February 10, 2006

Chow Mein, Cacciatore, or Fajitas?

According to the 2002 Economic Census, the U.S. had 195,659 full-service restaurants (i.e., restaurants where customers generally area are seated, served by wait staff, and pay after eating). Of this total, 17,415 were Italian restaurants; 17,395 were Chinese; 15,112 were Mexican; and 19,281 were restaurants with some other ethnic specialty.

Among the nation's 186,942 limited-service restaurants (such as carry-outs where customers typically pay before eating), 14,093 were Mexican, 10,996 were Chinese; 5,361 were Italian; and 4,439 were restaurants with some other ethnic specialty.

Look for this information in the Miscellaneous Subjects report for the accommodations and food services industries (NAICS ) based on the 2002 Economic Census. The report has data on the numbers and revenues of restaurants, the average price of a meal, the primary menu type, the seating capacity, the number of franchise establishments, and more. The data are issued in PDF and downloadable tables in the American FactFinder. Eventually it will be released on DVD and sold by Customer Services.

[PDF] or denotes a file in Adobe’s Portable Document Format. To view the file, you will need the Adobe® Acrobat® Reader available free from Adobe.