Restaurant Growth Trends Rebound – 5 Months After COVID Shutdown | Restaurantdata

There is mounting growth in new restaurant chain stores and new restaurant independents. New opening activity is hovering at 500 new starts per week. We have rebounded to 70% of normal growth since the rolling shutdowns began. New starts are derived from legal and license filings and most would have applied for new stores within the last 1 to 2 weeks. For live, free samples please contact us.

Significant and stubbornly, new sit-down service style restaurants are still more than 50% of all new openings,

Within 2 weeks we will be issuing fresh counts of chain store closings from a full run in the month of August versus July. The universe of chain stores is more than 235K locations(Hint-it’s not going to be what you think). Contact us for fresh, free samples.

Restaurant growth trends continue to show resilience following the widespread COVID shutdowns earlier in 2020. New restaurant opening activity has rebounded to approximately 70% of typical pre-shutdown levels, with roughly 500 new restaurant starts per week derived from legal filings, permit applications, and licensing activity.

Analysis of legal filings indicates that independent restaurants continue to drive the majority of new openings, accounting for nearly 90% of total activity. Sit-down restaurants remain consistently above 50% of new filings, suggesting that full-service dining concepts continue to play a major role in industry recovery.

Companies tracking restaurant growth trends and foodservice activity often monitor DBA registrations, LLC formations, and permit filings to identify restaurants opening soon and detect expansion trends earlier than traditional news sources.

Key Insights

New restaurant openings averaging ~500 per week
Industry growth rebounded to approximately 70% of pre-COVID levels
Sit-down restaurants represent over 50% of new filings
Independent operators represent nearly 90% of new openings
Legal filings remain an early indicator of restaurant expansion activity

	Legal Filings Week ending 08/13/2020
	DBA\’s	Incs & LLC\’s	Total Permits and Licenses	Total Raw	Total Net Issued
8/13/2020	477	473	116	1066	502
8/6/2020	553	445	80	1158	462
7/30/2020	578	258	78	992	503
7/23/2020	327	397	86	724	358
7/16/2020	389	444	125	958	474
7/9/2020	722	360	143	1368	582
6/25/2020	296	311	104	711	354
6/18/2020	433	382	95	815	396
6/11/2020	265	98	67	497	264
6/4/2020	447	235	80	762	358
5/28/2020	414	187	90	691	316
5/21/2020	317	374	85	776	304
5/14/2020	352	350	99	801	356
5/7/2020	403	186	98	679	316
4/30/2020	337	217	124	678	324
4/23/2020	396	464	110	970	385
4/16/2020	405	300	133	839	532
4/9/2020	385	197	109	691	192
4/2/2020	130	371	133	639	327
3/26/2020	160	524	160	844	301

	Numbers of Sit-Down VS. Counter Service
	Sit down	Counter Service
8/13/2020	232	227
8/6/2020	231	197
7/30/2020	266	218
7/23/2020	178	157
7/16/2020	228	216
7/9/2020	309	229
6/25/2020	190	131
6/18/2020	213	159
6/11/2020	122	124
6/4/2020	174	151
5/28/2020	155	137
5/21/2020	159	107
5/14/2020	170	154
5/7/2020	170	133
4/30/2020	158	130
4/23/2020	185	148
4/16/2020	253	233
4/9/2020	108	71
4/2/2020	181	134
3/26/2020	270	25

	Number of Chain Locations VS. Independent Locations
	Chain stores	Independent stores
8/13/2020	63	422
8/6/2020	48	397
7/30/2020	53	439
7/23/2020	32	315
7/16/2020	47	409
7/9/2020	81	476
6/25/2020	36	308
6/18/2020	29	359
6/11/2020	42	212
6/4/2020	57	274
5/28/2020	40	258
5/21/2020	23	257
5/14/2020	50	288
5/7/2020	28	268
4/30/2020	44	280
4/23/2020	48	315
4/16/2020	50	475
4/9/2020	20	172
4/2/2020	43	284
3/26/2020	25	249

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Largest Weekly Increase in New Restaurant Openings – July 2020

Week ending 7/30/2020.

More than 500 (net) new openings last week. There were no holidays in the way or remnant issues that could tilt the numbers.

New restaurant openings are typically preceded by DBA filings, LLC formations, liquor license filings, and local permit applications. Monitoring these early signals allows sales teams, suppliers, and service providers to identify emerging restaurant concepts before they fully launch.

estaurant opening trends showed significant strength during the week ending July 30, 2020, with more than 500 net new restaurant openings identified through legal filings, business registrations, and permit activity. This represents one of the strongest weeks of new restaurant growth in several months following the COVID-related slowdown.

Legal filing activity provides early indicators of restaurant expansion, often identifying new restaurants opening soon several weeks before public announcements or marketing activity occurs. Independent operators continue to account for the majority of filings, while chain restaurant expansion remains below pre-COVID levels.

Sit-down restaurants continue to represent more than 50% of all new openings, suggesting continued demand for full-service dining concepts despite broader market uncertainty.

Companies analyzing restaurant leads and foodservice leads frequently use legal filing activity to identify early-stage opportunities and monitor restaurant expansion trends across markets.

Key Insights

Over 500 net new restaurant openings in one week
One of the strongest weekly growth periods in recent months
Sit-down restaurants represent more than 50% of filings
Independent operators account for approximately 85–90% of new openings
Chain expansion activity remains below pre-COVID levels
Legal filings provide early indicators of restaurants opening soon

	Legal Filings Week ending 07/30/2020
	DBA\’s	Incs & LLC\’s	Total Permits and Licenses	Total Raw	Total Net Issued
3/26/2020	160	524	160	844	301
4/2/2020	130	371	133	639	327
4/9/2020	385	197	109	691	192
4/16/2020	405	300	133	839	532
4/23/2020	396	464	110	970	385
4/30/2020	337	217	124	678	324
5/7/2020	403	186	98	679	316
5/14/2020	352	350	99	801	356
5/21/2020	317	374	85	776	304
5/28/2020	414	187	90	691	316
6/4/2020	447	235	80	762	358
6/11/2020	265	98	67	497	264
6/18/2020	433	382	95	815	396
6/25/2020	296	311	104	711	354
7/9/2020	722	360	143	1368	582
7/16/2020	389	444	125	958	474
7/23/2020	327	397	86	724	358
7/30/2020	578	258	78	992	503

New openings are derived from legal filings. Filers would have filed in the previous week.

Sit down is stubbornly more than 50% of all new openings.

	Numbers of Sit-Down VS. Counter Service
	Sit down	Counter Service
3/26/2020	270	25
4/2/2020	181	134
4/9/2020	108	71
4/16/2020	253	233
4/23/2020	185	148
4/30/2020	158	130
5/7/2020	170	133
5/14/2020	170	154
5/21/2020	159	107
5/28/2020	155	137
6/4/2020	174	151
6/11/2020	122	124
6/18/2020	213	159
6/25/2020	190	131
7/9/2020	309	229
7/16/2020	228	216
7/23/2020	178	157
7/30/2020	266	218

Chains are still super hesitant with around 10-15% of new openings compared to approximately 35% pre-COVID

	Number of Chain Locations VS. Independent Locations
	Chain stores	Independent stores
3/26/2020	25	249
4/2/2020	43	284
4/9/2020	20	172
4/16/2020	50	475
4/23/2020	48	315
4/30/2020	44	280
5/7/2020	28	268
5/14/2020	50	288
5/21/2020	23	257
5/28/2020	40	258
6/4/2020	57	274
6/11/2020	42	212
6/18/2020	29	359
6/25/2020	36	308
7/9/2020	81	476
7/16/2020	47	409
7/23/2020	32	315
7/30/2020	53	439

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New Restaurant Openings

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Businesses monitoring restaurant opening trends often use structured restaurant leads data to identify expansion opportunities before competitors become aware of new locations.

Restaurant Closures Data Shows Acceleration Since COVID

Restaurant closures data across the United States has shown significant volatility since the COVID shutdowns began. Historically, restaurant closures averaged approximately 4,233 locations per month. However, during the early months of the pandemic, closure activity slowed dramatically as operators temporarily paused permanent closure decisions amid uncertainty.

Beginning in June, restaurant closures accelerated substantially, reaching nearly 10,000 closed locations per month in certain periods. Despite this increase, longer-term averages remain close to pre-COVID levels when viewed across a multi-month timeframe.

At the same time, new restaurant openings continue to occur at a steady pace, currently averaging approximately 325 net new locations per week. Comparing restaurant closures and restaurant openings provides insight into broader foodservice industry recovery trends and long-term market stability.

Companies tracking restaurant leads and foodservice leads often analyze both closures and openings to understand market turnover and identify new restaurant opportunities earlier in the development cycle.

Restaurantdata’s expert research team has been performing lock-step closing reports of U.S. restaurant locations for the past 5 years. Due to COVID we are now performing monthly sweeps of the U.S. restaurant universe.

Prior to COVID, closings clocked in at the rate of around 4,233 per month. In March once the rolling shutdowns began closings nearly stopped. It was as if we were frozen in time.

Average closing numbers were less than 700 per month during the months of March, April and May. The major acceleration began in June and are now averaging near 10,000 closed restaurant locations per month. On the flip side, new openings are currently averaging 325 net new locations per week.

Since COVID. The 5 month average is 4,344. Although accelerating, SO FAR- Almost no discernible difference from the Pre-COVID average of 4,233.

We challenge the results of the general media\’s numbers. However, we do expect the acceleration to continue.

To receive a sample of closings, please contact us.

Restaurant closures and openings often occur simultaneously within local markets, creating ongoing opportunities for suppliers, service providers, and technology vendors. Tracking both closures and new restaurant openings provides a more complete understanding of market dynamics than analyzing either metric independently.

Key Insights

Pre-COVID restaurant closures averaged approximately 4,233 per month
Early COVID months saw closures temporarily decline below 700 per month
Closure activity accelerated beginning in June
Some months show closure counts approaching 10,000 locations
New restaurant openings averaging approximately 325 net new locations per week
Long-term averages remain close to historical norms
Monitoring closures and openings together provides insight into industry recovery

Restaurant Sales Leads

Pre-Opening Restaurant Sales Leads

New Restaurant Openings

Sample Restaurant Sales Leads

Businesses monitoring restaurant closures and openings often use structured restaurant leads data to understand market turnover and identify expansion opportunities earlier.