Franchise 500: Our Definitive Ranking of 2020's Strongest Franchises
Get to know the year's top trends, toughest brands, and explore what might be your best opportunity.
This year’s Franchise 500 raises a philosophical question: Would you rather serve customers’ wants -- or their needs? Businesses of all types, of course, are designed to serve consumers’ wants or needs. But franchising does it in a particularly stark way. A franchise brand must be exceptionally clear-eyed and mission-focused; it must develop a system so crisp and efficient that it can be replicated tens or hundreds or thousands of times. Therefore, a franchise must truly stake its ground: Its purpose is to either fulfill a want or be there in times of need.
Related: Franchise 500: Our Definitive Ranking of 2019's Strongest Franchises
Throughout the history of franchising, as well as the history of our 41-year-old list, the want
