Health-Forward, Global Chicken Concepts Lead Growth in Datassential 500

A stagnant year for the restaurant industry did little to slow two distinct growth engines: health-forward fast casual and globally-influenced chicken. 

Collectively, systemwide sales across chains in this year’s Datassential 500 grew by just 2.6%. That equates to an estimated 1.5% contraction in real terms — marking the first time in Datassential’s recent tracking that growth among the largest chains failed to keep pace with broader consumer spending.

Even so, the report also shows that limited-service concepts focused on salad/healthful and chicken are punching well above their weight, together claiming half of the 10 fastest-growing chains by systemwide sales.

The salad/healthful segment led the charge in representation. Three brands — Toastique (+75.3%), Honeygrow (+55.4%), and Pure Green (+46.8%) — landed among the top performers, giving the category the strongest presence on the leaderboard. The showing is notable given the segment’s mixed fundamentals: while unit counts expanded 3.3% across 34 brands in 2025, total sales for the group slipped 0.4%.

Growth was concentrated among concepts that moved beyond traditional “light and fresh” positioning. Winners leaned into visible protein, more indulgent builds, and sharper value and convenience cues. Pure Green, Honeygrow, Playa Bowls, Just Salad, and emerging player Toastique all delivered double-digit gains in both units and sales, while Tropical Smoothie Cafe posted a 14% sales increase. 

In contrast, mall-based and juice-centric operators such as Freshens and Pressed Juicery saw their unit counts shrink, reflecting waning traffic and narrower daypart appeal.

The takeaway: health alone is no longer a differentiator. Consumers continue to gravitate toward better-for-you options, but only when paired with satiety, portability, and a more craveable value proposition.

Chicken-focused concepts, meanwhile, delivered one of the most consistent growth stories in the dataset. The LSR Chicken segment was the strongest overall performer in the Datassential 500, with aggregate units up 4.4% and sales rising 4.2% across 28 brands. Three chains stood out: Dave’s Hot Chicken ranked in the top 10 for both unit (+34.3%) and sales (+44.6%) growth; Pollo Campero posted 35.5% unit growth; and Hangry Joe’s Hot Chicken recorded 39.7% sales growth.

Globally-flavored chicken concepts increasingly drove segment momentum. The report notes that brands like Dave’s Hot Chicken, Pollo Campero, and Hangry Joe’s are translating international spice profiles and formats into scalable growth.