Texas diners kept showing up in a way that’s hard to ignore, with Texans dining out 4.8 times per week in 2023 and tipping the average outing to $52. At the same time, the industry is balancing growing delivery and takeout shares with tight margins, a persistent labor squeeze, and sharp differences between metros like Houston and Austin. This post pulls together the most telling Texas restaurant industry statistics so you can see what people order, how they pay, and where the money is actually going.
Key Takeaways
- Texans dined out an average of 4.8 times per week in 2023, spending $52 per outing
- 68% of Texas consumers preferred casual dining over fine dining in 2023 surveys
- Average check size in Texas full-service restaurants: $28.50 in 2023
- The Texas restaurant industry employed 1,492,000 people in 2023, accounting for 10.2% of total state employment
- Texas restaurants added 45,200 jobs in 2023, with a net growth rate of 3.1%
- Food preparation and serving workers numbered 678,900 in Texas restaurants in 2023
- 29% of Texas restaurant sales came from alcohol in 2023
- Labor shortage affected 87% of Texas restaurants in 2023
- Food cost inflation hit 11.2% for TX restaurants in 2023
- Texas had 62,400 restaurant establishments in 2023, up 2.8% from 2022
- Full-service restaurants in Texas: 28,900 locations in 2023
- Limited-service restaurants: 33,500 in Texas 2023
- In 2023, the Texas restaurant industry generated over $128.5 billion in total sales, representing 4.2% of the state's GDP
- Texas full-service restaurants accounted for $72.3 billion in sales in 2022, while limited-service restaurants contributed $56.2 billion
- Between 2021 and 2022, Texas restaurant sales grew by 15.7%, outpacing the national average of 13.4%
In 2023, Texans dined out more, spent heavily, and drove $128.5 billion in sales with takeout and tech leading growth.
Related reading
01 · Category
Consumer Spending and Habits26 stats
01
Texans dined out an average of 4.8 times per week in 2023, spending $52per outing
02
68% of Texas consumers preferred casual dining over fine dining in 2023 surveys
03
Average check size in Texas full-service restaurants: $28.50in 2023
04
Quick-service average transaction: $9.75in Texas 2023
05
42% of Texas millennials ate at restaurants 5+ times weekly in 2023
06
Delivery orders grew 28% in Texas restaurants to 1.2 billion in 2023
07
Takeout represented 32% of Texas restaurant sales in 2023
08
55% of Texans used loyalty apps at restaurants weekly in 2023
09
Alcohol beverage spend per visit: $12.40in Texas restaurants 2023
10
Family dining outlays averaged $145weekly per household in TX 2023
11
76% of Texas consumers cited price as top factor in restaurant choice 2023
12
Vegetarian/vegan options ordered by 24% of TX diners in 2023, up 15%
13
Houston diners spent $1,200annually on restaurants per capita 2023
14
DFW per capita restaurant spend: $1,050in 2023
15
Austin young professionals averaged $85per restaurant visit 2023
16
San Antonio tourists spent $450 million on food/bev 2023
17
61% of TX Gen Z preferred fast-casual, spending $8.90 avg
18
Weekend brunch visits up 19% in TX, avg spend $22 in 2023
19
Craft cocktail bars saw 35% spend increase per visit to $18.50 TX 2023
20
Sustainable sourcing influenced 48% of TX diners to spend more 2023
21
Late-night dining (after 10pm) accounted for 12% of TX sales 2023
22
Group dining parties averaged 4.2 people, spend $112TX 2023
23
Online reservations used by 39% TX consumers weekly 2023
24
Health-focused menu items boosted spend by 14% in TX 2023
25
BBQ restaurant visits: 2.3 per month avg TX consumer 2023
26
Tex-Mex dining frequency: 1.8 times weekly for 67% TX households 2023
Interpretation
Consumer Spending and Habits Interpretation
Texans have mastered the art of the high-volume, high-value, and strategically tipsy dining circuit, where price rules supreme but loyalty apps, brunch, and a side of sustainable guacamole are the new currency.
02 · Category
Employment and Labor25 stats
01
The Texas restaurant industry employed 1,492,000 people in 2023, accounting for 10.2% of total state employment
02
Texas restaurants added 45,200 jobs in 2023, with a net growth rate of 3.1%
03
Food preparation and serving workers numbered 678,900 in Texas restaurants in 2023
04
Cooks in Texas restaurants totaled 312,400 in 2023, with median wage of $28,450annually
05
Waiters and waitresses in Texas: 289,700 employed in 2023, average hourly wage $12.85
06
Bartenders in Texas restaurants: 78,500 in 2023, median wage $14.20per hour
07
Restaurant managers in Texas: 56,200 in 2023, average annual salary $62,340
08
Dishwashers employed 89,300 in Texas restaurants in 2023, wage $11.45/hour
09
Hosts and hostesses: 45,600 in Texas in 2023, median wage $12.10/hour
10
Food servers non-restaurant was minimal, but restaurant-specific tipped servers: 210,400 total servers in TX 2023
11
Texas restaurant workforce turnover rate averaged 78% in 2023, higher in quick-service at 92%
12
62% of Texas restaurant employees were part-time in 2023
13
Hispanic/Latino workers comprised 48.3% of Texas restaurant employees in 2023
14
Women made up 52.1% of the Texas restaurant workforce in 2023
15
Average tenure for Texas restaurant workers: 2.1 years in 2023
16
Houston restaurants employed 312,000 people in 2023
17
DFW metro: 285,400 restaurant jobs in 2023
18
Austin: 112,000 restaurant employees in 2023, growth of 4.5%
19
San Antonio: 98,700 restaurant jobs in 2023
20
Texas restaurant industry supported 2.1 million total jobs including indirect in 2023
21
Entry-level restaurant jobs in TX grew by 12% post-pandemic to 456,000 in 2023
22
Chefs and head cooks: 24,800 in TX 2023, median $52,100salary
23
Counter attendants: 56,900 in TX quick-service 2023, wage $11.90/hr
24
First-line supervisors: 89,200 in TX restaurants 2023, salary $42,500avg
25
Dining room attendants: 34,100 in 2023 TX, $11.20/hr
Interpretation
Employment and Labor Interpretation
Texas restaurants are a massive, churning engine of employment—adding 45,200 jobs last year alone—but they’re powered by a predominantly part-time and transient workforce earning modest wages, while somehow still managing to be the cornerstone of one in every ten Texas paychecks.
03 · Category
Industry Trends and Challenges20 stats
01
29% of Texas restaurant sales came from alcohol in 2023
02
Labor shortage affected 87% of Texas restaurants in 2023
03
Food cost inflation hit 11.2% for TX restaurants in 2023
04
45% of Texas restaurants adopted ghost kitchens by 2023
05
Online ordering platforms used by 92% of TX restaurants 2023
06
Sustainability initiatives in 56% of TX restaurants, reducing waste 22% 2023
07
Regulatory compliance costs rose 8% for TX food safety in 2023
08
Tech investments averaged $45,000per TX restaurant in 2023
09
Menu price increases averaged 7.9% in TX restaurants 2023
10
Supply chain disruptions impacted 63% of TX operators in 2023
11
Electric kitchen equipment adoption: 34% in TX 2023 for energy savings
12
Health inspections: 12,500 violations cited in TX restaurants 2023
13
Insurance premiums up 15% for TX restaurants due to weather risks 2023
14
Contactless payment usage: 88% of TX restaurants 2023
15
Plant-based menu items grew 41% in TX restaurants 2023
16
Workforce training programs reached 23% of TX restaurants 2023
17
Energy costs rose 9.4% for TX restaurants in 2023
18
Drive-thru lanes expanded in 28% of quick-service TX spots 2023
19
Diversity hiring goals met by 41% of TX chains 2023
20
Cyberattack incidents: 7% of TX restaurants affected 2023
Interpretation
Industry Trends and Challenges Interpretation
Texans are drinking through their troubles, as restaurants combat soaring costs and staffing shortages by charging more for everything—except, it seems, for a little southern comfort in a glass.
More related reading
04 · Category
Number of Businesses and Locations27 stats
01
Texas had 62,400 restaurant establishments in 2023, up 2.8% from 2022
02
Full-service restaurants in Texas: 28,900 locations in 2023
03
Limited-service restaurants: 33,500 in Texas 2023
04
Houston metro had 12,400 restaurants in 2023
05
Dallas-Fort Worth: 11,800 restaurant locations in 2023
06
Austin metro: 5,600 restaurants in 2023, growth 5.2%
07
San Antonio: 4,900 restaurants in 2023
08
Independent restaurants comprised 71% of Texas total, or 44,300 locations in 2023
09
Chain restaurants: 18,100 in Texas 2023
10
Fast-food outlets: 15,200 in TX 2023
11
Bars and taverns: 6,800 licensed in Texas 2023
12
Food trucks and mobile: 4,200 permitted in TX 2023
13
Texas restaurant openings: 3,200 new in 2023, closures 2,100 net +1,100
14
El Paso: 2,100 restaurants in 2023
15
Corpus Christi: 1,500 restaurants 2023
16
Lubbock: 1,100 restaurants in 2023
17
Amarillo: 950 restaurants 2023
18
McAllen: 1,400 restaurants 2023
19
Tyler: 900 restaurants in 2023
20
Abilene: 850 restaurants 2023
21
Midland: 750 restaurants in 2023
22
Waco: 950 restaurants 2023
23
Longview: 700 restaurants 2023
24
Wichita Falls: 650 restaurants 2023
25
Killeen: 850 restaurants 2023
26
Beaumont: 800 restaurants 2023
27
Victoria: 550 restaurants 2023
Interpretation
Number of Businesses and Locations Interpretation
Texas is the land of dietary contradictions, where the noble independent restaurateur heroically outnumbers the corporate chain three-to-one, yet a full quarter of our establishments are dedicated to the efficient science of the drive-thru.
05 · Category
Revenue and Sales30 stats
01
In 2023, the Texas restaurant industry generated over $128.5 billion in total sales, representing 4.2% of the state's GDP
02
Texas full-service restaurants accounted for $72.3 billion in sales in 2022, while limited-service restaurants contributed $56.2 billion
03
Between 2021 and 2022, Texas restaurant sales grew by 15.7%, outpacing the national average of 13.4%
04
In 2023, Houston-area restaurants generated $28.4 billion in sales, making it the largest metro market in Texas
05
Dallas-Fort Worth restaurants reported $25.6 billion in sales for 2023, driven by population growth and tourism
06
Austin's restaurant sales reached $12.1 billion in 2023, with a 18.2% year-over-year increase
07
San Antonio restaurants generated $9.8 billion in sales in 2022, boosted by military bases and conventions
08
Average annual sales per Texas restaurant in 2023 was $2.21 million, higher than the national average of $1.98 million
09
Quick-service restaurants in Texas saw $45.7 billion in sales in 2023, representing 35.6% of total industry sales
10
Fine dining establishments in Texas contributed $18.4 billion to sales in 2022, with upscale growth at 12%
11
Texas restaurant industry supported $48.2 billion in related economic activity from supply chains in 2023
12
Food-away-from-home sales in Texas reached 52% of total food spending in 2023, up from 48% in 2019
13
Bar and tavern sales in Texas totaled $14.3 billion in 2023, with craft beer driving 22% growth
14
Texas Tex-Mex restaurants generated $8.9 billion in sales in 2022, leading ethnic cuisine categories
15
Independent Texas restaurants had average sales of $1.45 million per unit in 2023, versus $3.2 million for chains
16
Pandemic recovery led to Texas restaurant sales rebounding to 105% of 2019 levels by 2023
17
El Paso restaurants reported $4.2 billion in sales for 2023, with border trade boosting traffic
18
Corpus Christi coastal restaurants saw $2.8 billion in sales from seafood and tourism in 2023
19
Lubbock area restaurants generated $1.9 billion in sales in 2022, driven by Texas Tech University
20
Amarillo restaurants contributed $1.6 billion to sales in 2023, with meatpacking industry support
21
McAllen border region restaurants had $3.1 billion in sales in 2023, up 14% from cross-border visitors
22
Tyler East Texas restaurants reported $2.4 billion in sales for 2022, BBQ segment leading
23
Abilene restaurants generated $1.7 billion in 2023, with college and military influence
24
Midland-Odessa oil boom drove restaurant sales to $2.9 billion in 2023
25
Waco restaurants saw $1.8 billion in sales in 2022, boosted by Baylor University
26
Longview restaurants contributed $1.5 billion to sales in 2023, manufacturing hub effect
27
Wichita Falls restaurants generated $1.3 billion in 2023, Sheppard AFB key driver
28
Killeen-Temple area restaurants had $2.2 billion in sales in 2022, Fort Hood proximity
29
Beaumont-Port Arthur restaurants reported $2.1 billion in 2023, petrochemical workforce
30
Victoria restaurants generated $1.1 billion in sales in 2023, agribusiness support
Interpretation
Revenue and Sales Interpretation
Texas is powering its colossal economy, one plate at a time, with restaurants serving as both the state's financial engine and its communal dining room from Houston's fine dining to Lubbock's college-town tacos.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Margot Villeneuve. (2026, February 13). Texas Restaurant Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/texas-restaurant-industry-statistics
MLA
Margot Villeneuve. "Texas Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/texas-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Margot Villeneuve. 2026. "Texas Restaurant Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/texas-restaurant-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
72 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level