NEW YORK, June 23, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN), the leading media brand in the foodservice industry, and Datassential, a leading provider of food and beverage data and insights, have joined forces to present the inaugural 2021 Firefly Top 500 report, the definitive guide to restaurant chain performance.
Powered by Datassential’s proprietary Firefly platform, a database and intelligence tool comprising more than 1.5 million North American foodservice locations, as well as expert analysis from Nation’s Restaurant News’ award-winning editors, the report presents U.S. sales and unit trends for the largest restaurant chains. The result is the most comprehensive picture yet of how the pandemic impacted the restaurant business and what future-looking trends can be learned.
The release of this data cements a deeper partnership between the two companies to provide definitive data and trend information for the entire foodservice ecosystem. Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential are the premier authorities and only independent brands serving foodservice leaders as they look to rebuild and grow. The 2021 Top 500 restaurant chains report is the first joint production in a multiyear partnership that establishes Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential’s Firefly platform as the leading source for restaurant industry data.
“Nation’s Restaurant News is committed to providing foodservice leaders with the resources they need to understand the market and grow their businesses, and comprehensive industry data is an essential part of that toolkit,” said group publisher Sarah Lockyer. “NRN has long been the go-to source for competitive intelligence in the restaurant industry. Now, we are proud to join forces with Datassential to deliver even more of the information our readers and partners need to succeed.”
“For more than a year, Datassential has marshaled every team member to support the food and foodservice industries with data and insights that will help operators and their partners recover from an unprecedented crisis,” said Mark Brandau, the firm’s group manager. “Every person at NRN continues to prove they share this mission, which is why we feel there could be no better partners for enriching our groups’ contributions to the work ahead of us in 2021 and the years to come. We can’t wait to produce more valuable content and insights together throughout the year.”
The 2021 Top 500 report is live on NRN.com and is featured in the June issue of Nation’s Restaurant News magazine. Nation’s Restaurant News will continue to follow leading restaurant brands and emerging concepts throughout the year with editorial coverage and additional market insights from Datassential, including an exclusive video and podcast series this summer.
“We saw last year how important partnerships were to the restaurant industry, as operators relied heavily on their partners for support through the pandemic,” said Sam Oches, Nation’s Restaurant News editorial director. “Likewise, we needed a trusted partner to provide deep insights into restaurant chain performance in 2020, a year like no other. We’re thrilled that Datassential could be that partner, providing its Firefly platform to give us a valuable window into chain performance and power our Top 500 content in 2021 and beyond.”
The 2021 Top 500 restaurant chains report includes:
- Impact of the pandemic: Collectively, the Top 500 chains lost more than $13.8 billion in domestic sales last year and closed more than 3,600 U.S. restaurants.
- Fast-growing chains: In a year of widespread losses, a few of the largest restaurant chains still managed to post double-digit sales growth, including: Wingstop (+21%), Popeyes (+20%) and Papa John’s (+19%)
- Expansion trends: For many restaurants survival, not growth, was the priority last year. Yet some leading brands grew their restaurant count in 2020, including Shake Shack (+22.2%), Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurant (+14.6%) and Jersey Mike’s (+12.9%)
- Market analysis: A look at which concepts are best positioned to succeed post-pandemic, how early investment in technology gave brands an edge, and how the hard-hit casual dining segment is preparing for its next chapter
- Interactive data: Explore Top 500 chain performance in searchable, sortable data sets showing 2020 sales, unit counts, average store volumes and growth rates
- Snapshots of success: Exclusive NRN video and podcast series with national and emerging brands that grew sales last year — and how they did it
Explore Nation’s Restaurant News’ Top 500 report here.
Learn more about Datassential’s Firefly 500 and access a free preview of additional data here.
ABOUT NATION’S RESTAURANT NEWS
Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) is the No. 1 source of business information for the foodservice industry. For more than 50 years, NRN has served the information and engagement needs of foodservice professionals, offering award-winning content across all mediums with the goal of driving businesses forward. NRN was named Best Media Brand by the Jesse H. Neal Awards in 2019. NRN is part of the Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect, the leading B2B integrated media group connecting products, solutions and thought leadership with the largest, most engaged and highly qualified audience in foodservice and food retail. The group connects the entire food and foodservice ecosystem of operators, chefs, retailers, manufacturers, vendors and solutions providers through traditional, digital, social and custom media as well as digital and live events. Learn more at www.nrn.com.
ABOUT DATASSENTIAL
Datassential is the leading data insights platform influencing what’s next on your plate and in your glass. Through a suite of intelligence tools, software solutions and an unlimited data library, Datassential guides the biggest names in food and beverage on what’s next for the industry and how to stay ahead of it. Founded in 1999, Datassential powers insights for brands including General Mills, Unilever, Starbucks, Target and more. For additional information, visit https://datassential.com
MEDIA CONTACT
Nation’s Restaurant News
Jesse Yeung
The Restaurant & Food Group by Informa Connect
605 Third Avenue, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10158
jesse.yeung@informa.com
Datassential
18 S. Michigan Avenue, 9th Floor
Chicago, IL 60603
312-655-0622
media@datassential.com