Restaurants in the US: 618,476 restaurant locations and how to reach them
The US Census Bureau counted 618,476 restaurant locations in its 2023 County Business Patterns (NAICS 7225, restaurants and other eating places). 44% of them have fewer than 10 employees, and 348,688 have 10 or more. California has the most (79,696, 13% of the US total), and the top three states together hold 29%. Across the country these restaurant locations employ 11,406,584 people, about 18.4 per location.
How big are restaurants?
| Employees | Locations | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 1-4 | 163,683 | 26.5% |
| 5-9 | 106,105 | 17.2% |
| 10-19 | 144,641 | 23.4% |
| 20-49 | 157,405 | 25.5% |
| 50-99 | 39,210 | 6.3% |
| 100-249 | 7,172 | 1.2% |
| 250-499 | 222 | 0% |
| 500-999 | 34 | 0% |
| 1,000+ | 4 | 0% |
Because of hourly staff, restaurants are larger than most local businesses: the 11-20 and 21-50 filters cover a typical independent restaurant. Restaurant groups with a central office appear from 201 employees upward.
Where they are
| State | Locations | Share of US |
|---|---|---|
| California | 79,696 | 12.9% |
| Texas | 53,191 | 8.6% |
| New York | 44,870 | 7.3% |
| Florida | 39,216 | 6.3% |
| Illinois | 23,334 | 3.8% |
| Pennsylvania | 22,254 | 3.6% |
| Ohio | 20,682 | 3.3% |
| Georgia | 20,048 | 3.2% |
| North Carolina | 19,414 | 3.1% |
| New Jersey | 18,701 | 3% |
State breakdowns: Restaurants in California · Restaurants in Texas · Restaurants in New York.
Who makes the buying decision
Restaurants buy POS and ordering systems, food and beverage supply, delivery and marketing services, staffing and equipment. Independent restaurants are run by the owner or general manager; multi-unit groups have a director of operations or purchasing.
| Occupation | Employed |
|---|---|
| Food Service Managers | 175,770 |
| General and Operations Managers | 167,610 |
| Managers, All Other | 2,640 |
| Marketing Managers | 1,110 |
| Sales Managers | 1,100 |
| Administrative Services Managers | 1,070 |
How to build the list in Evascrape
- Industry filter (full search form, after sign-up)
- restaurants, food & beverages
- Job titles
- Owner, General Manager, Director of Operations, Purchasing Manager
- Location
- united states (or a state, for example california, us)
If people search returns few owners in your area, switch to Google Maps business records for independent restaurants, since diners find restaurants there and most keep a listing. Keep people search for multi-unit groups.
Questions
How many restaurant locations are there in the US?
The Census Bureau's County Business Patterns 2023 counts 618,476 restaurant locations with paid employees under NAICS 7225 (restaurants and other eating places), of which 163,683 have fewer than five employees.
Which state has the most restaurant locations?
California, with 79,696 (13% of the US). Texas follows with 53,191 and New York with 44,870.
Who should I contact at a restaurant?
Restaurants buy POS and ordering systems, food and beverage supply, delivery and marketing services, staffing and equipment. Independent restaurants are run by the owner or general manager; multi-unit groups have a director of operations or purchasing.
What would a restaurant list cost with Evascrape?
One contact for each of the 348,688 restaurant locations with 10 or more employees would be 348,688 records, about $3,138 at $9 per 1,000 delivered records.
About the numbers
Business counts: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. They count establishments (single physical locations) with paid employees, so firms with several locations count more than once and businesses with no employees are not included. Occupation and pay figures: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024. BLS counts employees only, so self-employed owners are not included in occupation figures. These are public statistics, not the size of the Evascrape database: list cost figures on these pages are upper bounds, because not every location has a matching contact, and you pay only for rows that are delivered. Evascrape prices are from the pricing page: $9 per 1,000 delivered contact records, smallest top-up $10 (about 1,100 records), optional email verification $5 per 1,000, no subscription.