take 5 Oil Change Center	11
			TGI Fridays	10
			Blaze Pizza	10
			BurgerFi	8
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	7
			Super Chix	4
			Jimmy John's	3
			Kale Me Crazy	3
			Church's Chicken	2
46	FUGATE ENTERPRISES	224	Pizza Hut	131
			Taco Bell	78
			Sonic	15
47	WARNER FOODS	220	Jack in the Box	153
			Del Taco	54
			Noodles & Company	10
			Black Bear Diner	2
			Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen	1
48	APPLE HOSPITALITY REIT	217	Hilton Garden Inn	39
			Hampton Inn by Hilton	36
			Courtyard by Marriott	35
			Residence Inn by Marriott	30
			Homewood Suites by Hilton	29
			Fairfield by Marriott	10
			Home2 Suites by Hilton	10
			TownePlace Suites by Marriott	8
			SpringHill Suites by Marriott	5
			AC Hotels by Marriott	4
			Embassy Suites by Hilton	4
			Hyatt Place	3
			Marriott Hotels	2
			Aloft Hotels	1
			Hyatt House	1
49	MANNA HOSPITALITY GROUP/ BRIDGEMAN FOODS	217	Wendy's	151
			Fazoli's	55
			Golden Corral	10
			Jimmy John's	1
50	MBN BRANDS (Front Range Holdings)	215	Great American Cookies	61
			Jimmy John's	60
			Burger King	58
			KFC	22
			Marble Slab Creamery	9
			Pretzelmaker	4
			IHOP	1