14 Restaurant Chains That Will Be All Over The Place In 2025

It's no secret that the last few years have been pretty rough for restaurants. COVID-19 and its aftermath has left many restaurants struggling to regain their footing, and when you combine customer tentativeness with ongoing challenging economic conditions, it's no wonder they have been left footing the bill. However, there's hope on the horizon. Yes, 2025 looks way more promising for the restaurant industry, thanks to a combination of declining interest rates and renewed spending from customers who just want a good meal out — and there are a few restaurant chains out there that are poised to make a big splash.

While usual suspects like Waffle House, IHOP, and Applebee's will likely remain as popular as ever, we may well see some lesser-known chains pulling ahead of the pack. New challengers in the fried chicken and burrito spaces are set to explode, while slightly more unexpected culinary candidates for chain restaurants, like cookies and Mediterranean cuisine, look like they're gonna be pretty popular. Elsewhere, well-known names that have traditionally focused on certain parts of the country look as though they're going to make a big push for dominance in new states. Join us to check out where you're going to be eating in 2025.

In the United States, Burritobar is a relatively new name, but its history spans two decades. Burritobar is the American offshoot of BarBURRITO, a Canadian Tex-Mex chain that specializes in the delicious spicy wraps that its name promises. BarBURRITO has been going since 2005, and has grown steadily to a size of over 325 restaurants in Canada; in 2020, it opted to push into the United States market using the Burritobar brand name.

It was a pretty risky year for the company to do so, but it's fair to say that its risk-taking paid off. American customers quickly flocked to Burritobar's output, with the company reporting huge success. In May 2024, the chain signed a Master Franchise Agreement with Sarang Franchising LLC to expand in Ohio, building on former agreements in various other states. This was swiftly followed by another agreement for New Jersey, which will see Burritobar opening 93 new restaurants. Going into 2025, Burritobar is aiming to reach a total of 750 restaurants across the United States, and we imagine that it's only just getting started.

Dave's Hot Chicken has seemingly sprung out of nowhere because, well, it has. The brand began selling its super-spicy chicken in 2017 out of a parking lot in East Hollywood, and harnessed the power of social media to fuel its rapid expansion. Less than a decade later, Dave's Hot Chicken's growth has made it a major player in the chain restaurant market. At the end of 2023, it boasted 169 units across the United States, and it aimed to reach more than 100 by the end of 2024.

Going into 2025, things look like they're only just heating up. Dave's Hot Chicken has a whopping 950 units in development across the country, with its business model of operating almost entirely via franchising allowing it to explode pretty quickly. It hasn't even started to push into areas like airports either, which could offer rich expansion opportunities — and it's also looking set to take off internationally. So how has it done it? Well, it's a combination of a spicy spin on a beloved dish like fried chicken and a savvy online presence that has created a passionate fanbase, which includes plenty of celebrity endorsements and investors. Who knew hot chicken could be such a winner?

The world's gone wild for Korean fried chicken (and honestly, we don't blame everyone, it's totally delicious), but until recently, Stateside chain restaurants that offer it have been fairly few and far between. Bonchon is looking to change that in 2025, expanding its already significant footprint to achieve huge market coverage. The Busan-born chain has been pumping out fried chicken since 2002, but 2024 saw a banner year for the business, with it signing a deal to open 66 new stores and take on 14 new franchise partners.

All of this will result in Bonchon taking the U.S. by storm in 2025, as it seeks to open 50 new locations. It looks as though a significant number of these will be in California, but the chain isn't limiting its sights to the West Coast. Throughout 2024, the chain opened locations in New York, Texas, Colorado, and New Jersey (amongst other states), and you can be sure that throughout 2025 it's going to be looking for more places to lay its roots. Long-term, Bonchon has its sights set on national and international domination, and seeks to conquer 500 U.S. locations, with 1,000 units in total across the globe. So if you haven't yet gotten into Korean fried chicken, now would be a good time to start.

It can be hard for relatively new fried chicken chain restaurants to stand out in an already-crowded market, and it's fair to say that Huey Magoo's hasn't been a major name up to this point. In 2022, the chain clocked in at over 200 locations in the United States, which sounds mighty impressive until you realize that competitors like Chick-fil-A and KFC have more than 3,000 and 4,100 locations respectively across the country. Huey Magoo's instead has traditionally focused its efforts on Southeastern states, rather than reaching for nationwide domination.

Well, its doing so has really paid off — and as a result, you shouldn't be surprised if you see a lot more Huey Magoo's locations in 2025. The chain has announced expansions into several new states for 2025, with San Antonio, Texas, getting 10 new stores alone. Elsewhere, it will open locations in Arizona and Virginia, with a grand total of 42 proposed for the year. Doing this will place Huey Magoo's restaurants in 15 different states, and the chain has its sights set on more than 250 new restaurants. It looks like 2025 is the year that Huey Magoo's can finally truly be called nationwide, and it looks like nothing can stop this fried chicken joint from reaching even greater heights.

It'd be smart to keep an eye on First Watch in 2025 and beyond. By November 2024, the breakfast and brunch chain already had almost 550 restaurants across more than half of the states in the country, which most businesses would be pretty happy with. However, it already has its eyes on more. In that same month, the chain completed a franchise acquisition deal for 16 restaurants, increasing its company-owned footprint significantly, and it currently has more than 120 projects in development that it expects to open in 2025 and beyond.

The result of this all will be a stronger financial situation for First Watch, which will inevitably translate into more restaurants. Although some of its development plans were set back by Hurricane Milton, it looks poised to bounce back rapidly, creating even more opportunities for customers to enjoy its food. Long-term, too, First Watch's ambitions are far from modest. The restaurant chain is aiming for an eventual total of 2,200 restaurants, pretty much quadrupling its current number and ensuring that you'll be seeing a lot of it in the future.

The combination of food that Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers sells (which is, of course, announced in its name) makes it a pretty safe bet to dine at. After all, who doesn't like delicious frozen custard (which is different than ice cream) and juicy, savory burgers? So don't be surprised if you see its restaurants catering to these tastes in 2025. The chain, which was founded in 2002, has already grown to a massive 530 restaurants or so across the majority of the United States, but it has more than 130 new locations planned to open in 2025 and 2026. Thanks to its franchise model, it's able to expand nimbly, and it looks as though franchisees are taking advantages of its universally-loved menu items by getting in on the action.

As well as this, Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has even grander ambitions. In October 2024, the chain restaurant signed an agreement to open three new locations in Canada, with the first of these opening in Winnipeg in 2025. These new restaurants follow several franchise and development agreements for the Canadian market, and it looks like Freddy's wishes to make a long-term impact in the North American country.

There's no shortage of sub restaurants in the United States, and so it might feel a little surprising that there's space for any new competitors. However, if you're sick of ordering Subway sandwiches, you should check out Port of Subs in 2025. The sandwich chain, which began its journey in 1972, currently has approximately 135 units across the country. However, 2025 looks set to skyrocket its presence, thanks to a promising regional developer model that sprung out of its purchase by Area 15 Ventures in 2023.

As a result, Port of Subs' potential has blown up, and going into 2025 the franchise has over 300 units committed to open. A sizable chunk of these units came out of canny deals signed in various states, which promise massive numbers of stores. One such agreement signed for Washington, D.C., will see 70 units opening in the state, with the first throwing its doors wide open in May 2025. Port of Subs is also set to expand significantly in California and Minnesota. In total, the chain aims to have 500 locations in just five years time, more than tripling its current number. Talk about an aggressive expansion, huh?

QDoba is far from an unknown chain. Since its inception in 1995, the Mexican fast-casual concept has grown to a size of over 750 restaurants, with locations in almost every state in the country as well as Canada and Puerto Rico. However, it's fair to say that its expansion is going to seriously kick up a notch in 2025, resulting in an even more ubiquitous profile for the brand. QDoba is aiming to open 75 more restaurants in 2025, its biggest number in several years, with 50 new units previously planned in 2024. It can put this speedy escalation down to its CEO John Cywinski, who was announced to take the top job at the start of 2023 and who favors a franchise-forward model for businesses, having applied it previously to Applebee's and KFC.

Therefore, it's pretty clear that we're gonna be seeing a lot more of this Mexican chain joint in the next few years. In fact, 2026 and 2027 could be set to be even bigger for QDoba, too. The chain is set to grow to over 1,000 units by 2027, with a heavy emphasis on franchising to get there. We guess we better warm up our appetite for quesadillas and birria.

The story of Huddle House has been one of slow and steady progress. The chain, which focuses on homestyle cooking and comfort food favorites, opened more than 50 years ago in Georgia and has gradually expanded to have well over 200 locations. However, it's also had its fair share of setbacks. Huddle House was one of many restaurants that faced a challenging few years post-COVID, losing dozens of franchised units in several years and closing out 2023 with way less locations than it had in 2021.

Thankfully for the business, 2025 looks like the year that it bounces back. In November 2024, it signed a 20-store franchise agreement deal with WE Food Enterprises Hospitality Group. This deal was the biggest ever for the restaurant chain, and will result in it having a much bigger presence across Texas. This deal is significant as while it won't necessarily immediately result in Huddle House's popping up all over the country, it's a huge flag in the sand for the business to indicate that it's back and ready to dominate, and will likely result in way more revenue for the company. We wouldn't be surprised if Huddle Houses in other states soon follow throughout 2025 and beyond.

A lot of people are familiar with the Bojangles brand name, but they may be less familiar with the taste of its food. That's because Bojangles has, up until this point, been largely focused on operating in the Southeast of the country, with Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina being the states that have the most restaurants.

However, it looks like 2025 is the year that Bojangles will make its presence known more widely, with new restaurants popping up in prominent locations across the country. In April 2024, the chain signed a 30-unit franchise agreement to open stores across Los Angeles. While the first store is set to open in 2025, it should quickly be followed by the others, marking an expansion throughout the state over the next few years. This announcement was preceded by a multi-unit development agreement for Arizona, which will see 20 units open throughout the state. That's not all, either: Bojangles also looks set to open restaurants throughout Nevada in 2025, with a prominent location in Las Vegas set to appeal to folks placing their bets in the city. If all goes well, we wouldn't be surprised if Northern states soon get a taste of Bojangles' breakfast and lunch, too. 

Up until recently, you've likely associated sliders with chains like White Castle and Krystal. However, a new player looks set to shake up the sliders space, and its 2025 looks to be pretty impressive. Smalls Sliders started life in 2019 and began franchising in 2021. In just a few years, the business achieved massive success, with around 350 restaurants (also known as "Cans") either open or in development by the end of 2024. This lightning-quick expansion was made all the more notable given that Smalls Sliders spent its first few years during the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, when many restaurants were struggling to stay afloat.

Going into 2025, Small Sliders shows no sign of slowing down. Multiple franchise agreements will see the restaurant gaining new ground in states like Texas and North Carolina, with multiple Cans set to open throughout 2025 and beyond in these locations. Missouri is also set to see new Cans in the next year or two, signaling Small Sliders' entry into the Midwest market. The chain puts its rapid success down to the quality of its leadership team, which has a huge amount of combined experience that it can put to use for the relatively new brand.

When you think of Mediterranean food, you probably think of the kind of dishes that are rustled up at home using quality ingredients, or meals that are prepared in high-end restaurants by chefs with decades of experience. However, you probably don't think of chain restaurants. That may be set to change in 2025, with Mediterranean concept CAVA set to make some serious gains. The restaurant first opened its doors in 2010, and since then it's achieved steady growth, with restaurants now located in 25 states. However, its 350-plus restaurant size is set to skyrocket in the next few years, and the chain has its sights set on Gen Z as a target market thanks to the younger generations' willingness to experiment with different foods.

As a result, you'll likely be seeing a lot of CAVA in the next few years. The brand may well be shifting towards a more aggressive growth model and expects that it will see around 15% unit growth throughout 2024 and 2025, which will inevitably result in more stores. Long-term, CAVA is aiming for 1,000 locations by 2032, which would roughly triple its unit quantity.

As far as chain restaurant concepts go, Salad and Go is a baby. The chain was founded in 2013, and since then it has grown significantly, with approximately 130 locations nationwide — which is pretty impressive, but nothing compared to some other chain restaurants out there. However, in the last few years, things have looked bright for Salad and Go, with former Wingstop CEO Charlie Morrison leaving the chicken chain to join the company in 2022. This caused people to scratch their heads, until Morrison set out his vision of Salad and Go to completely shake up the idea of the drive thru, offering healthy salads in mere minutes.

This vision has paid off big-time. In 2025, Salad and Go looks set to expand into brand new markets like Atlanta, with a long-term view to open thousands of locations in its future. Towards the end of 2024, it also announced plans to open new stores in Arizona. The chain can put its success down to a combination of its units being small enough to slot in pretty much anywhere, and to customers favoring a wider variety of fresher choices. This restaurant's unstoppable.

Chain restaurants that are focused on selling cookies have a fairly tough job on their hands, folks. Sure, they're delicious, but they'll never quite have the appeal that a restaurant that serves main dishes will. So it makes it even more impressive that Chip City is poised to do so well in 2025. The concept was born in Queens in July 2017, and word initially spread through local Facebook groups. By the end of 2023, Chip City had dozens of dedicated locations, and 2024 also looked pretty bright for the cookie chain.

However, 2025 is set to see Chip City's biggest expansion yet. The brand is aiming to open 40 additional units throughout the year, taking the grand total to 100 nationwide. Not bad for a chain joint that focuses solely on cookies, huh? As with many newer chain restaurants, Chip City has harnessed the power of social media to get the word out there, and this online savviness has seen its footprint expand quickly.