How many restaurants are in the U.S.? The number of restaurants in the United States reached a total of ******* in Spring 2018. This figure increased from the previous period by a little over two percent. Types of restaurants includedThe 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. Meanwhile, 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.

This statistic shows the number of restaurants in the United States from 2012 to 2018, by type. In Spring 2018, there were 307,940 chain restaurants and 352,815 independent restaurants in the United States.