7 chains that will dominate the restaurant industry in 2017

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: