What's the average number of customers a restaurant recieves in a day?

Question

I have to write a business plan for my class and I need to figure out how many customers a home-style restaurant might receive in a day. It's in a small town with a population of under 20,000. I tried guessing but I have no idea so any estimate would be nice....

Answer 1

I work as a waitress in a local restaurant with a population of about 6,000. We get roughly 100 people a day. We are open for breakfast lunch and dinner. It all depends on how many other restaurants there are in town. We have about 10 other restaurants/fast food. We aren't the busiest place in town, but we are steady. Good luck!!

Answer 2

A "hugely successful" restaurant would aim for something like this:

take the number of tables, expect to set that table 3-4 times per meal, plus 1-2 times between meals....

In a town of just 20,000, you will need to have a complete SWAT analysis --  Are there other places for people to go?  (Is competition fierce, or absent?) - What will you have to offer that's different than the competition - Is there a need for your type of business?  Is there a wide age-range in your area?  Are you close to traffic?  Will people stop in en route to somewhere else?

I think a good estimate for a town with a population of 20K would be 150-200 people per day, total depending on competition....  unless you're Starbucks...

Answer 3

At the restaurant I work at, we get around 400-450 people. I forget if that is for night shift only or for day and night.  

Answer 4

It's hard to say because there are a few factors to take into account:

Size of the restaurant (how many seats does it contain)

Day of the Week (Saturdays are usually busier than Wednesdays)

Dining Style (casual dining places have faster turn times than fine dining places)

Location (business district or residential area)

Traffic (high foot traffic area or accessible only by private transportation)

Competition (are you alone or in an area of other restaurants)

Time of year (restaurants with summer patio seating or restaurant with fireplace seating)

I work in an intimate restaurant that seats 24 in it's main dining room. Because of our popularity and reputation, we do more business on a Tuesday than a restaurant I've once worked at that sat 150 on a Saturday night.

Answer 5

Call like sized towns find a restaurant ask them approx how many. 100 is a good bet. the cost of the meals will make it vary. 795 to 1095 a meal maybe 150.