Fastest Growing Franchises 2026: Who Is Adding Units

The fastest growing franchises in 2026 are adding locations at rates that signal either explosive demand or aggressive expansion — and the data shows these are very different things. Based on FDD unit count disclosures, brands like Chili's Grill & Bar (71% unit growth), TGI Fridays (65.4%), and Blingle! (44.9%) lead in raw expansion rate. But growth speed alone tells you nothing about whether those new locations will succeed.

Growth is not the same as quality

This is the single most important thing to understand about "fastest growing" franchise lists: rapid expansion is a leading indicator of either incredible demand or reckless franchising. The 2010s are littered with franchise brands that grew at 30–50% annually, saturated their markets, and then saw franchisee unit economics collapse.

That is why we cross-reference growth data with SBA loan performance and risk scores. A brand growing at 40% with a 0% charge-off rate tells a fundamentally different story than one growing at 40% with a 25% default rate.

Top 15 fastest growing franchises by unit growth

The following table shows franchise brands with the highest percentage increase in franchised units over a three-year period, based on FDD Item 20 disclosures. We limited this to brands with at least 50 franchised units in the base year to filter out tiny systems where a handful of new locations creates misleading growth rates.

The warning signs of dangerous growth

Several brands on this list carry risk scores that should make prospective buyers pause:

• TGI Fridays is growing at 65.4% but carries a risk score of 82 and a 10% SBA charge-off rate. This is a legacy casual dining brand pivoting to a franchise model — growth driven by corporate-to-franchise conversion rather than organic demand.
• Cost Cutters is growing at 58.4% with a risk score of 82 and $280K average revenue on a $181K–$342K investment. The revenue barely covers the investment in year one, suggesting thin margins for franchisees.
• Fit Body Boot Camp is growing at 40.1% with a risk score of 97. Fitness franchises carry a 31.8% category-level charge-off rate, the second highest in franchising.

The growth brands we actually like

A few brands on the fast-growth list combine strong expansion with solid fundamentals:

• Blingle! — 44.9% growth, $488K average revenue on a $173K–$227K investment, risk score of 68. Holiday and event lighting is a seasonal business, but the margins on installation services are typically strong. Worth investigating for the right operator.
• Monster Tree Service — 40.3% growth, $1.3M average revenue on $416K–$535K investment, risk score of 55. Tree services are essential, recession-resistant, and benefit from aging housing stock. The unit economics look healthy.
• Complete Weddings + Events — 42.6% growth, $361K revenue on just $68K–$79K investment, risk score of 35. The low investment makes the revenue figure attractive, and the risk score is well below average.
• Motto Mortgage — 45.6% growth, 249 units, $56K–$240K investment, risk score of 68. A unique model in mortgage brokerage that requires licensing but offers a professional services business with minimal overhead.

What rapid growth really tells you

When evaluating a fast-growing franchise, ask these questions:

1. Is the growth organic or incentivized? Some franchisors offer deep discounts on franchise fees or reduced royalties for the first year to inflate unit counts. Check FDD Item 5 (franchise fee) and Item 6 (ongoing fees) for any promotional pricing.
2. Are existing locations profitable? Growth funded by franchisee excitement rather than franchisee success is a house of cards. Check FDD Item 19 for revenue disclosures and Item 20 for franchisee contact information. Call existing owners and ask specifically about profitability timeline.
3. Can the franchisor's support scale? Rapid growth can outpace a franchisor's ability to support new locations with training, marketing, and operational guidance. Ask recent franchisees whether they received adequate support during launch.
4. What does the SBA data say? Check the brand's SBA performance profile on FranchiseVerdict. A fast-growing brand with an elevated charge-off rate is a red flag that new locations are not translating into successful businesses.

How to find growing franchises that fit your goals

Use the FranchiseVerdict screener to filter brands by unit growth rate, investment range, and risk score. The screener lets you find brands that are growing quickly and scoring well on our composite risk metrics — a combination that identifies genuine market opportunity rather than speculative expansion.

Methodology

Unit growth percentages are calculated from FDD Item 20 disclosures, comparing the most recent year's franchised unit count to the count from three years prior. Only brands with at least 50 franchised units in the base year are included to prevent small-sample distortions. Revenue figures are from Item 19. Investment ranges are from Item 7. Risk scores are FranchiseVerdict's composite metric. For our full methodology, see the methodology page.

The bottom line

The data tells us that fast growth and good investment are two completely different things. If I were evaluating a franchise growing at 40%+ annually, I would want to see two things before writing a check: an SBA charge-off rate below 5% and stable or increasing revenue per location across sequential FDD filings. What most buyers miss is that rapid unit growth often benefits the franchisor (more franchise fees and royalty revenue) at the expense of individual franchisees (more competition and thinner territories). The brands on this list that we actually like — Monster Tree Service, Complete Weddings + Events, Blingle! — combine strong growth with unit economics that make sense for the operator, not just the corporate office.

Related franchise research

Continue your research with our 7-Eleven franchise analysis, Ace Hardware franchise analysis, and best food franchises guide.