One Of America's Fastest-Growing Restaurant Chains Is Co-Owned By Drew Brees

Drew Brees threw 571 touchdown passes over the course of 20 NFL seasons — and he even won the 2010 Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints. However, his latest venture is far from the gridiron. Brees is the man behind Smalls Sliders, a fast food chain based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, that formed in 2019. Whether due to its increasingly iconic small burgers or the legendary resume of its famous financial backer, Smalls Sliders is doing quite well for such a young company — it hit the No. 2 spot on Restaurant Business' 2025 "Future 50" list of fast-growing restaurant chains.

Brees opened his first franchised Smalls Sliders in 2023, following other investments in chains like Jimmy John's and Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux. Having his name to help the company build its fanbase surely helps, as does its franchise model that allows individual investors to open their own stores (with franchise owners able to earn quite a bit in the process). But Smalls Sliders has also found success by keeping things simple. Its menu follows the style of successful fast food chains like Five Guys and In-N-Out Burger –- keeping things simple, small, and easy to scale. Smalls Sliders sells only sliders, waffle fries, shakes, and soft drinks. Everything a customer can order is quick to prepare and difficult to botch. The future for Smalls Sliders looks to follow the same course as Brees' NFL career, with consistent progress and head-turning innovations.

With easy-to-remember menu headliners like the Biggie Smalls Combo — featuring two double-cheeseburger sliders, waffle fries, and a soft drink — Smalls Sliders is cutting into the market share of more established burger joints by focusing on the basics. This has accelerated its rapid rise -– by mid-2024 the brand was set to surpass 300 locations in development, according to QSR, having already reached 200 sold franchise units earlier that year. While its stores are primarily located in the South, the company plans to expand further north and to the west coast in the near future.

Its service model is even more straightforward than the menu. Featuring a simple drive-thru and walk-up window, Smalls Sliders can keep its physical footprint small at each store while optimizing the space it does have for high-volume turnover. Plus, locations are built from former shipping containers, keeping construction costs low. This also means its stores are fast to market as there's little time spent on construction and no need for an interior dining room. The restaurant's menu features only 10 ingredients and requires less staff to operate than most fast food chains, even with its high sales volumes. The company currently operates in 11 states, with big plans for new "cans," as its stores are called, in 2026.