Weekly New Restaurant Legal Filing Counts: 3 Years of Data

New Restaurant Opening Counts: March 2020 Through April 2023

Restaurantdata.com has tracked new restaurant legal filing activity every week since the COVID shutdowns began in March 2020. The data below covers more than 3 years of weekly opening counts across the U.S., including total raw filings, net verified openings, sit-down vs. counter service splits, and chain vs. independent breakdowns.

📊 Key context: The big drop in new openings began the week of March 26, 2020. Pre-pandemic weekly averages were 900–1,200 with 200–250 new chain locations. Post-pandemic averages settled at 550–650 per week with just 40–65 new chain openings. New chain openings are finally ascending once again as of early 2023.

Weekly Total Raw and Net Verified Opening Counts

Total Raw represents all legal filings captured before vetting. Total Net Issued reflects verified new restaurant openings after removal of duplicates and unconfirmed locations. Data covers the period ending April 30, 2023.

Source: Restaurantdata.com · Legal filing analysis · U.S. markets · March 26, 2020 – April 27, 2023

Week Ending	Total Raw Filings	Total Net Issued
4/27/2023	1,218	605
4/20/2023	688	459
4/13/2023	1,498	349
4/6/2023	848	330
3/30/2023	987	422
3/23/2023	1,380	462
3/16/2023	736	454
3/9/2023	1,000	568
3/2/2023	772	509
2/23/2023	504	386
2/16/2023	910	507
2/9/2023	408	355
2/2/2023	826	541
1/27/2023	1,027	483
1/19/2023	654	386
1/12/2023	515	354
1/5/2023	613	389
12/22/2022	485	404
12/15/2022	648	474
12/8/2022	806	473
12/1/2022	762	420
11/17/2022	953	447
11/10/2022	380	311
11/3/2022	946	423
10/27/2022	675	458
10/20/2022	763	452
10/13/2022	774	421
10/8/2022	737	382
9/29/2022	830	455
9/22/2022	644	417
9/15/2022	700	431
9/8/2022	797	459
9/1/2022	834	386
8/25/2022	817	460
8/18/2022	753	497
8/11/2022	844	485
8/4/2022	768	530
7/28/2022	997	436
7/21/2022	874	520
7/7/2022	1,049	538
6/30/2022	1,067	496
6/23/2022	902	474
6/16/2022	1,039	531
6/9/2022	1,085	445
6/2/2022	951	495
5/26/2022	1,047	547
5/19/2022	874	460
5/12/2022	891	438
5/5/2022	941	435
4/28/2022	1,032	467
4/21/2022	939	492
4/14/2022	955	429
4/7/2022	1,053	527
3/31/2022	755	485
3/25/2022	1,045	409
3/17/2022	896	505
3/10/2022	960	531
3/3/2022	962	501
2/24/2022	941	531
2/17/2022	977	409
2/10/2022	647	428
2/3/2022	650	440
1/27/2022	828	461
1/20/2022	935	385
1/13/2022	699	389
1/6/2022	812	468
12/30/2021	797	473
12/16/2021	854	472
12/9/2021	938	498
12/2/2021	867	542
11/18/2021	678	470
11/11/2021	808	567
11/4/2021	870	470
10/28/2021	850	522
10/22/2021	812	459
10/15/2021	970	521
10/7/2021	713	437
9/30/2021	75	459
9/23/2021	670	463
9/16/2021	825	523
9/9/2021	807	503
9/2/2021	714	413
8/26/2021	913	567
8/12/2021	889	521
8/5/2021	1,132	564
7/29/2021	1,152	601
7/22/2021	948	607
7/15/2021	1,050	550
7/1/2021	819	520
6/24/2021	975	619
6/17/2021	837	553
6/10/2021	880	513
6/3/2021	1,417	551
5/27/2021	1,322	580
5/20/2021	1,103	520
5/13/2021	1,294	522
5/6/2021	1,303	584
4/29/2021	1,250	524
4/22/2021	1,130	476
4/15/2021	1,332	555
4/8/2021	1,474	564
4/1/2021	1,085	460
3/25/2021	1,251	496
3/18/2021	368	396
3/11/2021	1,525	569
3/4/2021	1,216	500
2/25/2021	1,006	529
2/18/2021	1,002	472
2/11/2021	1,851	788
2/4/2021	624	323
1/28/2021	736	370
1/21/2021	484	325
1/14/2021	880	585
1/7/2021	1,061	447
12/31/2020	1,264	438
12/17/2020	1,226	451
12/10/2020	771	482
12/3/2020	1,264	539
11/19/2020	1,003	513
11/12/2020	957	605
11/5/2020	971	613
10/29/2020	965	495
10/22/2020	1,080	633
10/15/2020	1,129	610
10/8/2020	1,237	630
10/1/2020	924	518
9/24/2020	1,006	604
9/17/2020	1,022	498
9/10/2020	1,002	467
9/3/2020	1,056	460
8/27/2020	1,050	578
8/20/2020	978	498
8/13/2020	1,066	577
8/6/2020	1,158	531
7/30/2020	992	578
7/23/2020	724	412
7/16/2020	958	545
7/9/2020	1,368	669
6/25/2020	711	407
6/18/2020	815	455
6/11/2020	497	304
6/4/2020	762	412
5/28/2020	691	363
5/21/2020	776	350
5/14/2020	801	409
5/7/2020	679	363
4/30/2020	678	373
4/23/2020	970	443
4/16/2020	839	612
4/9/2020	691	221
4/2/2020	639	376
3/26/2020	844	346

* Total Net Issued reflects verified new restaurant openings after removal of duplicates and unconfirmed locations. The week of 2/11/2021 saw the highest single-week net count in this dataset at 788.

Snapshots of Sit-Down vs. Counter Service — Weekly Breakdown

The table below breaks net verified openings into sit-down (full service) and counter service (fast casual, QSR) categories. Counter service openings grew significantly as a share of total openings post-pandemic.

Week Ending	Sit-Down	Counter Service
4/27/2023	411	164
4/20/2023	334	94
4/13/2023	241	93
4/6/2023	232	92
3/30/2023	314	91
3/23/2023	325	124
3/16/2023	332	110
3/9/2023	386	152
3/2/2023	368	132
2/23/2023	283	91
2/16/2023	367	129
2/9/2023	276	70
2/2/2023	377	137
1/27/2023	321	151
3/26/2020	311	29

* Table shows selected weeks. Full dataset available to Restaurantdata.com clients. Note the dramatic shift in the counter service share from just 29 in the week of 3/26/2020 to consistent 90–220 range post-pandemic.

Snapshots Chain vs. Independent Weekly Opening Counts

The table below shows weekly chain store vs. independent opening counts. The shift away from chain openings is clearly visible starting in 2020 and has remained persistent through 2023.

Week Ending	Chain Stores	Independent Stores
4/27/2023	57	540
4/20/2023	46	389
4/13/2023	29	314
4/6/2023	25	299
3/30/2023	23	385
3/23/2023	17	434
7/9/2020	93	547
3/26/2020	29	286

* Table shows selected weeks for illustration. Full 3-year dataset available to Restaurantdata.com clients. Chain openings ascending again as of early 2023 after multi-year post-pandemic lows.

Get a Free Weekly Sample for Your Market

Legal filing data on new restaurant openings is issued daily by local municipalities and states. Restaurantdata.com compiles, vets, and delivers verified weekly leads in .CSV or PDF format — chain and independent, sit-down and counter service. Contact us for a free complementary sample.

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Foodservice Activity

You saw it here first!

Sink your teeth into our multi-unit growth story of the day!

TUSCON, ARIZONA

Poway, CA-based EVERBOWL (founded 2016) opened a new location in Tucson, AZ this month, increasing from 62 to 63 units (2% growth).

These fast/casual salad restaurants serve breakfast, lunch and dinner. Check averages range from $6-$15+ per person and seating is for around 30 patrons. Locations trade in AZ, CA, FL, MO, NV, OR, TN, TX and UT.

BROOKLYN

NEW YORK

BLACK HORSES TAVERN will be opening soon in Brooklyn, NY. This casual American restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with an $10-$30+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 60 patrons.

MIDDLETOWN

NEW YORK

EL PUNTO LOUNGE & BAR will be opening soon in Middletown, NY. This casual/family restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with an $8-$20+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 80 patrons.

BROOKLYN

NEW YORK

AMANT CAFÉ will be opening this spring in Brooklyn, NY at the Amant Gallery. This fast/casual eatery will serve lunch and dinner with a $6-$15+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 30.

TROY

NEW YORK

SHARP SHOOTERS BAR & GRILL is opening soon in Troy, NY. This family-style restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with an $8-$20+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 80.

STATEN ISLAND

NEW YORK

MIA\’S POLLERIA & PARRILLA will be coming soon to Staten Island, NY and replacing El Paraiso Lounge. This casual Mexican restaurant will serve lunch and dinner. Seating will be for around 60 and check averages will range from $8-$20+ per person.

DOBBS FERRY

NEW YORK

PICCOLA TRATTORIA opened in Dobbs Ferry, NY in May. This upscale Italian restaurant serves dinner with a $15-$50+ per person check average. Seating is for around 30 patrons.

LONG ISLAND CITY

NEW YORK

CAFE MAKINA is set to open this spring in Long Island City, NY. This casual/family restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with seating for around 50. Check averages will range from $6-$15+ per person and beer/wine service will be available.

NEW YORK

KAZUMI OMAKASE will be opening this spring in New York, NY and replacing Tanti Baci Caffe. This casual Japanese restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with a $10-$30+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 70 patrons.

FLUSHING

NEW YORK

ZEBRA BISTRO will be opening soon in Flushing, NY and replacing Tian Fu Tea House KTV. This casual/family American restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with seating for around 60 patrons. Check averages will range from $10-$30+ per person and full bar service will be available.

BROOKLYN

NEW YORK

ALLURE RESTAURANT & BAR is coming soon to Brooklyn, NY and replacing Hills Place. This casual/family restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with seating for around 60. Check averages range from $10-$30+ per person and full bar service will be available.

Foodservice Activity

You saw it here first!

Sink your teeth into our multi-unit growth story of the day!

KNOXVILLE, TENNESSEE

Louisville, KY-based THE PEACH COBBLER FACTORY (founded 2013) is opening a new location in Knoxville, TN, increasing from 36 to 37 units (3% growth).

These quick serve bakery/cafes serve lunch and dinner with a $4-$12+ per person check average. Seating is for around 40 patrons and catering is available. Locations are franchised and trade in FL, GA, KY, LA, MI, NC, OH, TN and WV.

MONTGOMERY

ALABAMA

K POP DINER will be opening soon in Montgomery, AL. This casual American restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a $6-$15+ per person check average. Seating is for around 60 patrons.

MOBILE

ALABAMA

DOWN THE BAY CAFÉ will be opening soon in Mobile, AL and replacing Parkers Soulfood And Catering. This fast/casual restaurant will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner with a $6-$15+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 40 patrons.

MOBILE

ALABAMA

WINGFIELDS BBQ will be opening soon in Mobile, AL and replacing Backyard Café. This family-style restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with an $8-$20+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 80.

HOT SPRINGS

ARKANSAS

KOI HIBACHI EXPRESS is opening soon in Hot Springs, AR and replacing Mel\’s Diner. This fast/casual Japanese restaurant will serve lunch and dinner with an $8-$20+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 40.

FORT SMITH

ARKANSAS

LOS DOS CARNALES will be coming soon to Fort Smith, AR. This casual Mexican restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner. Seating will be for around 80 and check averages will range from $8-$20+ per person.

WASHINGTON

DC

NORMA\’S BREAKFAST opened in January in Washington, DC and replaced Quick Pizza Shop. This casual/family restaurant is open for breakfast and lunch with a $6-$15+ per person check average. Seating is for around 70 patrons.

JASPER

GEORGIA

TAQUERIA EL ASADOR is set to open in Jasper, GA. This fast/casual restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with seating for around 40. Check averages will range from $6-$15+ per person.

ATLANTA

GEORGIA

GRAN COFFEE will be opening soon in Atlanta, GA and replacing Emerald Coast Coffee & Grille. This quick-serve spot will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with a $4-$12+ per person check average. Seating will be for around 20 patrons.

DECATUR

GEORGIA

DEN LOUNGE will be opening soon in Decatur, GA. This casual/family American restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner with seating for around 90 patrons. Check averages will range from $8-$20+ per person and full bar service will be available.

TITUSVILLE

FLORIDA

TREE OF LIFE CUBAN BAKERY opened in April in Titusville, FL and replaced Paradise Grille. This casual/family restaurant is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner with seating for around 70. Check averages range from $8-$20+ per person.