The annual index, produced in association with BigHospitality's sister publication M&C Report, charts the profit growth of the most successful privately-owned operators working in the eating and drinking out market.
The list is compiled by looking at the profits of companies in the sector over a three-year period.
Seismic shift
BrewDog has been named as the fastest-growing company this year ahead of Drake & Morgan, Côte and Jamie’s Italian. The Aberdeenshire-based firm, which now operates 11 UK bars, achieved profit growth over the three-year period of 193.3 per cent.
"We set out to change the stereotype of beer in the UK and, while many lauded this effort, others laughed in our faces," said James Watt, co-founder of the so-called punk beer firm. "They are not laughing now," he claimed, explaining why he thought BrewDog had topped the list.
"BrewDog's growth is not a reflection of simple business performance, but of a seismic shift in perceptions of beer in the UK. Customers are increasingly discerning about the quality of the beer they drink and the type of establishments they drink them in," Watt added.
As well as the list, Zolfo Cooper also names four businesses as ones to watch for the following year. Hawksmoor, Le Bistrot Pierre, Tortilla and Admiral Taverns are all named as businesses which are expected to debut in the 2014 Profit Tracker.
The top 10 fastest-growing restaurant and bar groups:
- BrewDog
- Drake & Morgan
- Côte
- Jamie’s Italian
- Bill’s Restaurants
- Loungers
- The Pub People Company
- Novus Leisure
- Amber Taverns
- Leon
To view the top 50 in full and for more detail on each of the companies in the 2013 Zolfo Cooper Profit Tracker, download the report via M&C Report (requires subscription).
Economic flux
Paul Hemming, partner at leisure sector advisory firm Zolfo Cooper, said the list highlighted the fact that both established and newer food and wet-led businesses could prosper despite the economic climate.
“In an operator-led market, the Zolfo Cooper Profit Tracker provides clear evidence that there remains a plethora of high-quality businesses that are thriving, posting significant and sustainable profit growth. The delivery of such performances is all the more impressive given it is being achieved in the face of the current economic flux.
"This year’s 50-strong index comprises many of the eating and drinking out market’s most admired companies, with some of the most talented management teams at their helm,” he added.