Carlos Becerra/Getty; Courtesy of Greg Flynn; Insiderand start reading now.
The CEO and founder of Flynn Restaurant Group, who is also the largest Applebee's franchisee with 444 locations, has since amassed a multi-unit company of 1,223 restaurants that includes some of the industry's most popular fast food and fast-casual brands: Taco Bell , Arby's and Panera Bread . By many accounts, including Flynn's own, he is the largest franchise operator in the US.
Flynn's restaurant group's annual sales will jump to roughly $3.5 billion with the addition of Pizza Hut and Wendy's. To put that in perspective, Chipotle Mexican Grill generated $5.6 billion in revenue in 2019 with roughly 2,600 restaurants. By being a larger operator, Flynn said he has "a seat at the table" among the franchisor of brands, which allows him to have a voice and be a positive contributor.