NAICS 722511

Full-Service Restaurants in California

Establishments primarily engaged in providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated and pay after eating.

Establishments (2023)
31,333
Statewide, California
Employees
628,541
Mid-March employment
Annual payroll
$21B
All establishments
Avg. establishment size
20.1
Employees per establishment

What acquirers look at

The highest-turnover category in the index and the weakest lending profile. Lease terms and liquor license transfer usually matter more than the P&L.

Restaurants by county

Ranked by establishment count, 2023 County Business Patterns. For the crowded-versus-underserved reading, see the saturation ranking, which ranks by establishments per resident instead.

#CountyEstablishmentsPer 10k residentsShare of state
1Los Angeles County8,2148.526.2%
2Orange County2,9199.39.3%
3San Diego County2,6508.18.5%
4Santa Clara County1,7038.95.4%
5San Francisco County1,69320.55.4%
6Alameda County1,5649.65.0%
7Riverside County1,3385.34.3%
8San Bernardino County1,2455.64.0%
9Sacramento County1,1246.93.6%
10San Mateo County80110.82.6%
11Contra Costa County7986.82.5%
12Ventura County5847.01.9%
13Fresno County5205.01.7%
14Sonoma County51110.51.6%
15Kern County4504.91.4%
16Santa Barbara County4049.11.3%
17San Joaquin County4034.91.3%
18Monterey County3808.81.2%
19Placer County3648.21.2%
20San Luis Obispo County35112.41.1%
21Stanislaus County3155.61.0%
22Solano County2936.40.9%
23Marin County28011.00.9%
24Santa Cruz County2359.10.8%
25Tulare County2234.60.7%

Counties in California

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, 2023 County Business Patterns. Establishment counts, employment and annual payroll by NAICS. Retrieved 2026-09-08.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (2026Q1). Quarterly establishment counts and employment for employers covered by unemployment insurance. Retrieved 2026-09-08.