Chicago, IL · Restaurants
Restaurants in Chicago, by the numbers.
The Census Bureau counted 17,823 restaurants and other eating places in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area in 2023, employing 319,059 people with $8.5 billion in annual payroll.
The local market.
Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023. Figures cover the whole metro area.
17,823
3rd most of 387 US metro areas
319,059
17.9 per business, against 18.8 across all metros
$8.5 billion
$26,516 per employee
47%
of businesses, against 43% across all metros
+1.5%
in the number of businesses (17,554 in 2022)
What the numbers say about Chicago.
- Chicago is one of the ten largest metro markets in the country for restaurants and other eating places, 3rd of 387.
- A typical business here is about the national size, with 17.9 employees.
- The number of businesses held about steady since 2022.
How VERA helps restaurants in Chicago.
The same product everywhere. It prepares the work and waits for your approval before anything goes out.
Never miss another inquiry
VERA drafts a reply to every booking question and event inquiry, and flags the ones that need your personal touch - you just approve.
Keep your feed alive
VERA drafts daily posts for specials, features, and events, then queues them for your approval so your social never goes quiet.
Fill your slow nights
VERA spots the quiet shifts and drafts a promo - email, SMS, or social - to bring your regulars back in.
Questions
Restaurants in Chicago
How many restaurants and other eating places are there in Chicago?
17,823 in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN Metro Area, according to the Census Bureau's County Business Patterns for 2023. Together they employed 319,059 people and paid $8.5 billion in annual payroll.
Is the Chicago market for restaurants growing?
By number of businesses it held about steady between 2022 and 2023: from 17,554 to 17,823 (+1.5%).
What does VERA do for restaurants in Chicago?
VERA drafts the quotes, invoices, follow-ups and customer messages a Chicago business runs on, and waits for the owner's approval before anything goes out. It is the same software everywhere; this page adds the local numbers.
Restaurants in other markets
Other Chicago markets
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022, metropolitan statistical areas. The Bureau adds a small amount of noise to these figures to protect individual businesses. The category counted is restaurants and other eating places, which can be broader or narrower than the trade itself. About the data.
See what VERA can do for your business.
Try it with the built-in demo data, no credit card, no API keys. VERA proposes the work and waits for your approval before it acts.