Restaurant Industry -- Facts at a Glance

Download 2009 Restaurant Industry Fact Sheet (PDF) or purchase the full 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast.

• Sales: $566 Billion
• Locations: 945,000
• Employees: 13 million — one of the largest private-sector employers

Restaurant Industry Sales (Billions of current dollars)

Type of Establishment 2009 Estimated Sales (Billions) Commercial $516.0    Eating places    $377.9    Drinking places    $17.1    Managed services    $40.1    Lodging-place restaurants    $27.9    Retail, vending,     recreation,     mobile    $52.9 Other $49.9

• Restaurant-industry sales are forecast to advance 2.5% in 2009 and equal 4% of the U.S. gross domestic product.
• The overall economic impact of the restaurant industry is expected to exceed $1.5 trillion in 2009.
• Every additional million dollars in restaurant sales generates an additional 33 jobs for the economy.
• Eating-and-drinking places are mostly small businesses — with 91% having fewer than 50 employees.

Get more details in our 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast

• The restaurant industry employs an estimated 13 million people, or 9% of the U.S. workforce.
• The restaurant industry is expected to add 1.8 million jobs over the next decade, with employment reaching 14.8 million by 2019.
• One-quarter of eating-and-drinking-place firms are owned by women, 15% by Asians, 8% by Hispanics and 4% by African-Americans.
• Nearly half of all adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some point during their lives, and more than one out of four adults got their first job experience in a restaurant.

Get more details in our 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast

• Restaurants will provide more than 70 billion meal and snack occasions in 2009.
• On a typical day in America in 2009, more than 130 million individuals will be foodservice patrons.
• 68% of adults said their favorite restaurant foods provide flavor and taste sensations which cannot easily be duplicated in their home kitchen.

Get more details in our 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast

• $1.5 billion — Restaurant-industry sales on a typical day in 2009.
• 76 percent — Percent of adults who said they are trying to eat healthier now at restaurants than they did two years ago.
• 70 percent — Percent of adults who said they are more likely to visit a restaurant that offers locally produced food items.
• 69 percent — Percent of adults who said purchasing meals from restaurants, take-out and delivery places makes it easier for families with children to manage their day-to-day lives.
• 52 percent — Percent of adults who said they are likely to make a restaurant choice based on how much a restaurant supports charitable activities and the local community.
• 27 percent — Percent of adults who said that when it comes to choosing a restaurant, they are paying more attention to coupons and value specials than they were two years ago.

Get more details in our 2009 Restaurant Industry Forecast