Nation's Restaurant News: U.S. restaurant count declines 2%, NPD reports

A recent Nation's Restaurant News article announced that the overall unit count for U.S. restaurants fell 2 percent.  According to The NPD Group’s 2017 fall census, independent restaurants faced a 3 percent decline, while the unit count for chain restaurants remained flat and quick-service restaurants declined by 1 percent.

“The U.S. restaurant count is reflective of what’s happening in the foodservice industry today overall,” said Bonnie Riggs, NPD’s restaurant industry analyst, in a statement. “To expand or not expand units is a calculated decision on the part of restaurant operators.”

With the monetary resources available to expand, chains are able to grow more quickly than independents. Restaurants open as of September 30, 2017, were included in the census. 

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