2005's Best Quick Service Restaurants

Other industries in franchising, take note. This year's best quick service restaurants has just been released by QSR magazine. It is an example from franchising's largest sector to the rest of us. 2005 is a year of "new trends in food menu introductions, training programs, and store prototypes". Here are some of the best quick service categories and a few winners under sub-categories:

• Menu - workingman's meal (BK), inside the pizza box (Pizza Hut)
  
• Marketing - reaching the masses (El Pollo Loco), cross promotion (CKE)
  
• Operations - technology (Tropical Smoothie's), adaptation (Sheetz')
  
• Branding - brand execution (Chipotle's), return to relevence (TCBY)
  
• Franchising - franchise sales (Raving Brands), move south (Tim Horton's)
  
• Growth - space (Subway), piggyback ride (Coffee Bean & Ralph's)
  

The best franchisee of the year is no stranger. He has also won the Stevie Award. Domino's franchisee Jason Shifflett has won nearly 40 business awards including four consecutive Gold Franny awards from Domino's, given to the top 1 percent of franchisees nationwide.

One more. The best momentum of a quick service network is Cold Stone Creamery, a franchisor we know well. Congrats.

Industries and individual franchise networks should take note of how these awards are categorized and awarded. Kudos to QSR magazine and thanks for showing the rest of us how to do a great job rewarding franchise innovation.