Margot Boyer-Dry

The fast food chicken giant transformed U.S. franchises with lessons from abroad, climbing the ranks in the Franchise 500 with its unique blend of innovation and tradition.

Ace Hardware's recent outreach strategy is not just winning over customers but is also attracting a record number of prospective franchisees — And it landed the brand at #5 in this Year's Franchise 500.

Despite being much smaller than its competitors, Culver's landed at #6 on this year's Franchise 500 by making deliberate decisions and a series of innovations.

The brand breaks into the Franchise 500 Top 10 on the strength of its game-changing Wagyu Burgers, reimagining the classic American meal and cementing its place as a culinary innovator in the fast food space.

Sometimes, when you kill off your sacred cows, you discover whole new fields of opportunity.

The nationwide academic-enrichment center weathered shifts to remote education and surpassed 2,000 American locations, landing at #6 on our Franchise 500 ranking.

The Midwestern comfort-food staple struck gold in 2021 by taking creative changes and empowering franchisees, landing the company at #5 on the Franchise 500 ranking.

Early adoption of delivery apps and staying focused on being a community-oriented chain propelled the sub giant to the #4 position on our Franchise 500 ranking.

The chicken chain has undergone massive changes over the past two years, helping Popeyes reach the top five of our Franchise 500 ranking.

The UPS Store was deemed an essential business in 2020, and the business-services franchise is still as important as ever, coming in at #2 on our Franchise 500 ranking.

Want to stand out in a crowded market? The founder of ridiculous canned-water brand Liquid Death has a suggestion: Embrace dumb ideas.