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The 10 biggest full-service American restaurants in the U.S.The 10 biggest full-service American restaurants in the U.S.

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Managing Editor

August 15, 2023

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Every year, Nation’s Restaurant News and Datassential partner to present The Top 500, the definitive sales ranking of restaurants in America.

One element of this data is restaurant segment, meaning each can be broken down by systemwide domestic sales, units, and estimated sales per unit. Over the coming weeks, NRN will analyze the Top 10 restaurant chains in each segment by sales, starting today with full-service American restaurant chains.

These 10 chains all saw systemwide sales growth in 2022, some as much as 27.1%, reflecting the full-service industry as a whole, which spent much of the year lapping a disappointing 2021 COVID-related performance. But only six of these chains added units in 2022, with three closing net units (TGI Fridays, Red Robin and Applebee’s) and one coming out even (The Cheesecake Factory). One chain (Lazy Dog) grew units by 10%.

While we didn’t break this segment out last year, we can share that there was a shuffle at the top, with the No. 1 and No. 2 chains on this list swapping places. Meanwhile, Ruby Tuesday fell off the list after coming in at No. 9 last year, and has been replaced by the restaurant now at No. 10.

Click through the gallery to see the 10 biggest full-services American restaurants in the U.S.

Related:2023 Top 500 countdown: Restaurants ranked No. 50 – No. 1

About the Author

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister

Managing Editor

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director.  Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.

Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history. 

Email Leigh Anne at [email protected] 

Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience: 

  • Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)

  • Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)

  • Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)

  • Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)

  • Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)

  • Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)

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