Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Bristol city, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Bristol city, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 4 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,405 of 2,405 scored counties
#115 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 82
- 44 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +20.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22.4M
- On food away from home · $3,097 a household
- Spending per listing
- $273K
- 59% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 113.5
- 85% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,418
- −5.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Bristol city
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 Bristol city. 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 Bristol city is 4 (very low), #2,405 of 2,405 scored counties and #115 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 82 sit-down restaurants in Bristol city. Chain locations make up 54% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 113.5, 85% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,097 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Bristol city spend about $22.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $273K per restaurant, 59% below 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 29 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Bristol city in 2023, up 20.8% from 2019. That is one for every 249 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $112K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bristol city. Population estimates show Bristol city declined 5.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Bristol city compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Bristol city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 113.5 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $273K | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 249 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.8% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,097 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,404 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 4 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 29+20.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 776
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8244 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $112K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bristol city, 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 Bristol city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,418−5.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,226
- Median age
- 45.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 13 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,309
- Median household income
- $50,404+34.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,726
- Median home value
- $184,100
- Jobs located here
- 10,880
- Daytime population
- 20,776Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bristol city?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Bristol city. 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Bristol city marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 17 | 16.5 | $2.6M | +6.2% | #6 of 2,405 |
| 2King George County, VA | 94 | 33 | 32.6 | $1.5M | +10.5% | #7 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, VA | 91 | 30 | 25.0 | $1.6M | +11.3% | #15 of 2,405 |
| 4Stafford County, VA | 91 | 212 | 40.5 | $1.3M | +8.3% | #16 of 2,405 |
| 5Louisa County, VA | 90 | 47 | 30.2 | $1.3M | +13.6% | #22 of 2,405 |
| 6Goochland County, VA | 89 | 28 | 27.1 | $1.9M | +17.4% | #25 of 2,405 |
| 7Frederick County, VA | 88 | 134 | 37.9 | $1.2M | +8.8% | #42 of 2,405 |
| 8Dinwiddie County, VA | 87 | 19 | 17.8 | $2.1M | +3.6% | #45 of 2,405 |
| 9Madison County, VA | 87 | 12 | 21.9 | $1.8M | +2.7% | #46 of 2,405 |
| 10Powhatan County, VA | 87 | 31 | 27.4 | $1.7M | +7.0% | #47 of 2,405 |
| 115Bristol city, VA | 4 | 82 | 113.5 | $273K | −5.2% | #2,405 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bristol city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes4
- Sit-down restaurants4
- Fast food and sandwich shops3
- Pizza3
- Coffee shops and cafes11
- Bakeries and dessert shops11
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 Bristol city, VA?
There are 82 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Bristol city as of September 2026. 44 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 20.8% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bristol city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $22.4M a year, or $3,097 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $273K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,226 households in Bristol city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bristol city, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Bristol city has 113.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 85% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $273K, 59% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Bristol city would have about 34, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 249 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Bristol city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Bristol city at 16,418 people in 2025, down 5.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,226 households. The median household income in Bristol city is $50,404 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Bristol city scores 4 for sit-down restaurants (very low), #2,405 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bristol city. 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 Bristol city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bristol city?
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 Bristol city. 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.