Food and drink · Metro area · Alabama
Sit-down restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #304 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama
- Listings
- 712
- 228 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 247
- −5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $380.6M
- On food away from home · $3,861 a household
- Spending per listing
- $535K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 72.2
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 267,761
- +14.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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 sit-down restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area is 36 (lower middle), #304 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 12 scored metro areas based in Alabama. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area spend about $380.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,861 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $535K per restaurant, 19% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area has 712 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 228 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 72.2, 18% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 247 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area in 2023, down 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 399 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area. Population estimates show the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area grew 14.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area compares
The same measures for Alabama and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area | Alabama | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 72.2 | 53.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $535K | $663K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 399 | 721 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.7% | −2.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +14.8% | +3.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,861 | $3,519 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,775 | $63,999 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 247−5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,372
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $172.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 712228 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 574The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $8.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 267,761+14.8% since 2020
- Households
- 98,574
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,590 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 155
- Median household income
- $78,775+35.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,378
- Median home value
- $316,900
- Jobs located here
- 84,738
- Daytime population
- 233,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Alabama
Every Alabama market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Alabama for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Alabama, with the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Alabama
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huntsville, AL | 77 | 1,151 | 55.9 | $737K | +12.5% | #24 of 387 |
| 2Decatur, AL | 62 | 302 | 48.2 | $741K | +2.5% | #104 of 387 |
| 3Tuscaloosa, AL | 60 | 487 | 46.1 | $747K | +2.9% | #113 of 387 |
| 4Birmingham, AL | 52 | 2,650 | 57.0 | $658K | +1.4% | #175 of 387 |
| 5Florence-Muscle Shoals, AL | 46 | 327 | 51.4 | $659K | +3.5% | #223 of 387 |
| 6Montgomery, AL | 43 | 837 | 55.3 | $631K | +0.9% | #250 of 387 |
| 7Auburn-Opelika, AL | 43 | 432 | 56.3 | $623K | +7.1% | #252 of 387 |
| 8Gadsden, AL | 39 | 179 | 45.4 | $690K | +0.4% | #278 of 387 |
| 9Anniston-Oxford, AL | 36 | 219 | 48.7 | $651K | −0.3% | #300 of 387 |
| 10Mobile, AL | 36 | 895 | 55.4 | $608K | −0.7% | #303 of 387 |
| 11Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL | 36 | 712 | 72.2 | $535K | +14.8% | #304 of 387 |
Other business types in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 sit-down restaurants are in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 712 sit-down restaurants in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area. 228 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 247 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.7% from 2019. Another 57 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area spend on food away from home?
About $380.6M a year, or $3,861 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 712 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $535K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 98,574 households in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area has 72.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $535K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area would have about 574, against 712 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 399 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area at 267,761 people in 2025, up 14.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 98,574 households. Median household income in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area is $78,775, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.1%, before inflation.
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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #304 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley 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.