Restaurant Name Ideas
60 name ideas for a restaurant, plus how the U.S. Census Bureau classifies this kind of business and where these businesses are most common.
Restaurant name ideas
Tap a name to read what its key word means and where it comes from. Always check trademarks and your state's business name rules before you register.
Name words that fit, with their meanings
How a restaurant is classified
For government statistics, tax forms and many licensing systems, a restaurant usually falls under NAICS 722511: Full-Service Restaurants.
This U.S. industry comprises establishments primarily engaged in providing food services to patrons who order and are served while seated (i.e., waiter/waitress service) and pay after eating. These establishments may provide this type of food service to patrons in combination with selling alcoholic beverages, providing carryout services, or presenting live nontheatrical entertainment.
Businesses classified here include
- Bagel shops, full service
- Diners, full service
- Doughnut shops, full service
- Family restaurants, full service
- Fine dining restaurants, full service
- Full service restaurants
- Pizza parlors, full service
- Pizzerias, full service
- Restaurants, full service
- Steak houses, full service
Definition and examples from the 2017 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS 722511), U.S. Census Bureau.
Full-Service Restaurants in the U.S. by the numbers
Locations by number of employees nationwide
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2022. Counts cover employer establishments (businesses with paid employees); self-employed owners without staff are not included. Small establishments with 1–4 employees include those that reported no paid employees in mid-March.
States with the most full-service restaurants locations
- California 31,374 locations
- Texas 20,238 locations
- New York 19,384 locations
- Florida 18,055 locations
- Illinois 9,899 locations
- Pennsylvania 9,459 locations
- North Carolina 8,385 locations
- Georgia 7,918 locations
- New Jersey 7,895 locations
- Ohio 7,699 locations
Each state page shows local numbers and links to that state's official business registration offices.