Food and drink · Metro area · Tennessee
Restaurants and cafes in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #295 of 387 scored metro areas
#9 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 5,489
- 2,172 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 2,229
- +4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On food away from home · $3,630 a household
- Spending per listing
- $346K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.0
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,341,412
- −0.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Memphis metro area
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of the Memphis metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Memphis metro area is 35 (lower middle), #295 of 387 scored metro areas and #9 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on food away from home in the Memphis metro area comes to about $1.9B a year: $3,630 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $346K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 5,489 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Memphis metro area as of September 2026. 2,172 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 105.0 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Memphis metro area was 2,229 in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 235 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 61 SBA-backed loans worth $36.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Memphis metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Memphis metro area declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Memphis metro area compares
The same measures for Tennessee and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Memphis metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 105.0 | 102.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $346K | $357K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 235 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.9% | +9.9% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +5.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,630 | $3,670 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,401 | $69,595 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 2,229+4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 46,799
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 734Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5,4892,172 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,119The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 61
- Amount
- $36.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Memphis metro area, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in the Memphis metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,341,412−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 522,879
- Median age
- 37.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,972 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 270
- Median household income
- $66,401
- Average household income
- $95,119
- Median home value
- $245,900
- Jobs located here
- 640,441
- Daytime population
- 1,368,538Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Memphis metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Memphis metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Tennessee for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Tennessee, with the Memphis metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Tennessee
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Knoxville, TN | 71 | 3,420 | 90.4 | $412K | +6.9% | #57 of 387 |
| 2Morristown, TN | 60 | 415 | 86.5 | $385K | +7.9% | #131 of 387 |
| 3Cleveland, TN | 59 | 450 | 90.0 | $382K | +6.1% | #138 of 387 |
| 4Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 54 | 1,082 | 82.6 | $399K | +2.3% | #160 of 387 |
| 5Clarksville, TN-KY | 52 | 1,174 | 94.0 | $375K | +8.5% | #180 of 387 |
| 6Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 50 | 9,678 | 116.7 | $353K | +8.7% | #193 of 387 |
| 7Chattanooga, TN-GA | 49 | 2,401 | 103.8 | $361K | +5.3% | #199 of 387 |
| 8Johnson City, TN | 47 | 804 | 90.4 | $365K | +4.3% | #211 of 387 |
| 9Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 35 | 5,489 | 105.0 | $346K | −0.3% | #295 of 387 |
| 10Jackson, TN | 31 | 739 | 102.0 | $325K | +2.2% | #328 of 387 |
Other business types in the Memphis metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5,489 restaurants and cafes in the Memphis metro area. 2,172 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 2,229 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. Another 734 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.9B a year, or $3,630 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5,489 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $346K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 522,879 households in the Memphis metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Memphis metro area has 105.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $346K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Memphis metro area would have about 5,119, against 5,489 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 235 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Memphis metro area at 1,341,412 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 522,879 households. Median household income in the Memphis metro area is $66,401, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. The Memphis metro area scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #295 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Memphis metro area. It maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in the Memphis metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Memphis metro area?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of the Memphis metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.