Industries › Accommodation and food services
Industry · Form 5500 business code 722511
Full-Service Restaurants: retirement plans
Plans whose sponsor entered this principal business activity code on Form 5500.
Form 5500 information is as filed by the plan administrator with the Department of Labor and may be amended. Figures reflect the plan year shown, not current balances. The business code is chosen by the filer from the list in the Form 5500 instructions.
382 retirement plans in full-service restaurants with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024 (376 defined contribution, 6 defined benefit). All Form 5500 pension filers in the group reported 924,889 participant records and $7.18B in net assets.
The median defined contribution plan held $8,186 per participant, well below the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $334 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $44.80 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $211M and participants $535M during the year, and the plans paid out $741M in benefits.
In 2012 the same group numbered 199 plans with $2.17B; by 2024 it was 382 plans (up 92%) and $7.18B (up 231%). From plan year 2023 the 100-participant line counts participants with account balances, which moved many plans to the short form.
Medians compared with all US plans
| Median plan, plan year 2024 | Industry: DC | US: DC | Industry: DB | US: DB |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $8,186 | $53,031 | $22,445 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $334 | $2,174 | $9,318 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $44.80 | $123 | $106 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.59% | 0.26% | 0.67% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $45.77 | $116 | $174 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (353 DC and 6 DB plans with a Schedule H here). Fee medians cover plans reporting an amount. DC: defined contribution, such as 401(k) and 403(b). DB: defined benefit pension.
Distribution of DC plans
| Measure | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile | Plans |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net assets per participant | $3,558 | $8,186 | $16,397 | 353 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $129 | $334 | $738 | 310 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $17.81 | $44.80 | $91.01 | 318 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $16.58 | $45.77 | $91.46 | 346 |
Trend by plan year
| Plan year | Plans 100+ | Participants | Net assets | Employer contributions | Participant contributions | Median DC assets / participant | Median DC Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025partial | 49 | 146,629 | $1.38B | $31.9M | $84.3M | $9,709 | $77.34 |
| 2024 | 382 | 924,889 | $7.18B | $211M | $535M | $8,186 | $44.80 |
| 2023 | 384 | 927,785 | $6.36B | $209M | $488M | $7,793 | $40.88 |
| 2022 | 664 | 926,281 | $5.94B | $188M | $472M | $5,287 | $31.92 |
| 2021 | 590 | 846,410 | $6.65B | $173M | $411M | $8,402 | $39.67 |
| 2020 | 586 | 810,946 | $6.36B | $118M | $345M | $7,717 | $38.25 |
| 2019 | 601 | 881,277 | $5.59B | $156M | $402M | $6,369 | $30.39 |
| 2018 | 578 | 898,121 | $5.18B | $144M | $372M | $5,650 | $26.49 |
| 2017 | 565 | 921,025 | $5.45B | $125M | $342M | $6,240 | $25.01 |
| 2016 | 565 | 899,820 | $4.86B | $184M | $313M | $5,819 | $23.06 |
| 2015 | 558 | 868,427 | $4.54B | $136M | $293M | $5,878 | $21.39 |
| 2014 | 547 | 883,302 | $4.69B | $92.2M | $278M | $6,152 | $18.06 |
| 2013 | 531 | 940,308 | $4.63B | $80.0M | $265M | $5,755 | $16.05 |
| 2012 | 199 | 462,960 | $2.17B | $36.2M | $113M | $4,439 | $15.20 |
Plan year is the year in which the plan year began. The drop in large plans from 2023 follows a rule change: the 100-participant line now counts participants with account balances, so many plans moved to the short form.
Provider share
Service provider organisations named most often on the Schedule C of the 385 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 385 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Darden Savings Plan | Darden Restaurants, Inc. | FL | DC | 210,222 | $1.59B | $7,540 | $222 | $8.48 |
| Panda Retirement Plan | Panda Restaurant Group, Inc. | CA | DC | 59,074 | $610M | $10,323 | $363 | $14.78 |
| Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. and Affiliates Employee Savings Plan | Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. | TN | DC | 57,285 | $225M | $3,933 | $100 | $8.07 |
| Brinker International 401(k) Savings Plan | Brinker International, Inc. | TX | DC | 56,522 | $565M | $9,989 | $305 | $12.68 |
| Flynn Restaurant Group 401(k) Retirement Plan | Flynn Restaurant Group LP | OH | DC | 25,164 | $119M | $4,711 | $107 | $15.39 |
| Hard Rock Futurecare 401(k) Plan | Seminole Hard Rock Entertainment, Inc. Hard Rock International | FL | DC | 16,256 | $255M | $15,678 | $577 | $30.64 |
| First Watch 401(k) Savings Plan | First Watch Restaurants, Inc. | FL | DC | 15,597 | $48.4M | $3,103 | $153 | $15.11 |
| P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. 401(k) Plan | P.F. Chang's China Bistro, Inc. | AZ | DC | 14,081 | $50.1M | $3,558 | $51 | $13.26 |
| Pappas Restaurants 401(k) Plan | Pappas Restaurants, Inc. | TX | DC | 14,047 | $62.7M | $4,465 | $42 | $7.42 |
| Bob Evans Restaurants, LLC 401(k) Retirement Plan | Bob Evans Restaurants, LLC | OH | DC | 13,675 | $107M | $7,828 | $32 | $15.16 |
| Bj's Restaurants, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Bj's Restaurants, Inc. | CA | DC | 12,233 | $44.7M | $3,651 | $75 | $14.11 |
| Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Checkers Drive-In Restaurants, Inc. | FL | DC | 10,719 | $6.8M | $634 | $13 | $2.98 |
| Portillo's Hot Dogs, LLC 401(k) Plan | Portillo's Hot Dogs, LLC | IL | DC | 9,757 | $27.5M | $2,820 | $71 | — |
| Lazy Dog 401(k) Plan | Lazy Dog Restaurants, LLC | CA | DC | 9,357 | $9.3M | $991 | $36 | $4.31 |
| KBP Brands 401(k) Plan | KBP Brands, LLC | KS | DC | 9,336 | $18.7M | $2,005 | $39 | $19.69 |
| SPB Hospitality LLC Retirement Savings Plan | SPB Hospitality LLC | TX | DC | 8,079 | $15.9M | $1,967 | $51 | $17.76 |
| Cooper's Hawk Intermediate Holding, LLC 401(k) Plan | Cooper's Hawk Intermediate Holding, LLC | IL | DC | 7,903 | $27.0M | $3,414 | $97 | $17.60 |
| Flanigan's 401(k) Plan | Flanigans Enterprises, Inc. | FL | DC | 7,530 | $14.5M | $1,924 | $13 | $5.90 |
| Akash Management LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan & Trust | Akash Management LLC | CA | DC | 7,333 | $1.9M | $260 | $0 | — |
| SSCP Management Group 401(k) Plan | SSCP Management, Inc. | TX | DC | 7,296 | $7.7M | $1,055 | $19 | $5.68 |
| Doherty Group, Inc. 401(k) and Retirement Savings Plan | The Doherty Group, Inc. | NJ | DC | 7,142 | $46.6M | $6,529 | $88 | $19.42 |
| California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. Retirement Savings Plan | California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. | CA | DC | 7,010 | $26.9M | $3,831 | $18 | $12.07 |
| Earl Enterprises Retirement Savings Plan | Earl Enterprises Corporate, LLC | FL | DC | 6,933 | $33.1M | $4,780 | $155 | $27.34 |
| Osi Restaurant Partners, LLC Salaried Employees 401(k) Plan and Trust | Osi Restaurant Partners, LLC | FL | DC | 6,259 | $224M | $35,796 | $1,227 | $28.94 |
| Lettuce Entertain You Employee Savings Plan | Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc. | IL | DC | 6,013 | $66.7M | $11,095 | $98 | $32.93 |
| Restaurant Growth Services, LLC 401(k) Plan | Restaurant Growth Services, LLC | TN | DC | 5,964 | $81.1M | $13,593 | — | $54.94 |
| The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated 401(k) Plan | The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated | CA | DC | 5,907 | $96.9M | $16,400 | $422 | $40.70 |
| Jim N Nicks 401(k) Plan | Jim N Nicks Management LLC | AL | DC | 5,739 | $7.7M | $1,346 | $38 | $4.41 |
| Texas Roadhouse Salaried Employees 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan | Texas Roadhouse Management Corp. | KY | DC | 5,046 | $149M | $29,511 | $1,983 | $14.21 |
| Starr Restaurants 401(k) Plan | Starr Restaurant Organization, L.P. | PA | DC | 4,976 | $3.5M | $697 | — | $17.62 |
| Apple Central 401(k) Plan | Apple Central, LLC | GA | DC | 4,903 | $4.5M | $918 | $42 | $2.36 |
| Din Tai Fung Retirement Plan | DTF Management and Consulting, LLC | CA | DC | 4,762 | $10.5M | $2,213 | $278 | $14.74 |
| Patton Wings, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Patton Wings, Inc. | MI | DC | 4,604 | $14.0M | $3,030 | $128 | $16.96 |
| Interfoods of America, Inc. Employees Savings Plan | Interfoods of America, Inc. | FL | DC | 4,330 | $3.2M | $735 | — | $2.61 |
| International Restaurant Services, Inc. Retirement Plan | International Restaurant Services, Inc. | PR | DC | 4,195 | $4.9M | $1,163 | $50 | — |
| Deli Management, Inc. Savings and Incentive Retirement Plan | Deli Management, Inc. | TX | DC | 4,142 | $30.3M | $7,311 | $99 | $32.30 |
| Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, LLC 401(k) Plan | Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, LLC | OH | DC | 4,030 | $27.4M | $6,796 | $308 | $6.70 |
| Ruby Tuesday Salary Deferral Plan | Ruby Tuesday Operations LLC | TN | DC | 3,826 | $23.6M | $6,181 | $85 | $44.08 |
| T.L. Cannon 401(k) Plan | T.L. Cannon Corporation | FL | DC | 3,788 | $19.4M | $5,124 | $41 | $10.65 |
| Thinkfoodgroup, LLC 401(k) Profit Sharing Plan & Trust | Thinkfoodgroup, LLC | DC | DC | 3,753 | $9.5M | $2,540 | $38 | $27.79 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in full-service restaurants?
382 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 1,037 pension plans on the full form. Smaller plans file Form 5500-SF and are counted separately where shown.
What is the typical 401(k) balance in full-service restaurants?
The median defined contribution plan reported $8,186 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $3,558 to $16,397); nationally it was $53,031. This is a plan-level average that includes former employees, not a typical person's balance.
What do employers contribute in full-service restaurants?
The median defined contribution plan received $334 in employer contributions per active participant, against $2,174 nationally. Plans with no employer contribution are included at zero.
What are average 401(k) fees in full-service restaurants?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $44.80 per participant and 0.59% of net assets (nationally $123 and 0.26%). Schedule C leaves out fund expense ratios and fees the employer pays, so it understates total cost.
Where does this come from?
Form 5500 annual reports in the EBSA research files, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Medians are computed by this site across plans with 100 or more participants.
Provenance
Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Employee Benefits Security Administration, Form 5500 research files, public domain, with filings received through 24 Aug 2026. Totals count every pension plan on the full form; medians and the plan list cover plans with 100 or more participants. See the methodology.