Monitor 200 Multi-Unit Franchisees Grow Without Building

MINNEAPOLIS, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The nation's largest multi-unit restaurant
franchise operators have demonstrated an ability to increase sales even when
they're not opening new units, according to the Monitor 200, the Restaurant
Finance Monitor's annual ranking of the nation's largest restaurant
franchisees.

As a whole, Monitor 200 franchisees reported $21.1 billion in revenue in 2008,
up 55 percent from 1998, when they took in $13.6 billion in sales. The number
of units they operate has grown more slowly, from 14,632 in 1998 to 16,395
last year.

In addition, Monitor 200 operators buy into the largest brands with the best
track records of success. The majority of companies on the list operate in one
or more of a handful of "top-tier" franchise systems, including YUM! Brands,
Burger King, Wendy's and Applebee's, suggesting
that it's easier to get financing for these systems.

"Large restaurant operators choose strong brands with a track record of sales
growth, and they find the best locations," said John M. Hamburger, president
of Franchise Times Corp., publisher of the Restaurant Finance Monitor. "And
they have the wherewithal to run excellent restaurants despite problems in the
national economy."

The Monitor 200 ranks the 200 largest restaurant franchisees based on their
annual revenues. The list has been published every year since 1994.

A few other highlights from the list:

-- YUM! Brands franchisees on the Monitor 200 operate 5,687 units, or 34
percent of the total number of restaurants on the list. That includes
the No. 1 franchisee, NPC International out of Overland Park, Kansas,
which operates 1,098 Pizza Hut restaurants and reported nearly $690
million in sales -- both up from 2007.
-- More casual dining. While the operating environment for casual-dining
chains has been in decline for years, you couldn't tell from
looking at this Monitor 200. More than a third, 36 percent, of the
units
on the list were from casual-dining chains, compared to 27 percent in
1998 when QSR chains dominated the Monitor 200.
-- Applebee's dominates. The casual-dining chain had 27 of its
franchisees on the Monitor 200. Together, those 27 local owners
operate
more than 70 percent of the chain's units.

-- Multi-branding rules. More franchisees are choosing to operate more
than
one chain. In 1998, 76 of the top franchisees operated more than one
concept. Today, 106 franchisees do. And 52 companies on the Monitor
200
operate at least three different concepts.

About the Restaurant Finance Monitor: Now in its 20th year, The Monitor is a
highly respected monthly newsletter that provides critical analysis, trends
and news about financial issues affecting the restaurant industry. It is read
by thousands of restaurant and financial executives around the country. The
Monitor is part of Franchise Times Corp., which also publishes Franchise Times
Magazine and Foodservice News, a tabloid covering the foodservice industry in
the Midwest.

SOURCE Restaurant Finance Monitor

Jonathan Maze of Restaurant Finance Monitor, +1-612-767-3209,
jmaze@franchisetimes.com