Number of restaurants in the U.S. 2011-2018

How many restaurants are in the U.S.?

The number of restaurants in the United States reached a total of 660,755 in Spring 2018. This figure increased from the previous period by a little over two percent.
Types of restaurants included

The two main categories of restaurants that make up the restaurant count are quick service restaurants (QSR’s) and full service restaurants (FSR’S). QSR’s are restaurants that typically serve ‘fast food’ (or food that is prepared quickly) that have minimal table service. Alternately FSR’s are restaurants that are primarily sit-down and have table service, they may also provide delivery or takeout services.

Who has the most units?

QSR’s include the likes of fast food powerhouses such as McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway and more. Often QSR’s are chain restaurants therefore it is unsurprising that the number of franchised QSR’s in the U.S. far outweighed the number of franchised FSR’s in the U.S. in 2018. Yet, when it comes to chains vs independent restaurants, independents came out on top in terms of number of units in 2018 .