10 Rising Restaurant Chains That Will Take Over In 2026

The restaurant industry moves quickly. It can feel like every time you blink, there's some new hotshot joint that's suddenly everywhere, offering a brand new spin on classic dishes or bringing something fresh to the table. Because of the volatility of the restaurant scene and the potential for franchising to skyrocket a concept to new heights seemingly overnight, some restaurant chains struggle while others come in and sweep up the competition. In 2026, there are a fair few businesses that are poised to become your new favorite.

Although some of these chains might be familiar to people already, 2026 looks like the year that they're going to hit the big leagues. Outfits like Sweetgreen, CAVA, and Paris Baguette will see their fortunes ascend to new heights, thanks to plans for rapid expansion and well-balanced books. Other restaurants, like Houston TX Hot Chicken and Via 313, are new kids on the block that may well become major players, due to an appetite for their unique take on universally loved foods and a sense of vigor and innovation in their branding. Let's check out the restaurant chains you're about to see everywhere.

Din Tai Fung may be relatively new to the United States, but the soup dumpling chain has been around for a lot longer than you might think. Din Tai Fung was founded way back in 1958 in Taiwan, when Yang Bing-Yi began selling xiao long bao from his cooking oil shop as a way to keep money coming in. 14 years later, Yang took the plunge and turned his business into a fully-fledged restaurant, and it arrived in Los Angeles in 2000.

Din Tai Fung's growth in the U.S. has been fairly slow until this point, but the last few years have seen its fortunes explode. In 2024, it was grossing $27.4 million per location, almost double the amount that its nearest competitor, Mastro's Restaurants, made per location (according to Bloomberg). Its sky-high revenue and rapid increase in popularity have been driven almost entirely by social media: Its marketing spend is ploughed almost entirely into Facebook and Instagram, and several of its dishes have gone viral on TikTok.

With 17 units in the U.S., 2026 looks to be a massive year for the chain. It's planning on opening three more locations in the country, has plans for a big expansion on the East Coast, and it has major ambitions for more international locations. The sky's the limit for Din Tai Fung, and with its extraordinary margins, it'll soon be everywhere.

It might surprise you that CAVA's only been around for 15 years. The Mediterranean chain was founded in 2010, and in a short period of time, managed to carve out an impressive space for itself in the market. Its performance has been particularly impressive over the last few years, with traffic increasing enormously while other restaurant chains floundered, due to the after-effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of inflation. People have clearly fallen in love with the chain's vibrant, trendy take on fast-casual food. CAVA stands out in a market oversaturated with burgers, chicken, and pizza, thanks to unique offerings like its irresistible Crazy Feta.

Having said this, CAVA's still somewhat of an outlier in the fast-casual space — but 2026 looks set to be the year that it fully embeds itself at the center of the scene. The company has set its sights on opening around 70 new restaurants during fiscal 2025, making a massive increase in its unit numbers. It's also announced that it's looking to achieve 16% growth during 2026 (per Seeking Alpha). CAVA's now feeling the effects of the industry-wide slowdown as its other competitors are, but these plans speak to a confident company that knows that customers want what it's selling.

Paris Baguette has been on a big ramp-up recently. The brand (which is, contrary to its French name, actually Korean) was founded in 1988 and operated primarily in South Korea and other countries in Asia before arriving in the U.S. in 2005. By 2016, it had just 45 locations, which, by the chain's standards, was fairly slow going.

Cut to 2025, though, and Paris Baguette's rise in the U.S. feels like it's unstoppable. August 2025 saw the chain celebrate 18 consecutive quarters of sales growth, with 250 units across the country (per QSR). This unit number was a big step-up from previous years and has been largely driven by an impressive franchising operation. 

Going into 2026, Paris Baguette looks set to sweep the market from under everyone else's feet. PR Newswire reports it has more than 500 units in development, and by 2030, it hopes to have over 1,000 locations in the country. It's also in the midst of building a new manufacturing facility in Texas, which is set to open in 2027, and which will drive even more growth. There's no doubt that Paris Baguette is going to be a major player pretty soon.

Although some restaurants come out of nowhere and reach enormous success in just a few years, generally, things move a little slower than that. Concepts can take a good couple of decades before they finally hit their stride and begin their rise. This is certainly true of Layne's Chicken Fingers, a Texas-born chicken chain that was founded in 1994. Layne's grew slowly over the 2000s and 2010s, but it wasn't until it started franchising in 2021 that it really saw things begin to move quickly. Now, it's one of the chicken chains we're about to see everywhere.

By the middle of 2025, Layne's had reached 30 units, increasing its restaurant number by half, and by the end of 2026, it's set to be everywhere. The restaurant has stated that it expects to have more than 80 units by the time 2026 is over. It'll get to that point by way of five new franchise agreements that Layne's signed in Q3 2025, which will see it expand into Oregon, increase its footprint in Wisconsin, and most notably build a massive 52 restaurants in West Texas (per PR Newswire). There's literally no stopping this chain, and we think its chicken fingers are here for good. 

If you're a big fan of a fast-food salad, Sweetgreen might be your new favorite chain. The concept has made quite a mark in the last couple of years and has emerged as a real competitor to giants like Panera, which has recently been in freefall. It has positioned itself as a slightly more upmarket choice for customers, which has also been to its detriment. 2025 has seen Sweetgreen struggle financially, with same-store sales dropping throughout the year as people become more and more cost-conscious.

However, in terms of growth, it's not stopping going into 2026. Sweetgreen planned to open up to 40 new locations by the end of 2025, and is set to open 15 to 20 in 2026. This is a slowdown for the concept, but it will still have an increased presence in the market and will arguably be more prominent than ever. It's also entering several new major markets in 2026, including Salt Lake City. The chain is also clearly doing everything it can to reverse its fortunes by rethinking menu pricing to recapture an audience that may well be looking for cheaper options. Don't expect Sweetgreen to go away any time soon, guys.

The rate at which Dave's Hot Chicken has expanded has been nothing short of extraordinary. The chicken concept was created in 2017, with its first outfit in a parking lot and just $900 of investment behind it. Eight years later, and it's got well over 300 locations across the United States and overseas. It's now valued at over $1 billion, and a combination of internet presence and a swift franchising pivot has allowed it to grow nimbly and rapidly.

Going into 2026, this chicken chain looks as though it's unstoppable. Dave's Hot Chicken will open 150 new stores by the end of fiscal 2025, and it plans to reach $1.6 billion in sales by the end of 2026 (per QSR). It's also got a huge amount of lock-in from future partners. Over 1,500 stores have been sold, and a further 1,200 are in the pipeline. Its sights aren't just on national domination, either: It's planning a deft move into 10 different European countries, including France, Germany, and Italy, to solidify its international presence. This brand isn't going anywhere.

Breakfast restaurants are having a moment, and as customers are finding that some more established chains aren't worth the price, there's space for up-and-comers to take over. This seems to be happening with Keke's Breakfast Cafe. The chain was founded in 2006, and it's seen steady growth since it first opened its doors, but 2026 seems set to be a big year for it. In June 2025, Keke's Breakfast Cafe stated that it was looking at 25% to 30% growth annually going forward, indicating that it was poised to expand in 2026 and beyond (per Restaurant Business). It was also in the midst of a bumper year, having projected to open more stores than it ever had in 12 months — 20, to be precise.

It should be noted that just a few months later, Keke's Breakfast Cafe's future changed slightly, after it was announced that its parent company would be acquired by TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Treville Capital Group, and Yadav Enterprises. The deal will also take the restaurant brand private. Although this could indicate rocky waters, its new owners stated that its long-term growth plans would be supported. Its move to a private structure could also be a canny move, as it allows the brand to realign and its owners to focus on strategy. When you back all of this up with very solid sales over the last few years, there's no reason to think that it's not going to continue rising.

Restaurant chains dream of having the story that Houston TX Hot Chicken has. This chain was founded in 2020, and its first branch was opened the following year. In the space of half a decade, it's accrued dozens of locations. Then, in 2024, it saw its sales increase by a monumental 105%, and its units grow by 80% (per Restaurant Business). It's a rare success story of the COVID-19 pandemic and the restaurant landscape during the time, which saw many eateries failing to cope with the tumultuous headwinds presented to them. Houston TX Hot Chicken puts its success down to the ambience and experience that it offers customers, beyond the delicious chicken itself.

Going into 2026, its growth looks unstoppable. Houston TX Hot Chicken has 15 to 20 restaurants on deck to open during the year, and it then plans to acquire 50 to 60 units per year beyond that. It's also expressed that it's received interest from overseas partners, hinting at possible international collaboration and expansion. Although it faces stiff competition from Dave's Hot Chicken, its management seems confident that it can hold its own — and honestly, we think they can, too.

Never underestimate what star power can do. Big Chicken, the chain founded by Shaquille O'Neal in 2018, has gone from strength to strength in the seven years that it's been operating. By the end of 2024, it was boasting almost 50 units and gaining thousands of applicants for a couple of dozen available franchisee groups. Everyone wanted a piece of the pie, and the sky seemed to be the limit, with executives discussing extraordinary expansion plans and huge franchise deals.

As of October 2025, these deals and plans have been scaled back somewhat, with CEO Josh Halpern acknowledging that Shaq's celebrity may have caused a touch of over-ambition. However, its growth plans for 2026 still look substantial. Restaurant Business reports that the brand has six units in construction, with 20 to 30 poised to begin next year. It's also starting to expand internationally, and it's boasting unbelievable sales figures, seeing year-on-year sales up 146% for fiscal 2024. Off the back of all of this, it's hard to see how it's not going to be a massive presence pretty soon.

Full-service pizza joints don't feel like particularly fertile ground for restaurant chains if they want to grow quickly, right? Well, tell that to Via 313. The Austin-born concept has defied convention to become a brand that's on the cusp of success. Via 313 specializes in Detroit-style pizza, and what started as a single trailer has turned into a chain with 25 units across multiple states. 2025 also saw the brand get an enormous win, securing $32.5 million in investment that would double its footprint in three years (per Pizza Today). Not bad for a restaurant that only opened its first permanent location in 2015.

Heading into 2026, the future looks very bright for Via 313. The chain is set to gain four to five new units in 2026, an increase of around 20% of its current size, and even more going forward. By the end of 2027, it could have 40 restaurants across multiple states, and with its eyes set on new markets, it seems as though it's gonna be a name on everyone's lips.