An insightful analysis of the restaurant industry, covering key statistics on market trends, customer demographics, popular cuisines, technological advancements, impact of online delivery services, and future projections for the restaurant sector.

A broad dataset providing insights into restaurant industry statistics and trends for 2025, covering market size, growth rate, employment figures, revenue, and more.

This statistic shows the restaurant industry food and drink sales in the United States from 1970 to 2017. In 2016, food and drink sales of the U.S. restaurant industry amounted to approximately 766 billion U.S. dollars.

More statistics and facts on fast food, the U.S. restaurant industry and the pizza (delivery) market.

U.S. restaurant industry - additional information

In 2016, food and drink sales in the United States restaurant industry amounted to 766 billion U.S. dollars, up from 798.7 billion U.S. dollars in the previous year. Restaurants in the United States have created a booming industry that employed more than 14 million people nationwide in 2015.

Unsurprisingly, the majority of food and drink sales in the U.S. restaurant industry take place in commercial restaurants. In 2016, full-service restaurant sales amounted to 254 billion U.S. dollars and limited-service sales were 222 U.S. dollars. The second largest contributor in 2015 was retail, vending, recreation and mobile vendors with sales of 70.82 billion U.S. dollars. The smallest proportion came from came from bars and taverns.

As of December 2016, things were still looking up for the U.S. restaurant industry: the monthly Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, conducted by the National Restaurant Association, recorded a performance index score of 100.5 – any score over 100 indicates a period of expansion. The lowest performance index score between 2011 and 2017, 99.4, was recorded in August 2011. In November 2016, 49 percent of U.S. consumers reported that cheaper restaurants would make them dine out more often.

In September 2023, the U.S. restaurant industry received a performance index score of 100.4. One year prior, the industry received an index score of 101. The restaurant industry performance index is a statistical barometer measuring the overall health of the U.S. restaurant industry. The index is based on the results of the monthly Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey composed of a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. A value above 100 indicates a period of expansion while a value below 100 indicates a period of contraction.

The number of people employed in the restaurant industry in the United States fluctuated throughout the past decade. As of May 2023, this figure reached 13.2 million, a slight increase from the previous year's total of 12.5 million from the previous year. The number of employees in the restaurant industry in the U.S. peaked in 2016 at 14.7 million and has since declined. What are the hourly wages of fast-food employees in the U.S.? The hourly wages of U.S. fast food and counter workers varied throughout 2023. As of May of that year, fast food employees in the United States had a median hourly wage of 14.2 U.S. dollars. In total, approximately 10 percent of fast-food employees earned less than 10.67 U.S. dollars per hour, and 90 percent of those same workers earned less than 17.73 U.S. dollars per hour. Leading U.S. restaurant chain The leading restaurant chain in the U.S., by a measure of sales, was McDonald’s in 2022. During that year, the quick service chain experienced sales amounting to 48.67 billion U.S. dollars. McDonald’s was also the most valuable quick service restaurant brand in the world in 2023, with an estimated brand value of over 191 billion U.S. dollars. Starbucks, who came second in the ranking, had an estimated brand value of approximately 61.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The United States Quick Service Restaurants Market is segmented by Cuisine (Bakeries, Burger, Ice Cream, Meat-based Cuisines, Pizza), by Outlet (Chained Outlets, Independent Outlets) and by Location (Leisure, Lodging, Retail, Standalone, Travel). Market Value in USD is presented. Key data points observed include the number of outlets for each foodservice channel; and, average order value in USD by foodservice channel.

Market Size statistics on the Fast Food Restaurants industry in United States

Graph and download economic data for Retail Sales: Restaurants and Other Eating Places (MRTSSM7225USN) from Jan 1992 to Apr 2025 about restaurant, retail trade, sales, retail, and USA.

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US Fast Casual Restaurants Market Size 2025-2029

US fast casual restaurants market size is forecast to increase by USD 84.5 billion at a CAGR of 13.7% between 2024 and 2029.

US Fast Casual Restaurants Market is experiencing significant growth, driven by the increasing demand for innovation and customization in food menus. Consumers are seeking more personalized dining experiences, leading to the popularity of fast casual concepts that offer a unique blend of affordability, quality, and convenience. Additionally, the market is witnessing an increasing focus on digitalization of services, with contactless ordering and payment options gaining traction in response to the ongoing pandemic. However, the market faces challenges as well. Intense competition from quick-service restaurants and the need to maintain consistent supply chains pose significant hurdles for market growth.
Regulatory compliance and labor costs also add complexity to the operational landscape. To capitalize on opportunities and navigate challenges effectively, companies must stay abreast of consumer trends and invest in digital technologies to enhance the customer experience. Innovation in menu offerings, sustainable sourcing, and strategic partnerships will be key differentiators in this dynamic market.

What will be the size of the US Fast Casual Restaurants Market during the forecast period?

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 US Fast Casual Restaurants market is experiencing significant growth, driven by various factors. Menu innovation, with an emphasis on vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free options, caters to diverse dietary preferences and allergies. Customer experience is prioritized through personalized dining, contactless ordering, and mobile payments. Data-driven decision-making and restaurant automation, including artificial intelligence and predictive analytics, optimize operations and reduce labor costs. Franchise models and in-house delivery services expand reach and cater to Generation Z's preference for convenience. Supply chain management and food traceability ensure transparency and sustainability, while omni-channel strategies engage customers through loyalty programs and subscription services.Restaurant analytics provide valuable customer feedback, enabling continuous improvement and operational optimization.

How is this market segmented?

The market research report provides comprehensive data (region-wise segment analysis), with forecasts and estimates in 'USD billion' for the period 2025-2029, as well as historical data from 2019-2023 for the following segments.

Channel

  Dine-in
  Takeaway


Application

  Franchised
  Standalone


Food Type

  Burger/Sandwich
  Pizza/Pasta
  Asian
  Latin American
  Chicken
  Others


Target Audience

  Millennials
  Working Professionals
  Families


Distribution Channel Specificity

  Specialty Chains
  Online Platforms
  Retail Foodservice


Geography

  North America

    US

By Channel Insights

The dine-in segment is estimated to witness significant growth during the forecast period.

Fast casual restaurants in the US and Canada offer a unique dining experience, blending the speed and convenience of fast food with the quality and ambiance of casual dining. These establishments, which have gained popularity in recent years, use fresh ingredients, digital ordering systems, and self-service kiosks to streamline the dining process while maintaining food quality. Employee training is a key focus to ensure consistent customer service and food safety. Menu innovation and healthy options cater to various consumer preferences, including Generation Z and those seeking sustainable practices. In addition, many fast casual restaurants offer catering services, in-house delivery, and third-party delivery through food delivery platforms.

The franchise model is also common in the fast casual industry, allowing for efficient expansion and operational efficiency. Restaurant technology plays a significant role in fast casual operations, with kitchen display systems, labor scheduling, and point-of-sale systems helping to manage inventory and improve efficiency. Digital marketing and social media marketing are essential for customer engagement and loyalty programs. Food trucks and ghost kitchens are emerging trends in the fast casual industry, offering alternative business models and lower overhead costs. Food safety and food quality are top priorities, with strict adherence to industry standards and regulations. The fast casual industry continues to evolve, with dining trends such as virtual brands, subscription services, and data analytics shaping the future of this dynamic market.

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The Dine-in segment was valued at USD 48.90 billion in 2019 and showed a gradual increase during the forecast period.

Market Dynamics

Our researchers analyzed the data with 2024 as the base year,

The chain restaurant sector in the United States was valued at approximately 228.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2023. This shows an increase of 5.2 percent compared to the previous year's total of 216.5 billion U.S. dollars.

The European restaurants and takeaways market has enjoyed strong demand from consumers seeking varied dining options to suit their busy lifestyles. There’s a huge number of food establishments for consumers to visit, providing various cuisines from all over the world. The well-established out-of-home dining scene in Europe, coupled with European’s willingness to dine out, has supported revenue expansion. Industry growth has been slowed by recent challenges stemming from the COVID19 pandemic, severe inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty. Revenue is forecast to contract at a compound annual rate of 8% over the five years through 2025 to €488.1 billion, including an expected 3.5% climb in 2025. Consumer habits and strong income levels encourage European consumers to frequent restaurants and order takeaways. The convenience of ordering tasty dishes to doorsteps has also fuelled demand, with platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat reporting strong growth, though this has also raised price competition and weighed on profit. Growing health awareness is a significant trend in the industry, encouraging restaurants and takeaways to roll out more healthy options. The industry has rebounded well since the COVID-19 pandemic crippled dine-in revenue as restrictions kept consumers at home, shifted work patterns and drastically reduced tourism. Food companies have also grappled with severe inflationary pressures, which have eaten into profit and constrained consumer spending on pricey restaurants and takeaways. Companies raised prices to protect profit, but were often unable to pass on cost increases in full due to intense competition and consumer price-sensitivity. Revenue is slated to swell at a compound annual rate of 7.2% over the five years through 2030 to €690.6 billion. Improving consumer finances and increasingly busy lifestyles will fuel demand for convenient grab-and-go food, as well as fast-casual restaurants. A preference for convenience will continue to support online food ordering, benefitting companies with delivery capabilities, while many will rely on food ordering platforms like Deliveroo to reach a wider consumer base. Evolving consumer tastes and intense competition will stimulate the introduction of new, healthier food options to menus, including vegan, vegetarian and organic food offerings. Investment in technology will be key in enhancing efficiency and providing a better customer experience.

The United States Full Service Restaurants Market is segmented by Cuisine (Asian, European, Latin American, Middle Eastern, North American), by Outlet (Chained Outlets, Independent Outlets) and by Location (Leisure, Lodging, Retail, Standalone, Travel). Market Value in USD is presented. Key data points observed include the number of outlets for each foodservice channel; and, average order value in USD by foodservice channel.

Despite the volatile economic climate in the last five years, the Single-Location, Full-Service Restaurant industry has displayed resilience and adaptability. Unprecedented challenges brought by the pandemic and its associated economic recovery introduced considerable shifts in consumer behavior early in the period, and many in the industry received government assistance to weather those challenges. This was followed by robust domestic economic growth and increased consumer spending in recent years, which fueled the industry's modest yet consistent expansion in the current period – particularly in upscale dining among affluent consumers. As of spring 2025, the industry is expected to endure significant setbacks due to tariffs potentially affecting the supply chain. Coupled with persistent hiring challenges, restauranteurs are seeking to diversify their suppliers, which may increase operational costs. Due to a low COVID-19 base year in 2020, industry revenues have grown at a CAGR of 8.8% over the past five years. In 2025 alone, revenue is expected to rise 1.7%, reaching $260.1 billion. Profit is slightly higher than it was in the years immediately preceding the pandemic but has held steady at roughly 4.3% throughout most of the current period, having fallen from its outlier high in 2020 – likely due to higher costs that have pressured industry profitability. The industry, defined by intense competition, is highly fragmented. Many independent restaurants are small, often family-run ventures. These single-location establishments compete with chain restaurants, fast-food restaurants, hotels and coffee and snack shops. Additionally, budget-friendly establishments have faced stiff competition in the current period as consumers flocked to innovative offerings from fast-casual newbies. Looking forward, despite looming tariffs, there are reasons to be optimistic for this industry. It is expected to navigate economic uncertainty, buoyed by rising consumer spending in the coming years. The industry is also likely to benefit from the slight rise in inhabitants in urban areas, which typically feature a higher concentration of restaurants. Industry revenue is expected to rise an annualized 1.2% to $275.9 billion over the five years to 2030.

From 2016 to 2017, sales of the United States restaurant industry were forecasted to increase by 1.7 percent, down from a 2.1 percent increase from the previous year.

Restaurant industry sales figures

The restaurant industry in the United States typically constitutes of two distinct restaurant types - full-service and quick-service. Food and drink sales of full-service restaurants were forecasted to reach over 260 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, making it the restaurant type with the highest sales in the industry. Comparatively, sales of quick-service restaurants were forecasted to amount to around 234 billion U.S. dollars. Meanwhile, the total food and drink sales in the U.S. restaurant industry were forecasted to amount to nearly 800 billion U.S. dollars in 2017, compared to approximately 766 billion one year earlier. The biggest contributor to the industry in terms of food and drink sales in the United States is McDonald’s, with sales of more than 38 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.

Do higher sales mean more jobs?

Restaurants in the U.S. have established a flourishing industry that, besides being profitable for businesses, has also created many jobs. The number of people employed in the U.S. restaurant industry reached to 13.37 million as of May 2018.

This table contains 375 series, with data for years 1998 - 2001 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2008-09-19. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (15 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia ...), North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) (5 items: Food services and drinking places; Special food services; Full-service restaurants; Limited-service eating places ...), Summary statistics (5 items: Operating revenue; Operating profit margin; Salaries; wages and benefits; Operating expenses ...).

The European restaurants and takeaways market has enjoyed strong demand from consumers seeking varied dining options to suit their busy lifestyles. There’s a huge number of food establishments for consumers to visit, providing various cuisines from all over the world. The well-established out-of-home dining scene in Europe, coupled with European’s willingness to dine out, has supported revenue expansion. Industry growth has been slowed by recent challenges stemming from the COVID19 pandemic, severe inflationary pressures and economic uncertainty. Revenue is forecast to contract at a compound annual rate of 8% over the five years through 2025 to €488.1 billion, including an expected 3.5% climb in 2025. Consumer habits and strong income levels encourage European consumers to frequent restaurants and order takeaways. The convenience of ordering tasty dishes to doorsteps has also fuelled demand, with platforms like Deliveroo and Just Eat reporting strong growth, though this has also raised price competition and weighed on profit. Growing health awareness is a significant trend in the industry, encouraging restaurants and takeaways to roll out more healthy options. The industry has rebounded well since the COVID-19 pandemic crippled dine-in revenue as restrictions kept consumers at home, shifted work patterns and drastically reduced tourism. Food companies have also grappled with severe inflationary pressures, which have eaten into profit and constrained consumer spending on pricey restaurants and takeaways. Companies raised prices to protect profit, but were often unable to pass on cost increases in full due to intense competition and consumer price-sensitivity. Revenue is slated to swell at a compound annual rate of 7.2% over the five years through 2030 to €690.6 billion. Improving consumer finances and increasingly busy lifestyles will fuel demand for convenient grab-and-go food, as well as fast-casual restaurants. A preference for convenience will continue to support online food ordering, benefitting companies with delivery capabilities, while many will rely on food ordering platforms like Deliveroo to reach a wider consumer base. Evolving consumer tastes and intense competition will stimulate the introduction of new, healthier food options to menus, including vegan, vegetarian and organic food offerings. Investment in technology will be key in enhancing efficiency and providing a better customer experience.

Shifting social trends have significantly influenced the Restaurants industry's performance over recent years. Consumers' busy lifestyles and high workloads have bolstered demand for restaurant meals and takeaway. Restaurants allow consumers to combine dining with leisure and avoid spending time on food preparation. Rising demand for food delivery platforms like Uber Eats has also supported industry revenue, allowing time-poor consumers to purchase home-delivered, restaurant-quality food. A fall in discretionary incomes and recent cost-of-living pressures have restricted patronage for restaurants, as consumers have become more concerned about the costs of dining out. Industry businesses are also finding it extremely difficult to deal with elevated operational costs, including high input, wage and energy expenses. Labour shortages have also been extreme in the industry, with restaurants facing major retention gaps. These factors, along with intense competitive pressures, have curbed the industry’s profitability growth and forced businesses to exit the industry over the two years through 2024-25. Nonetheless, the total number of enterprises in the industry has increased over the past five years as dynamic consumer preferences have created several niches for restaurants to cater to. Overall, industry revenue is anticipated to have soared at an annualised 6.6% over the five years through 2024-25 to $24.1 billion. This includes an expected 2.2% dip in 2024-25. Looking ahead, improving consumer confidence and expanding discretionary incomes are set to support industry revenue. Reeling from the economic challenges of the previous five-year period, restaurants are anticipated to diversify their revenue streams by expanding their service offerings to include merchandise and live events. Restaurants are forecast to focus on improving operational efficiencies to limit costs and boost profitability. There will also be a focus on sustainability efforts as Australian consumers become more discerning about their environmental choices. Overall, industry revenue is projected to climb an annualised 1.0% over the five years through 2029-30 to total $25.5 billion.

The Fine Dining Restaurants industry weathered the turbulence of the COVID-19 pandemic to return to strong growth. The industry is characterized by high-end dining establishments. As a result, growth in per capita disposable income, consumer confidence and spending and the prevalence of households earning more than $100,000 in annual income has benefited the industry, enabling consumers to opt for premium dining experiences. Nevertheless, restaurants were forced to curtail dine-in operations when the COVID-19 struck, reducing demand for fine-dining restaurants as services at these establishments involve a high degree of in-person experience. Overall, industry revenue is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 2.7% to $16.7 billion over the five years to 2024. The industry rapid recovery since the peak of COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns has stemmed from the strong increase in households that generate annual income above $100,000, as these consumers can typically afford the premium prices charged by fine dining restaurants. The number of households within this income bracket has expanded since 2021, giving fine dining restaurants a broader base for a key consumer market segment. In 2024, the industry will continue growing, with revenue projected to rise 2.4%. The restaurant industry will be defined by intense competition moving forward, especially as purchase costs are pressured by rising prices created in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants will seek to adjust, altering menus in light of pricing pressures and adjusting to changing consumer trends. Ultimately, fine dining restaurants will benefit from the continued expansion of consumer incomes, especially of households earning more than $100,000 in annual income. As a result, industry revenue is forecast to increase at a CAGR of 2.8% to $19.2 billion over the five years to 2029. This will allow profit margins across the industry to rise.

The global food service market size was worth $3,486.58 billion in 2024 is projected to grow from $4,027.61 billion in 2025 to $6,810.86 billion by 2032

Market Size statistics on the Sushi Restaurants industry in United States