Teriyaki Madness Widens Lead Over Fast Casual Peers With Double-Digit Same-Store Sales Growth in Third Quarter

October 22, 2026 // Franchising.com // DENVER –Teriyaki Madness (TMAD) closed the third quarter with a 10.3 percent increase in same-store sales and a 5.5 percent gain in traffic, extending a year of performance that continues to outpace fast casual competitors. While industry traffic declined 2.6 percent and comparable sales increased just 1.4 percent during the quarter, TMAD moved in the opposite direction, attracting more guests and driving stronger restaurant-level performance across the system. Nine months into 2026, the gap looks less like a hot streak and more like a habit.

That momentum is translating into growth across the system. As guest traffic and restaurant performance continue to climb, TMAD is expanding into new markets, opening new restaurants and attracting new franchise operators across the country. The brand also opened nine shops during the quarter and entered three new markets. Brad Galland brought TMAD to College Station, Texas; Bharat Patel and Roshanlal Mohanlal introduced the concept to Champaign, Illinois, and Trent Hesseltine opened in Corpus Christi, Texas. The system now stands at 229 locations and is on track to reach 245 by the end of the year - meaning total unit growth for the year would be a resounding 22.5 percent.

Development activity remained strong in the third quarter, with eight franchise groups signing agreements. The latest group of franchisees includes Shashikant Patel and Divyesh Nai in Columbia, Tennessee, and Rachnaben and Nitinkumar Rabari in Morrisville, North Carolina. Texas newcomers include Kush Patel and Purvesh Joshi in Tyler and Lisa Rhee in Austin, who qualified for TMAD’s hospitality discount incentive, which rewards experienced restaurant and hospitality operators.

"Our family has spent years in hotels, restaurants and construction, and one thing we've learned is that a franchise is only as strong as the support behind it," said Kush Patel, who will lead day-to-day operations of the Tyler restaurant alongside family partners Purvesh Joshi, Bharat Patel and Miten Patel. "I'll be in the restaurant every day, and I've got a family behind me that has built and run businesses for years. Teriyaki Madness gives us the systems and the support. We bring the work ethic and the guest-first mindset.”

The numbers through Sept. 30 make the case.

• Third-quarter same-store sales rose 10.3 percent and traffic climbed 5.5 percent, against fast casual averages of 1.4 percent and negative 2.6 percent, respectively.
• Year-to-date same-store sales are up 6.6 percent with traffic ahead 2.6 percent, compared to fast casual category benchmarks of 0.92 percent and negative 2.12 percent.
• Systemwide sales grew 25 percent year over year in the quarter and 28 percent across the first nine months.
• Rolling average unit volume is up 5.9 percent since the start of the year.
• Catering sales are running 59 percent above last year’s pace and 108 percent higher on a two-year stacked basis.

The results point to a system growing from multiple directions at once. More guest visits, stronger restaurant performance, higher average unit volumes and continued expansion across the country.

"Our family has spent years in hotels, restaurants and construction, and one thing we've learned is that a franchise is only as strong as the support behind it," said Kush Patel, who will lead day-to-day operations of the Tyler restaurant with the backing of family partners Purvesh Joshi, Bharat Patel and Miten Patel. "I'll be in the restaurant every day, supported by a family team with years of experience building, managing and growing businesses. Teriyaki Madness gives us the systems and the support. We bring the work ethic, business experience and guest-first mindset."

Menu innovation also contributed to the strong quarter, starting with a tasty appetizer. Chili Crisp Edamame, the summer limited-time offer, topped expectations, landing at 1.23 percent of bowl orders and raising total edamame attachment by 1.16 percentage points. Top-performing shops reached roughly 2.7 to 2.8 percent, more than double the systemwide mark. The item also expanded the appetizer category, with nearly half of guests who tried it reporting they were highly satisfied. Turns out, people really like food that punches above its weight, and Chili Crisp Edamame brought the heat, the sweetness, the crunch and plenty of protein to back it up.

Marketing incentives delivered as well. Free Delivery Tuesdays produced 73.71 percent more delivery orders than the same promotion a year earlier. On July 1, TMAD launched a text messaging program with partner Attentive, and it has scaled faster than projected at kickoff. Welcome offers sent at sign-up are generating 65 percent more revenue per message than the benchmark average, and 19.1 percent of guests who tap through go on to place an order, more than double the 8.4 percent norm.

Culinary development isn’t slowing down. With the Chili Crisp Miso Chicken Yakisoba Bowl arriving in the fourth quarter, TMAD is already testing multiple new products, including several new proteins, set to launch in early 2027.

“Chili Crisp Edamame showed us that a side does not have to play it safe,” said Jodi Boyce, chief marketing officer at Teriyaki Madness. “The real surprise was what it did for the rest of the meal. Guests who ordered it rated their entire visit higher than everyone else, from food quality and speed of service to order accuracy and overall satisfaction. That's a lot of heavy lifting for a soybean. We'd name it employee of the quarter if it would hold still for the photo. In the meantime, it rewrote the rules for our test kitchen, where every new item now has to make the entire meal better and simply selling well won't cut it.”

TMAD continued to strengthen its 60 member support team with four moves during the quarter, with a focus on getting restaurants built out faster and opening efficiently:

• Josh Kritner, director of construction
• Brandon Layton, construction manager
• DJ Valdez, new shop opening trainer
• Aunna Macias, promoted to director of restaurant technology

This group will work alongside the Real Estate Fast Track program, introduced this summer to identify and evaluate site opportunities earlier in the development process and shorten the time between a signed agreement and opening day.

Industry recognition has followed. TMAD ranked No. 3,741 on the Inc. 5000, including No. 134 in food and beverage, No. 99 in Colorado and No. 78 in Denver. Flavor & The Menu named it to its Best of Flavor list, and QSR included it among the 20 Best Franchise Deals.

With traffic climbing, new owners signing on and another limited-time bowl on deck, Teriyaki Madness enters the final quarter of 2026 with the kind of momentum yearned for across fast casual.

SOURCE Teriyaki Madness 

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