Arizona Restaurant Association

🏆 The countdown is on! Nominations for the 2025 Foodist Awards close 10/24 — don’t miss your chance to spotlight your favorites across all 19 award categories!

From Top Chef to Best Happy Hour, we want to hear who you think deserves the win. 🙌

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Congratulations to our member Darden Restaurants for their generous donation to more Feeding AmericaAmerica member food banks.

We along with the National Restaurant Association are so proud of their continued partnership with local food banks & their commitment to ending food insecurity.

Read More:

Darden Restaurants Celebrates Five Years of Food Truck Donations to Feeding America® Food Banks, Honoring a Shared Mission to End Hunger /PRNewswire/ -- For the fifth year, Darden Restaurants and Feeding America® are putting more wheels on the road to help end hunger. With a $2 million grant...

In 2023, Arizona's food and beverage posted sales of over $22 billion, marking a 5.8% increase compared to the previous year. However, when adjusted for inflation, sales experienced a slight dip of 1.9%. While this decline in real sales was notable, it's not anticipated to recur. Arizona faced elevated inflation rates in 2023, surpassing many national averages, but recent trends indicate a reversal, with nominal sales growth remaining steady. Looking ahead to 2024, the Arizona Restaurant Association (ARA) projects total restaurant sales to surpass $23.1 billion, with inflation projected to hover below 3%, translating to a real growth rate of 2%.

Throughout 2023, total restaurant employment in Arizona averaged 259,000 workers, marking a notable 3.5% increase from the previous year. Although job growth within the restaurant sector is expected to persist in 2024, it's anticipated to proceed at a slower pace compared to previous years. The ARA forecasts that the restaurant industry will employ an additional 7,800 workers in 2024.

In 2023, restaurants in Arizona disbursed an estimated $7.4 billion in payroll (excluding tips), showcasing a substantial 9.6% surge from 2022, equivalent to approximately $20.2 million per day. The ARA projects total payroll to increase to $7.9 billion in 2024.

The total count of restaurants in Arizona reached an average of 12,151 in 2023, representing a net increase of 556 units from the previous year. Despite the rise in units, the average sales per store saw an uptick from $1.799 million to $1.815 million. Projections from the ARA indicate that Arizona will witness the addition of approximately 540 new restaurant units in 2024, with average per-store sales expected to climb to $1.825 million.

Nationally, the restaurant industry achieved a historic milestone in 2023, surpassing $1 trillion in sales for the first time, marking an 8.6% surge from 2022. Sales growth is anticipated to persist in 2024, albeit at a slightly reduced rate of 5.4%, with projected sales reaching $1.1 trillion.

At the national level, the restaurant industry's employment count rebounded to pre-pandemic levels in 2023, totaling 15.5 million workers, constituting 10% of the total U.S. workforce. The foodservice workforce is anticipated to continue expanding in 2024, although the labor market is expected to remain tight, resulting in a projected growth of 200,000 jobs.