Groundwork

Market rankings · Maine

Sit-down restaurants in Maine

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

Listings
3,385
532 chain locations (16%)
Official establishments
1,446
−2.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.3B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
56.7
8% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$677K
2% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#42 of 51
Market score 37 · Lower middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Maine 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 3,385 sit-down restaurants in Maine. Of those, 532 are chain locations, or 16%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 56.7 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $3,835 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Maine spend about $2.3B a year on food away from home. That is about $677K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 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.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,446 businesses with payroll in Maine classed as full-service restaurants, down 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 413 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, 107 SBA-backed loans worth $35.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Maine.

Among the 50 states and DC, Maine ranks #42 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Lewiston-Auburn metro area scores highest (72). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine, the Augusta-Waterville area, scores 73.

Every market in Maine for sit-down restaurants

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Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maine, 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 Maine, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lewiston-Auburn, ME7220343.2$822K+4.8%#37 of 387
2Bangor, ME6527442.0$856K+3.8%#77 of 387
3Portland-South Portland, ME421,63368.0$629K+4.5%#261 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Maine, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Augusta-Waterville, ME7323643.5$831K+3.5%#58 of 538

Counties

Counties in Maine, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Waldo County, ME696134.9$1M+2.6%#397 of 2,405
2Sagadahoc County, ME666438.9$1M+3.4%#479 of 2,405
3Androscoggin County, ME6620343.2$822K+4.8%#497 of 2,405
4Somerset County, ME637733.2$979K+2.3%#608 of 2,405
5Kennebec County, ME6223643.5$831K+3.5%#668 of 2,405
6Penobscot County, ME6127442.0$856K+3.8%#704 of 2,405
7Oxford County, ME5810242.3$807K+4.2%#821 of 2,405
8Aroostook County, ME4910334.4$950K−0.7%#1,196 of 2,405
9York County, ME4757963.3$653K+4.8%#1,329 of 2,405
10Piscataquis County, ME453440.5$818K+3.5%#1,396 of 2,405
11Cumberland County, ME4399074.9$589K+4.5%#1,508 of 2,405
12Washington County, ME366445.1$718K+0.8%#1,792 of 2,405
13Lincoln County, ME3411871.1$539K+3.8%#1,897 of 2,405
14Franklin County, ME287760.7$551K+4.6%#2,115 of 2,405
15Knox County, ME2715784.9$453K+1.1%#2,160 of 2,405
16Hancock County, ME2724696.2$388K+3.0%#2,165 of 2,405

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Maine?

Maine has 3,385 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 532 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,446 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 135 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $2.3B a year, or $3,835 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,385 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 597,159 households in Maine and national spending patterns by income.

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

Maine has 56.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below 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, Maine would have about 3,451, against 3,385 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 413 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

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

Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in Maine, the Lewiston-Auburn metro area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Maine is the Augusta-Waterville area, at 73 (upper middle). Among 16 scored counties in Maine, Waldo County scores highest, at 69 (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. Maine scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #42 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 Maine. 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 Maine

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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.