Food service industry in the U.S. - statistics & facts

The United States is home to a lucrative food service industry, which encompasses all businesses that deal with meals prepared outside the home. This includes services such as full service restaurants (FSRs), quick service restaurants (QSRs) catering companies, coffee shops and cafes, private chefs, and more. Combined, the food service industry is responsible for a wide variety of jobs in the United States. As of September 2021, the number of jobs at eating and drinking places in the U.S. reached nearly 11.38 million and food service and drinking place sales in the U.S. totaled 72.77 billion U.S. dollars during that same month. Broken down by type, the largest share of employment in the U.S. food service industry came from waiters and waitresses in 2021, with private cooks making up the smallest share.

What is the biggest sector in the U.S. food service industry?

It may come as no surprise that the restaurant sector is the biggest sector in the U.S. food service industry. The country was forecast to have nearly 200 thousand QSR establishments by 2022. The same year, the number of FSR establishments in the U.S. was expected to exceed 32 thousand. FSRs are primarily focused on providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated and pay after eating, while at QSRs patrons generally order at a cash register, drive-thru, or food bar and pay before they eat. Of the leading QSR chains in the U.S. by sales, McDonald’s generated by far the most sales in 2021 at over 45 billion U.S. dollars. Many QSRs have operated delivery services or drive-thrus for years. These became vital during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in 2020 when seated indoor dining was severely restricted. By 2024, restaurant-to-consumer delivery revenue in the U.S. is forecast to reach 18.47 billion U.S. dollars.

How do private cooks and caterers fit into the U.S. food service industry?

Some of the smaller sectors in the U.S. food service industry include private cooks and catering companies. Though private cooks made up the smallest share of employment in the U.S. food service industry, their wages in a distribution of the hourly wages of U.S. food service employees were some of the highest. Private cooks averaged almost 21 U.S. dollars an hour in 2021, outranked only by chefs and head cooks. Another small but lucrative part of the U.S. food service industry is the catering sector. Catering businesses provide food and drink services for a fee at a chosen location, such as a hotel, park, or other event venue. The market size of the U.S. catering sector has fluctuated in recent years, and 2020 saw a drop in market size of over one and a half billion U.S. dollars. That being said, the number of businesses in the U.S. catering sector has risen steadily over the last decade and is forecast to reach an all-time ten-year high in 2021.

This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.

Foodservice and drinking place sales in the U.S.: 72.67bn USD

Number of jobs at eating and drinking places in the U.S.: 11.37m

Highest paying foodservice occupation in the U.S.: Chefs and head cooks

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Monthly sales of foodservice and drinking places in the United States from January 2018 to December 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)

Food & Drink Services

Monthly sales of eating and drinking places in the United States 2018-2021

Number of foodservice employees in the United States as of May 2021, by occupation

Food & Drink Services

Number of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation

Hourly wages of foodservice employees in the United States as of May 2021, by occupation (in U.S. dollars)

Food & Drink Services

Hourly wages of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation

Recommended statistics

Industry overview

Premium Statistic Monthly sales of eating and drinking places in the United States 2018-2021
Monthly sales of eating and drinking places in the United States 2018-2021
Monthly sales of foodservice and drinking places in the United States from January 2018 to December 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic Monthly count of food and drink service jobs in the U.S. 2019-2021
Monthly count of food and drink service jobs in the U.S. 2019-2021
Number of jobs at eating and drinking places in the United States from 2019 to 2021, by month (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Number of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation
Number of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation
Number of foodservice employees in the United States as of May 2021, by occupation
Premium Statistic Hourly wages of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation
Hourly wages of foodservice employees in the U.S. 2021, by occupation
Hourly wages of foodservice employees in the United States as of May 2021, by occupation (in U.S. dollars)

Quick service restaurants

Premium Statistic Limited service eating place sales in the U.S. 1992-2021
Limited service eating place sales in the U.S. 1992-2021
Quick service eating place sales in the United States from 1992 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Number of quick service restaurant franchise establishments in the U.S. 2007-2023
Number of quick service restaurant franchise establishments in the U.S. 2007-2023
Number of quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise establishments in the United States from 2007 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023
Premium Statistic Most valuable QSR brands worldwide 2022
Most valuable QSR brands worldwide 2022
Brand value of the 10 most valuable quick service restaurant brands worldwide in 2022 (in million U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Sales of leading quick service restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2021
Sales of leading quick service restaurant chains in the U.S. in 2021
Leading quick service restaurant (QSR) chains in the United States in 2021, by systemwide sales (in billion U.S. dollars)
Basic Statistic American Customer Satisfaction Index: QSRs in the U.S. 2022, by brand
American Customer Satisfaction Index: QSRs in the U.S. 2022, by brand
American Customer Satisfaction Index scores for leading quick service restaurant chains in the United States in 2022, by restaurant brand

Full service restaurants

Premium Statistic Output of the full service restaurant franchise industry in the U.S. 2013-2023
Output of the full service restaurant franchise industry in the U.S. 2013-2023
Output of the full service restaurant franchise industry in the United States from 2013 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Number of full service restaurant franchise establishments in the U.S. 2013-2023
Number of full service restaurant franchise establishments in the U.S. 2013-2023
Number of full service restaurant franchise establishments in the United States from 2013 to 2022, with a forecast for 2023
Basic Statistic American Customer Satisfaction Index: FSRs in the U.S. 2022, by brand
American Customer Satisfaction Index: FSRs in the U.S. 2022, by brand
American Customer Satisfaction Index scores for leading full service restaurants in the United States in 2022, by restaurant brand

Coffee shops and cafes

Premium Statistic Market value of the coffee shop industry in the U.S. 2018-2022
Market value of the coffee shop industry in the U.S. 2018-2022
Market value coffee shop market in the United States from 2018 to 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Coffee shop count in the U.S. 2018-2022
Coffee shop count in the U.S. 2018-2022
Number of coffee shops in the United States from 2018 to 2022
Premium Statistic Number of units of selected leading coffee house and cafe chains in the U.S. 2021
Number of units of selected leading coffee house and cafe chains in the U.S. 2021
Number of units of selected leading coffee house and cafe chains in the United States in 2021
Premium Statistic Leading chain coffee house and cafe sales in the U.S. 2021
Leading chain coffee house and cafe sales in the U.S. 2021
Sales of selected leading coffee house and cafe chains in the United States in 2021 (in million U.S. dollars)

Delivery and takeout

Premium Statistic Revenue of the online food delivery market U.S. 2017-2027
Revenue of the online food delivery market U.S. 2017-2027
Revenue of the online food delivery market in the United States from 2017 to 2027 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Online food delivery users in the United States 2017-2027
Online food delivery users in the United States 2017-2027
Number of users of the online food delivery market in the United States from 2017 to 2027 (in millions)
Premium Statistic Impact of COVID-19 on online restaurant delivery market share in the U.S. 2020-2025
Impact of COVID-19 on online restaurant delivery market share in the U.S. 2020-2025
Change in online restaurant delivery penetration share of the restaurant market in the United States due to the coronavirus pandemic from 2020 to 2025
Premium Statistic Share of digital restaurant orders in the U.S. 2020-2021, by food acquisition method
Share of digital restaurant orders in the U.S. 2020-2021, by food acquisition method
Distribution of digital restaurant food orders in the United States between March 2020 and March 2021, by food acquisition method
Premium Statistic Distribution of U.S. digital restaurant food orders 2020-2021, by restaurant type
Distribution of U.S. digital restaurant food orders 2020-2021, by restaurant type
Distribution of digital restaurant food orders in the United States between March 2020 and March 2021, by restaurant type
Premium Statistic Leading restaurant and delivery websites in the U.S. 2022, by visit share
Leading restaurant and delivery websites in the U.S. 2022, by visit share
Most popular restaurant and delivery websites in the United States in May 2022, based on share of visits
Premium Statistic Main food delivery apps in the U.S. 2017-2021, by downloads share
Main food delivery apps in the U.S. 2017-2021, by downloads share
Distribution of food delivery app downloads in the United States from 2017 to 2021, by company

Catering

Premium Statistic U.S. catering industry market size 2011-2022
U.S. catering industry market size 2011-2022
Market size of the catering sector in the United States from 2011 to 2021, with a forecast for 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Catering industry business count in the U.S. 2012-2022
Catering industry business count in the U.S. 2012-2022
Number of businesses in the catering sector in the United States from 2012 to 2021, with a forecast for 2022 (in 1,000s)
Premium Statistic Market size of airline catering services in the U.S. 2018-2021
Market size of airline catering services in the U.S. 2018-2021
Market size of airline catering services in the United States from 2018 to 2021 (in billion U.S. dollars)
Premium Statistic Airline catering services market employment in the U.S. 2019-2022
Airline catering services market employment in the U.S. 2019-2022
Number of people employed in the U.S. airline catering services market between 2019 and 2022 (in 1,000s)

Impact of the coronavirus

Premium Statistic Daily year-on-year impact of COVID-19 on U.S. restaurant dining 2020-2022
Daily year-on-year impact of COVID-19 on U.S. restaurant dining 2020-2022
Year-over-year daily change in seated restaurant diners due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States from February 24, 2020 to August 1, 2022
Premium Statistic Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the U.S. 2022
Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the U.S. 2022
Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the United States as of January 2022
Premium Statistic Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the U.S. 2022, by age
Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the U.S. 2022, by age
Frequency of eating out at a restaurant in the United States as of January 2022, by age group
Premium Statistic Adults eating out at FSRs more or the same as pre-COVID in the U.S. 2022, by age
Adults eating out at FSRs more or the same as pre-COVID in the U.S. 2022, by age
Share of adults that eat out at full service restaurants more or the same as pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States as of March 2022, generation
Premium Statistic Adults eating out at QSRs more or the same as pre-COVID in the U.S. 2022, by age
Adults eating out at QSRs more or the same as pre-COVID in the U.S. 2022, by age
Share of adults that eat out at quick service restaurants more or the same as pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States as of March 2022, by generation
Premium Statistic Americans eating at fast casual restaurants more/the same as pre-COVID 2022, by age
Americans eating at fast casual restaurants more/the same as pre-COVID 2022, by age
Share of adults that eat out at fast casual restaurants more or the same as pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States as of March 2022, generation

Report on the topic

Go to report

Top Seller

Key figures

The most important key figures provide you with a compact summary of the topic of "Food service industry in the U.S." and take you straight to the corresponding statistics.