Groundwork

Market rankings · Delaware

Sit-down restaurants in Delaware

Markets across Delaware ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
2,429
686 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
899
+6.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
60.4
In line with the U.S.
Spending per listing
$677K
2% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#23 of 51
Market score 51 · Upper middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Delaware by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,429 sit-down restaurants in Delaware. Of those, 686 are chain locations, or 28%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 60.4 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $4,092 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Delaware spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home. That works out to $677K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 899 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Delaware in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. That is one for every 447 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 41 SBA-backed loans worth $24.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Delaware.

Among the 50 states and DC, Delaware ranks #23 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest (61). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware, the Seaford area, scores 51.

Every market in Delaware for sit-down restaurants

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Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Delaware, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Delaware, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dover, DE6134147.7$779K+6.8%#107 of 387
Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD5515,17661.5$708K+1.4%#146 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Delaware, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Seaford, DE5170366.0$602K+16.1%#262 of 538

Counties

Counties in Delaware, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kent County, DE6034147.7$779K+6.8%#749 of 2,405
2New Castle County, DE531,38561.8$691K+3.0%#1,051 of 2,405
3Sussex County, DE4670366.0$602K+16.1%#1,385 of 2,405

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Delaware?

There are 2,429 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Delaware as of September 2026. 686 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 899 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. Official counts list 161 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Delaware spend on food away from home?

About $1.6B a year, or $4,092 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,429 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $677K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 402,038 households in Delaware and national spending patterns by income.

How does Delaware compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Delaware has 60.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $677K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Delaware would have about 2,479, against 2,429 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 447 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Delaware has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware is the Seaford area, at 51 (upper middle). Among 3 scored counties in Delaware, Kent County scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Delaware scores 51 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #23 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Delaware. 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.

Sit-down restaurants in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in Delaware

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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.