7 chains that will dominate the restaurant industry in 2017 ($CMG)

Hollis Johnson

As 2016 comes to a close, the restaurant industry is prepping for a new year. 

To succeed in 2017, chains will need to stay on the cutting edge as trends like automation and menu transparency continue to gain traction. Restaurants will also have to take on greater competition from smaller chains and independent restaurants.

We spoke with restaurant industry experts Catherine De Orio, an executive director of the culinary nonprofit Kendall College Trust, and Shilen Patel, co-founder of the consultancy Independents United, to see what restaurants chains they are looking out for in 2017. 

Here are seven chains poised for a breakthrough in the new year, according to De Orio and Patel: 

1. Sweetgreen

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Sweetgreen, a salad chain with roughly 50 locations in the US, has gained a cult following since it was founded in 2007, thanks to its popular app and its focus on high-quality local ingredients.

"They have had tremendous growth and have seemingly succeeded where many other chains that have tried to redefine healthy fast food have failed," De Orio told Business Insider. "It ticks all the important boxes: clean eating, responsible sourcing and community building."

2. Elevation Burger

Elevation Burger on Facebook

Elevation Burger fits the trend of restaurants providing a specific type of "healthy" food, according to Patel. In this case, the 59-location chain has succeeded in crafting a burger made with organic, grass-feed beef that is just as tasty as the competition. 

"If I'm going to eat a burger, I'm going to eat one... that's 100% organic, with no antibiotics, no hormones," Patel said. "If I'm the kind of person who not only wants to eat well, but also cares about how I'm affecting the world around me, it becomes a very easy choice for me." 

3. Freshii

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Freshii — a health-centric chain with more than 200 locations — similarly fits Patel's vision of chains that will thrive thanks to their unique approach to healthy food. 

"[Customers] are looking for healthy options that really work for them," he said. 

See the rest of the story at Business Insider