Food and drink · Metro area · Tennessee
Sit-down restaurants in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area
How the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #331 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee
- Listings
- 3,362
- 1,084 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 849
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On food away from home · $3,630 a household
- Spending per listing
- $565K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 64.3
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,341,412
- −0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Memphis 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 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 Memphis metro area scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #331 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Tennessee. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,630 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in the Memphis metro area spend about $1.9B a year on food away from home. That is about $565K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 3,362 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Memphis metro area as of September 2026. 1,084 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 64.3, 5% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Memphis metro area was 849 in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 616 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 29 SBA-backed loans worth $15M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Memphis metro area. Population estimates show the Memphis metro area declined 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, 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 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 | Memphis metro area | Tennessee | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 64.3 | 59.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $565K | $618K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 616 | 569 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | +4.3% | +1.5% |
| 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 | 32 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 849+1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 19,409
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $493.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 275Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,3621,084 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,860The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 29
- Amount
- $15M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants 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 cardSit-down restaurants across Tennessee
Every Tennessee market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Tennessee for sit-down restaurants, 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 | 68 | 1,872 | 49.5 | $752K | +6.9% | #60 of 387 |
| 2Morristown, TN | 65 | 212 | 44.2 | $754K | +7.9% | #82 of 387 |
| 3Cleveland, TN | 63 | 232 | 46.4 | $742K | +6.1% | #95 of 387 |
| 4Clarksville, TN-KY | 52 | 640 | 51.3 | $687K | +8.5% | #173 of 387 |
| 5Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 46 | 607 | 46.4 | $712K | +2.3% | #220 of 387 |
| 6Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin, TN | 46 | 5,743 | 69.3 | $595K | +8.7% | #225 of 387 |
| 7Chattanooga, TN-GA | 44 | 1,374 | 59.4 | $630K | +5.3% | #238 of 387 |
| 8Johnson City, TN | 39 | 459 | 51.6 | $640K | +4.3% | #281 of 387 |
| 9Jackson, TN | 37 | 413 | 57.0 | $582K | +2.2% | #292 of 387 |
| 10Memphis, TN-MS-AR | 32 | 3,362 | 64.3 | $565K | −0.3% | #331 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 sit-down restaurants are in the Memphis, TN-MS-AR metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,362 sit-down restaurants in the Memphis metro area. 1,084 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 849 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 275 one-person businesses without payroll.
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 3,362 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $565K 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 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 sit-down restaurants?
The Memphis metro area has 64.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $565K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Memphis metro area would have about 2,860, against 3,362 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 616 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 32 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #331 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 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 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.