First look: which emerging dining brands are breaking through with U.S. consumers?

Ahead of YouGov’s full U.S. emerging dining brands study this August, a first-stage awareness test shows which rising restaurant, cafe, QSR and specialty dining brands are already on consumers’ radar.

YouGov is preparing to launch its first U.S. emerging dining brands study, a new ranking of rising U.S. dining brands that are breaking through with consumers.

Before fielding the full study, YouGov tested awareness of 70 candidate brands across restaurant, cafe, QSR, fast casual, bakery, dessert, beverage and specialty dining concepts. The first-stage awareness test asked U.S. adults which brands they had ever heard of, even if they had never visited or purchased from them.

Brands reaching more than 10.0% national awareness will advance to the full emerging dining brands 2026 study, planned for release in August. The full study will go beyond awareness to measure consideration, brand impression, innovation, customer experience and whether consumers see each brand as “on the rise.”

YouGov already tracks 116 dining brands daily in BrandIndex across 16 brand health metrics. The emerging dining brands study is designed to look beyond established nationwide chains, focusing on rising, challenger, regional-to-national, and specialty dining brands.

Specialty and regional brands lead the first awareness test

The first-stage results show that several rising dining brands have already moved beyond niche recognition and are beginning to register with a broad national audience.

Nothing Bundt Cakes leads the tested set, with 37.4% of U.S. adults saying they have heard of the brand. Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard follows at 27.2%, while Taco John’s ranks third at 24.7%. Together, they show that emerging dining brands can break through in different ways: through broad occasion-based appeal, strong regional roots, or deep recognition in core markets.

Other brands showing strong early national recognition include Jollibee at 23.9%, Portillo’s at 22.1%, Jet’s Pizza at 21.1%, Mission BBQ at 20.7%, and Yard House at 20.2% — a mix of regional favorites, international challengers, category specialists, and casual dining brands working their way into broader U.S. consumer awareness.

Overall, the 34 brands advancing represent a mix of established regional favorites, fast-growing QSR concepts, specialty dessert and bakery chains, coffee and beverage brands, and casual dining challengers.

Now let’s take a closer look at the 70 candidate brands across the five groups used in the first-stage awareness test.

Group 1: Fast casual and better-for-you brands show pockets of regional strength

Among fast casual, bowl, salad, sandwich and Mediterranean brands, Mission BBQ posts the highest national awareness at 20.7%, followed by Chicken Salad Chick at 19.1%, The Halal Guys at 14.0%, and Just Salad at 11.5%.

But national awareness only tells part of the story. Several brands show much stronger recognition among specific regions or generations.

Chicken Salad Chick, for example, reaches 34.4% awareness in the South, compared with 19.1% nationally. Playa Bowls, which rounds to 10.0% national awareness but falls just below the unrounded threshold for advancement, reaches 25.9% awareness in the Northeast and 19.3% among Gen Z. BIBIBOP Asian Grill also shows a clear regional pocket, with 18.1% awareness in the Midwest compared with 7.5% nationally.

These results suggest that some brands may still be emerging nationally while already achieving meaningful visibility in their strongest markets.

Group 2: Chicken and international QSR brands are breaking through with younger consumers

The chicken and international QSR category includes several of the strongest younger-consumer stories in the awareness test.

Jollibee, an international QSR brand, leads this set at 23.9% national awareness, rising to 34.1% among Gen Z. American Deli reaches 17.9% nationally and 27.6% among Gen Z, while bb.q Chicken reaches 10.5% nationally and 17.5% among Gen Z.

Other brands advancing from this category include Slim Chickens at 13.5%, Golden Chick at 13.4%, Pollo Campero at 12.6%, Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken at 12.1%, and Hawaiian Bros Island Grill at 10.4%.

The results point to a broader trend: multicultural and chicken-focused dining brands are gaining visibility with younger consumers, even when their national awareness is still developing.

Group 3: Regional QSR, pizza and casual chains remain highly visible in core markets

Regional QSR, pizza, Mexican and casual chains had one of the strongest overall showings, with 10 of 15 tested brands clearing the 10.0% national awareness threshold.

Taco John’s leads this category at 24.7% national awareness, but its awareness rises to 46.9% in the Midwest. Portillo’s and Jet’s Pizza also show strong Midwestern awareness, at 34.8% and 36.5%, respectively.

Western strength is also visible. Black Bear Diner reaches 44.0% awareness in the West, compared with 17.3% nationally, while Mountain Mike’s Pizza reaches 29.8% in the West, compared with 11.5% nationally.

Southern awareness is notable for several brands as well, including Mellow Mushroom at 30.9%, Cook Out at 29.1%, and Miller’s Ale House at 19.3%.

For emerging and challenger dining brands, the path to national visibility often starts with strong regional recognition. The first-stage awareness test helps identify which brands are already known in their core markets and which may be positioned for broader national growth.

Group 4: Coffee, bakery, dessert and beverage brands have some of the broadest awareness

Specialty dining brands — including coffee, bakery, dessert, snack and beverage concepts — are among the strongest performers in the awareness test.

Nothing Bundt Cakes and Rita’s Italian Ice & Frozen Custard lead this group and are the top two brands in the overall awareness test. Other specialty brands clearing the national threshold include PJ’s Coffee at 18.7%, Black Rock Coffee Bar at 14.0%, Paris Baguette at 13.5%, Shipley Do-Nuts at 12.8%, Kung Fu Tea at 12.6%, and The Human Bean at 11.7%.

Several below-threshold brands also show promising segment strength. Swig reaches 17.9% awareness among Gen Z, compared with 8.3% nationally. Gong cha reaches 17.3% among Gen Z, while Tous les Jours reaches 15.9% among Gen Z.

This category may be one of the strongest indicators of changing dining behavior, as consumers increasingly interact with food and beverage brands outside traditional meal occasions.

Group 5: Casual dining, brunch and experiential restaurants show Gen Z and regional opportunities

In casual dining, brunch and experiential restaurants, Fogo de Chão leads with 17.8% national awareness, followed by Another Broken Egg Cafe at 13.1%, Cooper’s Hawk Winery & Restaurants at 13.0%, and KPOT Korean BBQ & Hot Pot at 12.7%.

KPOT stands out as one of the strongest Gen Z performers in the full awareness test. While national awareness is 12.7%, Gen Z awareness reaches 27.7%.

Several other casual dining brands that fall below the national threshold also show clear Gen Z strength. Keke’s Breakfast Cafe reaches 19.4% awareness among Gen Z, while Pressed Juicery reaches 19.3%, Kura Sushi reaches 18.5%, Snooze, an A.M. Eatery reaches 16.6%, North Italia reaches 19.6%, and Moxies reaches 14.8% among Gen Z.

That pattern is important for a study focused on emerging brands. National awareness may still be developing, but younger consumers can provide an early signal of where future dining momentum may be building.

What happens next

The first-stage awareness test is the opening phase of YouGov’s emerging dining brands study.

The 34 brands advancing from the first-stage awareness test will move into the full study, which will measure a broader set of brand health metrics, including:

• Awareness
• Consideration
• Brand impression
• Differentiation
• Customer satisfaction
• Whether consumers see the brand as “on the rise”

The full U.S. emerging dining brands report is planned for release in August.

More data is available for brands included in the test

The awareness test includes national results as well as audience cuts by generation and region. Brands included in the first-stage research can request a short readout of their awareness results, including where awareness is strongest and how they compare with other emerging dining brands tested.

Brands advancing to the full study will also be eligible for pre-release briefings before the public report is released.

Methodology

YouGov tested awareness of 70 candidate emerging dining brands among U.S. adults. Candidate brands were selected to reflect rising, challenger, regional-to-national, international, and specialty dining brands across the U.S. dining market. YouGov’s existing daily BrandIndex dining coverage includes 116 established dining brands across 16 brand health metrics; those brands were outside the scope of this emerging dining brands study.

Respondents were asked: “Which of the following food service brands have you ever heard of?” Brands were organized into five themed sets for survey programming, covering fast casual, QSR, casual dining, coffee, bakery, dessert, beverage and specialty dining concepts. Brand options were randomized within each set.

National awareness is shown as the share of U.S. adults who said they had heard of each brand. “Strongest in” reflects the highest eligible generation or region segment for each brand. Segments with unweighted base sizes below 100 were excluded from the strongest segment analysis.

Percentages are shown to one decimal place. Qualification for the full study is based on unrounded national awareness.

Advancement to the full study is based on unrounded national awareness of 10.0% or higher.