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Radar · Food Service Chains in Dallas

Best Food Service Chains Companies in Dallas, United States

The 75 best Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Dave & Buster’s.

75companies tracked
$821.4Mdisclosed funding
0unicorns
9have raised
FLIAR INTELLIGENCE · FOOD SERVICE CHAINS × DALLAS

Our analysis of 50 Food Service Chains companies

$8.5b in tracked funding; 90% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.

50companies analysed
90%cloud-native stacks
2025funding peak (by rounds)
1unicorns
2010median founding year
306kcombined LinkedIn audience
66%of audience held by top 3
3companies hiring publicly (12 mo)

Ranked: Best Food Service Chains companies in Dallas

#CompanyDisclosed fundingLast roundStageFounderFoundedApp-install YoYRecent signals
1Dave & Buster’s
Chain of bars serving food & inhouse beer
80Customers top 12%Market top 23%Funding top 27%Tech top 27%
All 12 signals ▾
Customerstop 12%
Markettop 23%
Fundingtop 27%
Techtop 27%
Producttop 28%
Partnerstop 34%
Talenttop 37%
Newstop 39%
Fin. healthtop 43%
Moattop 44%
Growthbottom 40%
Globalbottom 37%
Customers: Play-Store rating 4.72★ across 68,359 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +22% in 6 mo
Market: 22,748 employees (top 11% of Food Service Chains) · Revenue ~$2.1B
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 80/100
$800M77 mo agoPublicJames Corley
Co-Founder
1982+21%—
2Zalat Pizza
Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza
57Tech top 29%Fin. health top 33%Growth top 39%Funding top 46%
All 9 signals ▾
Techtop 29%
Fin. healthtop 33%
Growthtop 39%
Fundingtop 46%
Talentbottom 49%
Marketbottom 33%
Globalbottom 30%
Newsbottom 22%
Moatbottom 12%
Tech: 50 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3
Fin. health: Revenue ~$28.0M · Revenue +26% YoY
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 57/100
$8M34 mo agoSeries AKhanh Nguyen
Chief Executive Officer
2014——
3Super Chix
Owns and operates a restaurant
$7M68 mo agoSeries A—2014——
4rise
Chain of limited service restaurant offering French cuisine
$4M142 mo agoSeries AHedda Dowd
Founder & CEO
2008——
5Fish City Grill
Chain of limited service restaurant offering sea food
$2M186 mo agoLate StageLovett Bayne
Co-Founder & People Person Chief
1994——
6Cane Rosso
Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza
$600K109 mo agoSeedJay Jerrier
Founder & Owner
2009——
7UNCO
Provider of restaurant services and employee benefits
50Growth top 35%Talent top 45%Tech bottom 46%Funding bottom 38%
All 5 signals ▾
Growthtop 35%
Talenttop 45%
Techbottom 46%
Fundingbottom 38%
Globalbottom 25%
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Talent: 2 named leaders on record
rank vs industry peers · Fliar Intelligence Index 50/100
$100K13 mo agoSeedElias Pope
Co-Chief Executive Officer
2013——
8Smoothie King
Smoothie King: Delicious smoothies, power eats, and nutritional enhancers
—11 mo agoLate StageCindy Kuhnau
Co-Founder & Owner
1973—1 launch · 1 award

Top 12 Food Service Chains companies in Dallas

#1
Seed · Dallas, Texas · founded 2013
$100Kraised
▾

Provider of restaurant services and employee benefits. It operates a network of restaurants and offers a comprehensive benefits package to its salaried employees. This includes paid parental leave, childcare support, comprehensive healthcare, and subsidized meals. The company also provides generous paid time off and a unique annual stipend for employees to pursue personal enrichment activities. The focus is on attracting and retaining top talent through a combination of competitive compensation and a supportive work environment.

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 50how this company ranks against its industry peers
Growth
top 35%
Talent
top 45%
Tech
bottom 46%
Funding
bottom 38%
Global
bottom 25%
Growth: Fresh capital in last 24 mo
Talent: 2 named leaders on record
Tech: 16 technologies across 4/8 capability areas · Cloud: Google Cloud, Google Cloud Cdn · Observability: Sentry
Audience (LinkedIn): 3k LinkedIn followers
Hiring (LinkedIn): 1 hiring post in 12 mo (public) · hiring: Assistant General Manager
Funding rounds
  • Apr 2025Seed$100K
Founders & team
Elias PopeCo-Chief Executive OfficerSameer PatelCO-Chief Executive Officer
Tech stack
Apple Icloud MailBootstrapGoogle CloudGoogle Cloud CdnGsapHsts
#2
Public · Dallas, Texas · founded 1982 · 22748 employees
$800Mraised
▾

Chain of bars serving food & inhouse beer

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 80how this company ranks against its industry peers
Customers
top 12%
Market
top 23%
Funding
top 27%
Tech
top 27%
Product
top 28%
Partners
top 34%
Customers: Play-Store rating 4.72★ across 68,359 ratings (1 apps) · Review volume +22% in 6 mo · Marquee-customer mentions: top 7% of tracked companies
Market: 22,748 employees (top 11% of Food Service Chains) · Revenue ~$2.1B · ~3% of tracked Food Service Chains revenue (30 cos, FY2026)
Funding: Raised $800M across 1 rounds · 1 rounds over 9 yrs (0.1/yr) · Last round Post IPO (Jan 2020)
Audience (LinkedIn): 78k LinkedIn followers — 25.5% of this cohort's audience
Funding rounds
  • Jan 2020Post IPO—
  • Aug 2017Conventional Debt$800M
Founders & team
James CorleyCo-FounderKristy MacdonaldSr Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer
Investors
KKR, Green Capital Partners, FalconPoint Capital Partners, Revelar Capital
Tech stack
Acquia Cloud PlatformAcquia Cloud Site FactoryAdobe AnalyticsAdobe Audience ManagerAdobe Client Data LayerAdobe Experience Manager
#3
Series A · Dallas, Texas · founded 2014 · 27 employees
$7.9Mraised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza

Fliar Intelligence Index™ 57how this company ranks against its industry peers
Tech
top 29%
Fin. health
top 33%
Growth
top 39%
Funding
top 46%
Talent
bottom 49%
Market
bottom 33%
Tech: 50 technologies across 5/8 capability areas · Cloud: Amazon Cloudfront, Amazon S3 · Observability: Fullstory, Sentry
Fin. health: Revenue ~$28.0M · Revenue +26% YoY · Revenue 3.5x total funding
Growth: Revenue +26% YoY
Audience (LinkedIn): 2k LinkedIn followers
Activity (LinkedIn): 1 product launches announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Jul 2023Series A$791.6K
  • Aug 2022Series A$561.2K
  • Jan 2022Series A$1.7M
  • Oct 2020Series A$4.9M
Founders & team
Khanh NguyenChief Executive Officer
Tech stack
Amazon SesAmazon Web ServicesCart FunctionalityCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementContact Form 7
#4
Series A · Dallas, Texas · founded 2014 · 54 employees
$6.9Mraised
▾

Super Chix owns and operates a restaurant. The restaurant offers various food menus and catering packages. The company is based in Plano, Texas.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 1k LinkedIn followers
Funding rounds
  • Oct 2020Series A$1M
  • Nov 2019Series A$300K
  • Mar 2018Series A$300K
  • Jun 2017Series A$1.8M
Investors
Birnam Wood Capital
Tech stack
Apache TomcatCart FunctionalityCloudflareCloudflare Bot ManagementCloudflare TurnstileCore-Js
#5
Series A · Dallas, Texas · founded 2008
$4.2Mraised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant offering French cuisine

Funding rounds
  • Jul 2014Series A$4.2M
Founders & team
Hedda DowdFounder & CEO
Tech stack
Animate.CssApple Icloud MailCdnjsCloudflareCore-JsDreamhost
#6
Late Stage · Dallas, Texas · founded 1994 · 450 employees
$1.7Mraised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant offering sea food

Funding rounds
  • Dec 2010PE$1.7M
Founders & team
Lovett BayneCo-Founder & People Person Chief
Investors
Trinity Investors
Tech stack
CloudflareCore-JsFacebook PixelGoogle AnalyticsGoogle Font ApiGoogle Hosted Libraries
#7
Seed · Dallas, Texas · founded 2009
$600Kraised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant offering pizza

Funding rounds
  • Apr 2017Seed$600K
Founders & team
Jay JerrierFounder & Owner
Tech stack
Amazon S3Amazon Web ServicesAngularCallrailCart FunctionalityCloudflare
#8
Late Stage · Dallas, Texas · founded 1973 · 400 employees
—raised
▾

Smoothie King: Delicious smoothies, power eats, and nutritional enhancers. They offer a diverse menu including smoothies, power eats, and smoothie bowls catering to various needs like energizing, fitness, weight management, and wellness. They provide options for all, including kids' blends and treats. They emphasize clean blends and nutritional transparency, offering nutritional enhancers and fuel finders. They focus on providing healthy rewards and catering services. They offer franchise opportunities and partnerships, aiming to inspire a healthy and active lifestyle. They provide a variety of options, including vegan and high-protein choices, with online ordering and store locator services.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 30k LinkedIn followers — 9.8% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 product launches · 1 partnerships · 3 awards (incl. Crunchtime) announced in 12 mo
Founders & team
Cindy KuhnauCo-Founder & OwnerSteve KuhnauCo-Founder & CEOWan KimCEO & Chairman
Investors
Main Post Partners, Affirma Capital
Tech stack
Adobe Audience ManagerAdrollAdroll Cmp SystemAmazon AdvertisingAmazon CloudfrontAmazon S3
#9
Acquired · Dallas, Texas · founded 2011 · 162 employees
—raised
▾

Velvet Taco: Globally-inspired tacos, premium ingredients, funky fast-casual dining. It is a unique fast-casual dining experience, serving globally-inspired tacos with premium, fresh ingredients. They elevate the humble taco using a tortilla as a canvas for culinary art, offering over twenty different taco varieties featuring international flavors. The company slow roasts chicken and corn, uses booze in margaritas, and makes everything from scratch. They offer catering, order pickup, and delivery services. Customers can download the app for exclusive prices and perks. The company also has a loyalty program.

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 20k LinkedIn followers — 6.6% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 awards announced in 12 mo
Funding rounds
  • Sep 2016Series A—
Founders & team
Clay DoverChief Executive Officer
Investors
L Catterton, Oakwell Capital
Tech stack
Adobe Audience ManagerBunnyCallrailCart FunctionalityCdnjsCloudflare
#10
Funding Raised · Dallas, Texas · founded 1941 · 1233 employees
—raised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 13k LinkedIn followers — 4.2% of this cohort's audience
Founders & team
Roland DickeyCEOLaura DickeyCEO
Investors
Wells Fargo
Tech stack
AdrollAdroll Cmp SystemAhrefsAmazon SesAmazon Web ServicesApache Http Server
#11
Funding Raised · Dallas, Texas · founded 1982 · 669 employees
—raised
▾

Restaurant offering sandwiches

Founders & team
Matt SaxtonCo-Founder & Co-CEOAdam G SaxtonCo-Founder & Co-CEO
Investors
GE Franchise Finance, Long Point Capital
Tech stack
WordpressMysqlPhpAnimate.CssWpbakeryContact Form 7
#12
Acquired · Dallas, Texas · founded 1965 · 4794 employees
—raised
▾

Chain of limited service restaurant

LinkedIn Pulse recent public activity · Jul 2026
Audience: 60k LinkedIn followers — 19.7% of this cohort's audience
Activity: 1 product launches · 1 partnerships · 1 expansions announced in 12 mo
Founders & team
Alan StillmanCo-FounderDaniel ScogginCo-FounderRay BlanchetteCEO
Investors
Moody's, TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Capitala Group, Imperium Capital Group, Purestone Capital Group
Tech stack
Adobe Audience ManagerAdrollAdroll Cmp SystemApache TomcatApple Icloud MailAttentive

Funding & investor landscape

$821.4Mtotal disclosed funding
7companies funded
15disclosed rounds
0rounds last 90 days
Most active investors
Guideboat Capital Partners2 rounds
L Catterton2 rounds
TVS Capital Funds2 rounds
Trinity Investors2 rounds
Affirma Capital1 rounds
Birnam Wood Capital1 rounds
Canal Holdings1 rounds
Capitala Group1 rounds
FalconPoint Capital Partners1 rounds
GE Franchise Finance1 rounds

Notable founders

Elias Pope
Co-Chief Executive Officer · UNCO
Sameer Patel
CO-Chief Executive Officer · UNCO
James Corley
Co-Founder · Dave & Buster’s
Kristy Macdonald
Sr Executive Assistant to Chief Executive Officer · Dave & Buster’s
Khanh Nguyen
Chief Executive Officer · Zalat Pizza
Hedda Dowd
Founder & CEO · rise
Lovett Bayne
Co-Founder & People Person Chief · Fish City Grill
Jay Jerrier
Founder & Owner · Cane Rosso
Cindy Kuhnau
Co-Founder & Owner · Smoothie King
Steve Kuhnau
Co-Founder & CEO · Smoothie King
Clay Dover
Chief Executive Officer · Velvet Taco
Roland Dickey
CEO · Dickey's Barbecue Pit
Prism market signals · United States · country-scoped Prism corpus, 1,435,604 docs

Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage

Share of Food Service Chains coverage by sub-theme.

Regulatory-risk over time rising

Funding & growth over time

funding rising · growth rising

RESEARCH SIGNALS · United States

How research on Food Technology is moving in the United States

A read on the academic research around Food Technology — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 4,142 United States-affiliated papers.

research sentiment over time
200820172026
enthusiastic · positive · guarded tone
Tone is overwhelmingly optimistic and intensifying — the enthusiastic (strongly-positive) share moved 17% → 34% across 2008–2026.
top research entities
  • Cornell University153
  • Purdue University West Lafayette134
  • University of Georgia82
  • Michigan State University81
  • University of California, Davis79
leading researchers
David Julian McClements · Martin Wiedmann · Prabhu Pingali · Valquerizo, Pamela Cristina · Semakula, Henry Musoke · Liang, Song · McKune, Sarah Lindley · Mukwaya, Paul Isolo
▲ Breakthroughs283 · 7%
▲ 3%→7% share
▲2.3× share momentum0 median citations93% since 2021mostly methods-led
Breakthroughs are rising (3%→7% of field), led by Food safety.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Food safety4→52
  • Food processing2→31
  • Food science1→13
  • Contamination1→12
  • Food products1→12
Newly emergingFood security 0→37 · Agriculture 0→30 · Production (economics) 0→21
Landmark Development of a Paper-Based Analytical Device for Colorimetric Detection of Select Foodborne Pathogens · 460 cites
◆ Advancements1,178 · 28%
▲ 19%→29% share
▲1.5× share momentum0 median citations90% since 2021mostly empirical
Advancements are rising (19%→29% of field), led by Food safety.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Food safety16→214
  • Food processing12→174
  • Agriculture14→135
  • Production (economics)7→122
  • Food security3→117
Newly emergingSustainable agriculture 0→41 · Fermentation 0→40 · Food packaging 0→30
Landmark Food-Miles and the Relative Climate Impacts of Food Choices in the United States · 1,126 cites
▼ Concerns1,665 · 40%
▼ 52%→39% share
▼0.8× share momentum0 median citations83% since 2021mostly empirical
Concerns are cooling (52%→39% of field), led by Food safety.
rising sub-themes (early→recent)
  • Food safety56→397
  • Food security40→307
  • Agriculture35→233
  • Food processing54→215
  • Food systems28→180
Newly emergingFood insecurity 0→60 · Human health 0→37 · Risk assessment 0→23
Landmark Ultra‐processed products are becoming dominant in the global food system · 1,762 cites
RESEARCH HOTSPOTS · United States

Where food tech is researched across United States

Location clusters by institution affiliation — each city's volume, stance tone, and a quick read on its hot topic, what's advancing, the opening opportunity, and the main concern.

New York206 · +0.07
Hot · Food systemsAdvancing · Greenhouse gasOpportunity · Food wasteConcern · Livelihood
Boston121 · +0.04
Hot · AgricultureAdvancing · Food scienceOpportunity · Food supplyConcern · Sustainability
SF Bay Area101 · +0.05
Hot · Fermentation in food processingAdvancing · Food scienceOpportunity · Food productsConcern · Agriculture
Philadelphia35 · -0.05
Hot · Table (database)Advancing · Food safetyOpportunity · Stratified samplingConcern · Food insecurity
Chicago26 · +0.00
Hot · SodiumAdvancing · Food safetyOpportunity · Food productsConcern · Food insecurity
Los Angeles24 · +0.00
Hot · Food systemsOpportunity · Public healthConcern · Agriculture
Seattle24 · +0.13
Hot · Agricultural productivityAdvancing · Food securityOpportunity · Production (economics)Concern · Food processing
Atlanta23 · +0.05
Hot · Public healthOpportunity · Psychological interventionConcern · Food security
San Diego17 · +0.36
Hot · Novel foodAdvancing · Food productsOpportunity · Sustainability
Pittsburgh16 · -0.16
Hot · Food intakeOpportunity · Replication (statistics)Concern · Food safety
PATENT SIGNAL · United States

Who's filing food tech patents in the United States

United States food tech patent filing is cooling — 817 filings from 475 assignees (2016–2025), led by Whirlpool, Sharkninja Operating, Provisur Technologies; annual filings 80→68.

817 filings475 assigneespeak 93/yr2016–2025
filing momentum (YoY 2016–2025)
top patent filers
  • Whirlpool185
  • Sharkninja Operating151
  • Provisur Technologies51
  • Smartwash Solutions39
  • LYCO MFG32
  • SAFE Foods32
  • Massachusetts INST Technology20
  • Island Oasis Frozen Cocktail18

Common questions

How many Food Service Chains companies are there in Dallas, United States?
Radar tracks 75 indexable Food Service Chains companies headquartered in Dallas, United States that meet our profile-completeness bar.
What is the total funding raised by Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States?
The Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States on this list have raised a combined $821.4M in disclosed equity funding across 7 funded companies.
Which is the highest-funded Food Service Chains company in Dallas, United States?
Dave & Buster’s is the highest-funded Food Service Chains company in Dallas, United States, with $800M in disclosed equity funding.
How many Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States are funded?
7 of the 75 Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States on this list have disclosed at least one equity funding round.
How many Food Service Chains unicorns are there in Dallas, United States?
None of the Food Service Chains companies in Dallas, United States on this list currently has a disclosed valuation of $1B or more.
Who are the top investors in Dallas, United States Food Service Chains companies?
The most active investors in Dallas, United States Food Service Chains companies on this list include Guideboat Capital Partners, L Catterton, TVS Capital Funds, Trinity Investors, Affirma Capital.
Riya SenguptaFinancials

Riya reads income statements for fun. She covers the real money in a sector — revenue, growth, who actually earns — and never met a vague claim she didn't want a number for.

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