Facts About The Restaurant Industry

Number One Employer

  • The restaurant industry employs an estimated 12.2 million people, making it the nation's largest employer outside of government.
  • The restaurant industry provides work for more than 9 percent of those employed in the United States.
  • Roughly one out of three table service operators will increase the proportion of their budget allocated toward training in 2005.
  • Eating-and-drinking places are extremely labor-intensive -- sales per full-time-equivalent employee were $57,567 in 2003 and notably lower than other industries.
  • More than four out of 10 adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some time during their lives and 27 percent of adults got their first job experience in a restaurant.
  • The typical employee in a foodservice occupation is:
    • Female (55 percent)
    • Under 30 years of age (52 percent)
    • Single (68 percent)
    • Working part-time and averaging 25 hours a week
    • Living in a household with two or more wage earners (79 percent)

Ladder to Management Opportunity

  • Nine out of 10 salaried employees at table service restaurants started as hourly employees.
  • The number of foodservice managers is projected to increase 11% from 2005 to 2015.
  • More than three out of five foodservice managers have annual household incomes of $50,000 or more.
  • Eating-and-drinking places employ more minority managers than any other industry.

Restaurants By the Numbers…

  • $1.3 billion — restaurant-industry sales on a typical day in 2005
  • Two out of three — percentage of quick service operators who have added low-carb items to their menu as a result of the low-carb diet trend
  • Nearly half — percentage of table service operators reporting that takeout represents a larger proportion of their total sales compared to two years ago
  • One out of three — percent of consumers who have used curbside takeout at a table service restaurant
  • 4 percent — median pre-tax income in 2003 for full-service restaurants with average per-person checks of $15 to $24.99
  • 45 percent — Percentage of 25-to-34-year-olds who have used the Internet to find out information about a restaurant they have not patronized before.