BANKRUPTCY FILINGS, DISMAL QUARTERLY REPORTS AND LACKLUSTER INDUSTRY averages might have you thinking there's just not much growth to be had out there. We beg to differ. And so do the 2009 Future 50, the fastest growing chains with sales between $25 million and $50 million as identified by Technomic, Inc.

This year�s crop of rising-star restaurant companies includes examples from almost every type of menu concept, from seafood to Mexican; barbecue to coffee; Asian to ice cream. They range in size from five-unit steak-based Redstone American Grill, which grew 17.5 percent last year to $38 million in sales; to 173-unit Pita Pit, which grew its sales by nearly 32 percent and added 21 new units.

#7: Genghis Grill

Mongolian Barbeque restaurants have been popular for years, but the 29-unit Ghengis Grill appears to have adapted the cuisine perfectly for a fast-casual concept. Using what the chain calls an interactive style of exhibition cooking, customers select an array of meats, oils, vegetables and sauces and then hand them over to a Grill Master who transforms the ingredients into a meal.