Chain Restaurants That Are Going To Be Everywhere In 2023

As we near the end of 2022, it can be useful to look back on what restaurants are still kicking. The coronavirus pandemic hasn't made things easy, seeing how its impact remains today. Some companies, like Chuck E. Cheese, Golden Corral, IHOP, and Luby's, have been negatively impacted, closing dozens or more locations since 2020. These businesses are among the chains that people thought were sure to be lost in 2022, as they struggle to stay open. 

But other restaurants are bouncing back and even thriving. We know a company is in good financial health due to many factors, including profitability, according to Investopedia. When these chains make bigger profits, we may see them opening more locations. As these successful companies expand, restaurants that thrived in 2022 may be a more common sight in 2023.

This could be good news for fans of some popular restaurant chains. It could also mean your town is getting a new batch of fast food favorites or that your food options may be expanded while traveling. To find out which chain restaurants you're going to be seeing everywhere in 2023, read on.

Restaurateur Danny Meyer doesn't seem like the type of guy to open a hot dog stand. But that's just what Meyer did with Shake Shack. In 2001, Meyer opened a temporary food cart in Manhattan's Madison Square Park, as per Investopedia. Within a few years, the successful hot dog stand evolved into a burger stand. Today, Shake Shack operates over 360 brick-and-mortar restaurants across the U.S. (via Zippia), with most restaurants based in its home state of New York, as well as spots like California and Texas.

Many more people are about to experience the beauty of the Shake Shack "shackburger" and not just because of the chain's 2022 collaboration with "Hot Ones." That's because Shake Shack plans to open 20 to 25 additional drive-thru locations. According to Restaurant Dive, the chain said in a letter released to shareholders in August 2022 that it's going big on drive-thrus in 2023, focusing on profitable stores. On average, Shake Shack locations with drive-thrus make around $80,000 per week, whereas those without are making around $76,000. At the time of the announcement, Shake Shack had only six drive-thru locations, so prepare yourself to see that number go up shortly.

First Watch is a name you may not be familiar with, but it's one of the fastest-growing restaurant chains in the country. The initial location opened back in 1983, in a small town on the central coast of California called Pacific Grove. First Watch has built its popularity off delicious breakfast and lunch menus made all the more important because the chain doesn't serve dinner. Fans still wake up early for dishes like Million Dollar Bacon. As of fall 2022, there are over 445 locations of First Watch.

By 2023, there are to be many more. According to FSR, the chain plans to open between 38 and 48 new locations that year. Given that one year First Watch opened 60 locations, this doesn't seem like much of a challenge. But it would still be an enormous feat for First Watch to open dozens of new restaurants in 2023. Because the brand wants to one day have more than 2,200 locations, they had better get moving.

True Food Kitchen has made headlines for its celebrity investors. Back in 2018, Oprah Winfrey donated a huge chunk of money to the company. The amount was undisclosed, reports the Phoenix Business Journal, but Oprah's contribution was reportedly enough to double the company's growth. In 2022, Priyanka Chopra and her husband Nick Jonas were on the investment team of a company that donated $100 million to True Food Kitchen. It was the largest investment that the chain received thus far. 

This health-conscious chain's founder is somewhat of a celebrity himself. True Food Kitchen was founded by Dr. Andrew Weil, a proponent of alternative medicines, as per Britannica. As part of his research, Weil designed an "anti-inflammatory food pyramid" that still shapes the chain's menu today. As a result, at this eatery, there are many vegan, vegetarian, and gluten-free options in an extensive menu of salads and bowls. Today, there are more than 40 locations of True Food Kitchen, but with all those investments, we expect to see more.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe was founded in 1997. Its health-focused menu features an extensive selection of green juices and fruit smoothies. Customers also can add spoonfuls of supplements such as collagen, pea protein, vitamin B12, and more to their beverages. Along with all the seemingly endless options for healthy drinks, Tropical Smoothie Cafe has an extensive food menu that includes sandwiches, wraps, salads, and sides to pair with produce-filled beverages.

This menu must be working for some people, given that Tropical Smoothie Cafe appears to be taking off in 2022. In April, the chain reported that it was starting the year with its highest number of cafe openings thus far. Namely, it opened 42 new cafes, as well as signed 56 new franchise agreements during the year's first quarter alone. By October, Tropical Smoothie Cafe had opened 119 new restaurants. With all of this growth, you're going to see more of these healthy smoothie spots around.

Many people are already familiar with Jersey Mike's. The sandwich chain has been serving authentic, Northeastern-style sub sandwiches since 1956, with a selection that's popular for anyone who's got to cater to a large group, and fast. It's got a classic meat-and-cheese selection of cold subs, but Jersey Mike's also offers hot sandwiches such as the ever-popular cheesesteak. As in so many other fast-casual sandwich shops, these meals are usually accompanied by a drink and a bag of chips.

As of fall 2022, Jersey Mike's has around 2,200 restaurants in operation. The chain believes it can one day open as many as 10,000 locations and so has the goal of opening 500 stores by the end of 2022 (via Nation's Restaurant News). Since it opened as many as 200 new stores during 2020 — one of the worst years for the restaurant industry ever, thanks to the disruption of the COVID-19 pandemic — we believe in the brand's ability to succeed in less trying times. Nothing seems to be slowing Jersey Mike's down.

Raising Cane's may have a pretty limited menu for a fast food spot, with a lineup that consists of chicken fingers, crinkle-cut fries, coleslaw, Texas toast, and drinks (as well as its beloved Cane's Sauce). But don't use that as an excuse to dismiss this chicken-focused chain. While small, Raising Cane's is thriving thanks to its flavorful chicken and devoted fanbase. Since 1996, when the chain opened its first storefront, Raising Cane's has continued to grow. We expect to see even more growth in 2023.

Per QSR, the chain plans to open 100 additional stores in 2022. That's in addition to the 69 locations it had already opened in 2021. Given that sort of progress, it's easy to see how the chain's lofty goal might be achieved. To help run those stores, the company said it would hire 15,000 new Raising Cane's employees, including some at the restaurant's first-ever location in Michigan, which opened in East Lansing in October 2022 (via The State News).

Since the first Wingstop opened in 1994, it's developed a growing fan base for its chicken wings. Although it's true to its name and so there isn't a lot of variety on its chicken wing-focused menu, you can rustle up some excitement by personalizing wings with different flavors. But it must be popular during times other than during football season because Wingstop's number of locations is growing rapidly.

In February 2022, Forbes reported that Wingstop was flourishing, despite rising chicken prices that threatened its livelihood. In 2021, the chain opened 193 new outlets, with a total of more than 1,700 restaurants by the beginning of 2022. It's planning to continue that growth, too. Per a March 2022 press release, Wingstop announced plans to open four ghost kitchens in Madrid. Inside the U.S., Wingstop has opened two new restaurants in Connecticut, one in Manhattan, and one in Canada in 2022.  By 2023, Wingstop might be inescapable.