Small business lending company OnDeck wanted to know which restaurant types are most and least competitive around the US, so they compared the density of 32 different cuisines in each state and several large cities to the national average. The data is accurate as of July 2024.
Overall, steakhouses are the most competitive food business type, facing more competition than any other cuisine in seven of the country's states.
The least competitive type of restaurant to open in the US is Korean, which has the lowest density compared to the national average in 12 states.
However, those looking to open a Korean restaurant should probably avoid Hawaii. The the Aloha state has 19.6 Korean restaurants for every 100,000 people — that's nearly 25 times greater than the national rate of 0.8.
There's also a lack of Spanish restaurants across the country, with such eateries facing the least competition in nine states.
In New York City, the least competitive type of restaurant to open is barbecue, while sandwich joints face the least competition in Los Angeles.
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Via OnDeck.
