A trade journal, RESTAURANT BUSINESS, recently published a list of the top 100 restaurants in the USA rated by Gross Sales. The numbers are really amazing. At number one with annual sales in 2015 of almost $48,000,000 was the TAO ASIAN BISTRO in Las Vegas. The most expensive restaurant is CARNEVINO ITALIAN STEAKHOUSE in Las Vegas. Dinner there will cost you $180 per person. This joint is owned by celebrity Chefs Mario Batali and Joe Bastanich.
At the other end of the per person cost is Zehnder’s of Frankenmuth, Michigan. For $15 per you can enjoy all you can eat chicken. And they serve lots of it having fed 967,000 hungry people in 2015. Total sales were $14 million.
Of the 100 there are only 4 that I have visited. SMITH & WOLLENSKY in New York is a classic NYC steak house and we had a memorable dinner there several years ago. You can easily drop $100 US for dinner for one. #7 Is SCOMA’S at Fisherman’s Wharf in San Francisco. It is a classic but kind of a touristy place. Expensive too. I think I went there on my first trip to San Francisco. I’d skip it next time. TAVERN ON THE GREEN in Central Park in New York was a delightful experience. It’s a beautiful setting in the park and has recently been renovated. We would certainly go again. In lower Manhatten is BALTHAZAR, a frenchy Bistro. It’s #89 with sales of $13 million per year. Cool place where you can dine for about $75 each.
If you have travel plans in the USA you may want to check out the list and perhaps try one of these fabulous restaurants. Make sure you have a big limit on your VISA.
To see the entire 100 go to
As Chef Jacques Pepin would say…..HAPPY EATING❗️
