How many restaurants are there in the United States?

Before 2020, the National Restaurant Association estimated that there were more than 1 million restaurants operating in the United States. The Coronavirus Pandemic has made a moving target out of this question.

As of 2023, it’s estimated that there are approximately 749,000 restaurants in total in the country. Breaking down this number, there are roughly 349,000 chain restaurant businesses​​ and 156,715 single-location full-service restaurant businesses in the U.S. as of 2023​​ comprised of both chain and independent establishments.

Check out the NRA’s current industry statistics page here.