Industries › Accommodation and food services
Industry · Form 5500 business code 722513
Limited-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.
246 retirement plans in limited-service restaurants with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024 (241 defined contribution, 5 defined benefit). All Form 5500 pension filers in the group reported 707,968 participant records and $13.7B in net assets.
The median defined contribution plan held $6,567 per participant, well below the national median of $53,031, and its employer put in $316 per active participant (national: $2,174). Among plans reporting Schedule C compensation the median was $38.62 per participant against $123 nationally.
Employers contributed $441M and participants $645M during the year, and the plans paid out $1.47B in benefits.
In 2012 the same group numbered 97 plans with $2.07B; by 2024 it was 246 plans (up 154%) and $13.7B (up 563%). 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 | $6,567 | $53,031 | $42,545 | $86,234 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $316 | $2,174 | $25,492 | $10,244 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $38.62 | $123 | $137 | $344 |
| Schedule C compensation, share of net assets | 0.62% | 0.26% | 0.30% | 0.42% |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $37.96 | $116 | $251 | $527 |
Medians across plans with 100 or more participants (232 DC and 5 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 | $3,225 | $6,567 | $15,632 | 232 |
| Employer contributions per active participant | $131 | $316 | $664 | 205 |
| Schedule C compensation per participant | $18.08 | $38.62 | $80.31 | 217 |
| Administrative expenses per participant | $17.84 | $37.96 | $86.07 | 229 |
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 | 31 | 115,487 | $3.48B | $116M | $200M | $6,368 | $33.57 |
| 2024 | 246 | 707,968 | $13.7B | $441M | $645M | $6,567 | $38.62 |
| 2023 | 251 | 685,599 | $12.7B | $303M | $579M | $6,438 | $38.02 |
| 2022 | 430 | 686,203 | $11.5B | $288M | $543M | $5,046 | $33.14 |
| 2021 | 406 | 637,898 | $13.8B | $272M | $471M | $6,953 | $33.40 |
| 2020 | 396 | 621,135 | $12.1B | $272M | $407M | $6,613 | $27.86 |
| 2019 | 375 | 606,130 | $10.7B | $189M | $359M | $5,837 | $25.99 |
| 2018 | 340 | 521,767 | $9.33B | $182M | $315M | $5,257 | $26.83 |
| 2017 | 329 | 491,514 | $10.1B | $332M | $291M | $6,029 | $20.77 |
| 2016 | 333 | 510,125 | $8.79B | $211M | $283M | $5,542 | $24.92 |
| 2015 | 329 | 507,690 | $8.63B | $289M | $255M | $5,350 | $21.95 |
| 2014 | 334 | 501,989 | $8.69B | $231M | $236M | $5,619 | $21.67 |
| 2013 | 323 | 507,869 | $8.48B | $154M | $225M | $5,818 | $19.18 |
| 2012 | 97 | 189,507 | $2.07B | $74.5M | $72.3M | $6,797 | $13.32 |
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 250 plans on this page's list, by number of plans. A plan usually names several providers.
Largest plans
The 40 largest by participants of 250 plans with a page on this site.
| Plan | Sponsor | State | Type | Participants | Net assets | Per participant | Employer / active | Sch. C / participant |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. | CA | DC | 96,636 | $293M | $3,030 | $176 | $8.45 |
| Inspire Brands, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Plan | Irb Holding Corporation | GA | DC | 43,661 | $596M | $13,660 | $478 | $16.76 |
| Whataburger 401(k) Savings Plan | Whataburger Restaurants LLC | TX | DC | 41,380 | $262M | $6,331 | $275 | $30.82 |
| McDonald's Corporation 401(k) Plan | McDonald's Corporation and Subsidiaries | IL | DC | 32,254 | $3.74B | $115,958 | $1,792 | $54.58 |
| Raising Cane's Retirement Savings Plan | Raising Cane's USA, LLC | TX | DC | 28,298 | $155M | $5,492 | $447 | $9.14 |
| Yum Brands 401(k) Plan | Yum Brands, Inc. | KY | DC | 28,163 | $1.06B | $37,810 | $907 | $48.19 |
| In-N-Out Burger Associates' Profit Sharing Plan | In-N-Out Burger, Inc. | CA | DC | 27,846 | $947M | $34,020 | $1,528 | $7.40 |
| Panera Bread Company 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | Panera Bread Company | MO | DC | 27,108 | $285M | $10,515 | $488 | $17.40 |
| Restaurant Brands International Savings Plan | Restaurant Brands International | FL | DC | 26,777 | $193M | $7,189 | $274 | $0.39 |
| Yum Brands Retirement Plan | Yum Brands, Inc. | KY | DB | 16,102 | $644M | $39,979 | — | $137 |
| The Wendy's Company 401(k) Retirement Plan | The Wendy's Company | OH | DC | 10,779 | $294M | $27,273 | $625 | $34.68 |
| Cava Group, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Cava Holding Company, a Delaware Corporation | DC | DC | 10,750 | $18.0M | $1,676 | $31 | $20.74 |
| Domino's Pizza 401(k) Savings Plan | Domino's Pizza LLC | MI | DC | 10,186 | $506M | $49,721 | $1,705 | $32.11 |
| Chick-Fil-A, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Chick-Fil-A, Inc. | GA | DC | 9,890 | $1.44B | $145,202 | $5,794 | $33.57 |
| Eat'n Park Hospitality Group 401(k) Retirement Plan | Eat'n Park Hospitality Group | PA | DC | 8,266 | $90.2M | $10,912 | $210 | $38.69 |
| Jack in the Box Inc. Retirement Plan | Jack in the Box Inc. | CA | DB | 7,356 | $279M | $37,949 | — | $115 |
| Jack in the Box Inc. Easysaver Plus Plan | Jack in the Box Inc. | CA | DC | 7,097 | $145M | $20,433 | $545 | $18.08 |
| Sweetgreen, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Sweetgreen, Inc. | CA | DC | 6,450 | $29.7M | $4,605 | $0 | $15.23 |
| Shake Shack Retirement Plan | Shake Shack Enterprises, LLC | NY | DC | 6,367 | $45.5M | $7,148 | $381 | $28.76 |
| JFC America 401(k) Plan | Jollibee Foods Corporation (USA) | CO | DC | 5,937 | $69.4M | $11,688 | $529 | $37.73 |
| Ilitch Holdings 401(k) Plan | Ilitch Holdings, Inc. | MI | DC | 5,736 | $307M | $53,474 | $1,515 | $104 |
| Mission BBQ 401(k) Plan | Mission BBQ Management, LLC | MD | DC | 5,690 | $3.2M | $558 | — | $2.45 |
| Eym Group, Inc. 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan | Eym Group, Inc. | TX | DC | 5,579 | $2.5M | $444 | $3 | $7.40 |
| Ampex Brands Retirement Savings Plan | Ampex Brands | TX | DC | 5,435 | $7.7M | $1,424 | $9 | $5.34 |
| Potbelly Sandwich Works 401(k) Plan | Potbelly Sandwich Works, LLC | IL | DC | 5,426 | $22.4M | $4,127 | $230 | $30.77 |
| W.K.S. Restaurant Group 401(k) Plan | W.K.S. Restaurant Corporation | CA | DC | 5,298 | $26.4M | $4,983 | $204 | $19.60 |
| White Castle Profit Sharing Plan | White Castle System, Inc. | OH | DC | 4,819 | $176M | $36,622 | — | $21.31 |
| Chick-Fil-A, Inc. Defined Benefit Pension Plan | Chick-Fil-A, Inc. | GA | DB | 4,639 | $515M | $110,935 | $25,492 | $242 |
| Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc. Savings and Employee Retirement Plan | Boddie-Noell Enterprises, Inc. | NC | DC | 4,630 | $63.9M | $13,811 | $131 | $34.58 |
| Parade Enterprises LLC, 401(k) Plan | Parade Enterprises, LLC | NJ | DC | 4,620 | $566K | $122 | — | $1.10 |
| M.B.R. Management DBA Dominos 401(k) Plan | M.B.R. Management DBA Dominos | MO | DC | 4,442 | $6.4M | $1,442 | $58 | $32.99 |
| Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. 401(k) Plan | Bojangles' Restaurants, Inc. | NC | DC | 4,244 | $19.8M | $4,659 | $346 | $60.05 |
| Noodles & Company 401(k) Plan | Noodles & Company | CO | DC | 4,240 | $25.5M | $6,005 | $96 | $49.77 |
| Dutch Bros 401(k) Plan | Dutch Mafia, LLC | OR | DC | 4,161 | $29.3M | $7,036 | $695 | $45.29 |
| Quality Restaurant Group 401(k) Plan | Quality Restaurant Group LLC | NC | DC | 4,087 | $3.9M | $945 | $10 | $21.03 |
| White Castle Pension Plan and Trust | White Castle System, Inc. | OH | DB | 3,951 | $168M | $42,545 | $1,430 | $113 |
| QSR Executive Enterprises 401(k) Plan | QSR Enterprises Grafton, Inc. | OH | DC | 3,854 | $2.9M | $742 | $138 | $38.16 |
| Jack's Family Restaurants/sfm 401(k) | Jack's Family Restaurants/sfm LP | AL | DC | 3,815 | $17.1M | $4,486 | $139 | $42.50 |
| Far West Services, LLC 401(k) Plan | Far West Services, LLC | CA | DC | 3,779 | $4.0M | $1,049 | $103 | $5.99 |
| TSFR 401(k) Plan | TSFR Apple Venture LLC | MI | DC | 3,763 | $12.2M | $3,252 | $41 | $17.26 |
By plan size
By state
Questions and answers
How many retirement plans are there in limited-service restaurants?
246 plans with 100 or more participants filed Form 5500 for plan year 2024, out of 889 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 limited-service restaurants?
The median defined contribution plan reported $6,567 in net assets per participant (middle half of plans: $3,225 to $15,632); 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 limited-service restaurants?
The median defined contribution plan received $316 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 limited-service restaurants?
Among defined contribution plans that report any Schedule C compensation, the median was $38.62 per participant and 0.62% 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.