City Among Best In Nation To Start New Restaurant

ROUND ROCK, TX -- One of the best cities in the country to start a new restaurant: Round Rock, according to a national survey, placing the city in the fifth position overall.

According to NerdWallet, the city met the criteria to make it one of the nation’s hottest cities for new restaurant upstarts. The survey took various factors into account in assembling its list, including population of at least 50,000, demand for new restaurants and economic conditions that could impact a restaurant’s success.

Population growth and density also were taken into consideration, along with median annual income and its growth and existing restaurant sales and number of eateries.

Given that criteria, Round Rock was ranked fifth -- below fellow Texas cities Cedar Park and Mission as well as Franklin, Tenn. and Smyrna, Ga. Rounding out the Top 10 list were Frisco, Texas; Alpharetta, Ga.; Fishers, Ind.; Milipitas, Calif.; and Southaven, Miss.

The city also was helped given its proximity to the major metropolitan city of Austin just a few miles away, a city undergoing a “culinary renaissance,” according to the study’s authors.

The survey provided a snapshot of why Round Rock made the list:

“Round Rock is one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. and is part of one of the fastest-growing metropolitan areas, to boot,” surveyors wrote. “The city’s rapid and continuing growth makes the market ripe for new restaurants. Round Rock residents welcome new eateries on a regular basis, including staples from nearby Austin such as Kerbey Lane Cafe, which expanded to Round Rock in May.”