The 100 Top Grossing Restaurants in the U.S.

The 100 Top Grossing Restaurants in the U.S.

Ever wonder what kind of revenues the uber restaurants around the US rake in on an annual basis? The numbers for 2006 are out and they are flat-out staggering. The Pan Asian Tao Las Vegas at the Venetian Hotel, the parent restaurant of the soon-to-opened Imperia here in Austin, took in an amazing $56,000,000. The originator of “Vibe Dining” served over 600,000 customers! I’ve eaten there and enjoyed the food a lot but it’s not Nobu or Per Se. It’s an awesome testimony to the power of being a cool restaurant/club in the coolest city in the US.

Over $18 million behind in second place was the venerable Tavern on the Green in New York City with $38,000.000. Tavern on the Green is by no means a great restaurant. It is the ultimate rip-off tourist trap but I guess there’s something to be said for cachet and being adjacent to Central Park.

In third place was one of my all-time favorites, Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach with $28,000,000. The food here is remarkable. In 4th place was the New York City version of Tao with $26,000,000. And in 5th place was the remarkable and historic Old Ebbit Grill, just steps away from the White House in Washington, D.C. This favorite of the politically connected was opened in 1856 and was host to Presidents Grant, Harding, and Teddy Roosevelt. It rang up $22,000,000 in sales last year.

Austin did not have an entry in the Top 100 although I have a feeling that in a normal year, The Oasis atop Lake Travis would come close. The highest grossing Texas restaurant was the trendy Aquarium on the boardwalk in Kemah with 12,000,000 (64th place). It was closely followed by III Forks in Dallas with 11,800,000 (67th place).

Of the top 100 grossing restaurants, a stunning twenty were in Las Vegas and nineteen in New York City. It would be interesting to compile a list of the hundred BEST restaurants in the US and correlate that ranking with gross revenue ranks. But one commonality was obvious: they were all pretty damned big! Tao in Vegas seats accommodates 400, for example. Joe’s Stone Crab seats 450!