What is the best neighborhood in Chicago to open an American Restaurant?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the best neighborhood in Chicago to open an American Restaurant is Kennedy Park, with 93% average survivability. 86 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed the 70% two-year survival threshold.

How much more revenue can an American Restaurant make in the best vs. average Chicago neighborhood?

In Kennedy Park, the best possible American Restaurant location in Chicago offers approximately 5.0% more expected revenue than the average location. The worst-performing neighborhoods could yield approximately 6.5% less than average.

What is the city-wide average survivability for American Restaurant in Chicago?

The city-wide average survivability for American Restaurant across Chicago is 89% for surviving more than 2 years. Top neighborhoods like Kennedy Park substantially outperform this average, reaching 93%.

What are the worst neighborhoods for American Restaurant in Chicago?

The most challenging neighborhoods in Chicago for American Restaurant include Irving Woods with 83% average survival chance, Downtown, and Chinatown. Our data shows that roughly 15% of top-performing locations sit in neighborhoods ranked below the city median.

How accurate are StreetSpring's American Restaurant survivability predictions?

StreetSpring's models achieve 95–99% accuracy across business types, analyzing 100+ factors with a ±3% margin of error. StreetSpring delivers pinpoint accuracy down to the exact storefront location.

What should I consider when opening an American Restaurant in Chicago?

Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. StreetSpring computes Revenue Capture Score by projecting the business's market share based on competitor quality and quantity, mobility patterns, and forecasted consumer spending for the specific business type.

Survivability Rankings for American Restaurant in Chicago

StreetSpring's 2026 analysis ranks the best and worst neighborhoods in Chicago to open an American Restaurant, from Kennedy Park (93% survival) to Irvin...

April 24, 2026•17 min read

By Bobby Koons | Last reviewed: May 7, 2026 | New data weekly | Methodology

Quick Summary

#1 Neighborhood: Kennedy Park — 93% average survivability for American Restaurant

Neighborhoods at or above 70%: 86 of 86 analyzed

City-wide average: 89% for American Restaurants

Most challenging area: Irving Woods at 83%

Revenue advantage (top vs. avg location): ~5.0% more expected revenue in Kennedy Park

Data freshness: 2026 data · Full methodology →

Summary
10 Best Neighborhoods
Where Would an American Restaurant Make the Most Money?
What Should I Consider?
Where Should I Start?
FAQ: Best Neighborhoods
FAQ: Can an American Restaurant Succeed in Lower-Ranked Areas?
FAQ: How Often Are Rankings Updated?
FAQ: Is an American Restaurant a Good Tenant?
Landlord Survivability Data
Best Neighborhoods for Any Business

Summary

Opening an American Restaurant in Chicago? Our 2026 analysis identifies Kennedy Park as the top location with 93% average chance of surviving more than 2 years, with the best locations offering 96% and the most challenging locations in Kennedy Park at 84%. The worst neighborhoods include Irving Woods with 83% average chance. However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well.

Where in Chicago Should You Open an American Restaurant?

**Where else does Kennedy Park look like?** Among the ~2,500 neighborhoods StreetSpring scores, the strongest profile matches are **Chicago Midway Airport (Chicago)** and **Rosemont East (Baltimore)** — sharing blue-collar job mix, low destination density, and low vacancy. Same neighborhood signatures tend to produce similar business-type outcomes.

**Failure-mode analysis: American Restaurants in Chicago.** Across 86 neighborhoods, scores range **83-93%**, with the citywide average at 89%. The top-ranked neighborhood (**Kennedy Park**, 93%, no existing competitors in our index) sits 10 points above the bottom (**Irving Woods**, 83%). For an American Restaurant, neighborhood selection drives more of the survivability outcome than almost any other controllable input.

Kennedy Park ranks #1 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed in and around Chicago for American Restaurant survivability with a score of 93% as of 2026. The top 10 neighborhoods are:

How rent and competition shape the leaderboard

Rank	Neighborhood	Best Locations	Average Locations	Challenging Locations
1	Kennedy Park	93.0% – 97.0%	91.3% – 94.5%	83.0% – 87.0%
2	Main-Chicago	94.0% – 97.0%	91.0% – 94.3%	88.0% – 92.0%
3	Southwest	94.0% – 97.0%	91.0% – 94.2%	70.0% – 74.0%
4	Roseland	95.0% – 97.0%	90.5% – 93.7%	76.0% – 80.0%
5	Rogers Park	94.0% – 97.0%	90.4% – 93.6%	70.0% – 74.0%
6	Morgan Park	95.0% – 97.0%	90.4% – 93.6%	71.0% – 75.0%
7	Kenwood	95.0% – 97.0%	89.9% – 93.1%	86.0% – 90.0%
8	West Village	92.0% – 96.0%	89.3% – 92.5%	73.0% – 77.0%
9	River North	93.0% – 97.0%	89.3% – 92.5%	86.0% – 90.0%
10	West Town	93.0% – 97.0%	89.0% – 92.2%	77.0% – 81.0%

Notable runners-up worth a second look

However, individual locations vary widely, and even in lower-scoring neighborhoods there are pockets that perform exceptionally well. Our live tool reflects the latest competitive landscape — these static rankings may already be slightly out of date.

Survivability ranges reflect best and worst storefront conditions within each neighborhood. See our full methodology →

Try StreetSpring to see if this location is still the best and see if there are locations to rent in this area right now.

Where in or Around Chicago Would an American Restaurant Make the Most Money?

In Kennedy Park, the best possible location offers the opportunity of making ~5.0% more than the average location in or around Chicago.

On the other hand, in Irving Woods, the worst possible location could result in making ~6.5% less than the average location in the city.

Where you open matters more than anything else. Opening an American Restaurant in Chicago requires careful location choice. Across 86 neighborhoods analyzed, the overall average survival chance for a new American Restaurant is 89% for lasting more than 2 years — due to a combination of many factors across competition, consumer spending, and location dynamics. Different business types will have different forecasted spend than others, and all of those would have different projections for each location.

Key Considerations Before Opening an American Restaurant in Chicago

The strongest predictor of whether this business survives two years is the quality of the location you pick — Survivability Score quantifies exactly that. Among all factors in our model, Revenue Capture Score carries the most weight in determining long-term survivability. StreetSpring computes this by projecting the business's market share, which is based on the quality and quantity of primary, secondary, and tertiary competitors. Our models draw from one of the most comprehensive commercial real estate datasets ever assembled. Our data shows that businesses in moderately competitive clusters survive longer than isolated storefronts on average. These insights come from StreetSpring's exclusive, in-house forecasting models.

Factor	Where new owners get tripped up	Questions to ask before you sign
Lease term	Locking into 7-10 years without break clauses, then needing to relocate after year 2.	Negotiate a relocation or termination clause. Confirm assignment + sublease rights are in writing.
Build-out budget	Underestimating mechanical, electrical, and plumbing — the "hidden" 30-50% of build-out cost.	Get 3 quotes from licensed contractors and pad budget by +20% for surprises. Confirm landlord TI allowance in writing.
Foot traffic seasonality	Looking at a peak-summer Tuesday and assuming year-round volume.	Walk the block at 3 different times across 2 different weeks. Ask neighboring tenants for their slow-season % drop.

This can be summarized as:

Revenue Capture Score = Projected Market Share × Forecasted Spend on Specific Business

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Neighborhood rankings are useful, but the exact odds for your location can only be seen by running a current survivability check in StreetSpring.

Pinpointing the Right Neighborhood for an American Restaurant in Chicago

The highest-performing areas for this business type are Kennedy Park, Main-Chicago, and Southwest, while the most challenging neighborhoods would be Irving Woods, Downtown, and Chinatown. Neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation — always check your specific address. StreetSpring's Survivability Scores are updated regularly, so the most accurate prediction for your exact storefront is always available in the live tool.

Related Articles:

Which Chicago Neighborhoods Are Strongest for American Restaurants?

Based on StreetSpring's 2026 analysis, the top neighborhood for an American Restaurant in Chicago is Kennedy Park with 93% average survivability, followed by Main-Chicago and Southwest. 86 of 86 neighborhoods analyzed exceed 70% two-year survival.

New competitor openings and closures happen weekly — the live tool ensures you see the latest picture.

Can an American Restaurant Succeed in Lower-Ranked Neighborhoods in Chicago?

Yes — neighborhood averages mask significant block-by-block variation. Even in neighborhoods ranked outside the top 10, individual storefronts with strong foot traffic, low direct competition, and favorable lease terms can outperform the area average. These rankings are based on the latest available data; check StreetSpring for real-time updates. Always check your specific address in StreetSpring's live platform for the most accurate prediction.

How Often Are American Restaurant Rankings in Chicago Updated?

StreetSpring recalculates survivability scores regularly using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data. Rankings are updated quarterly; the live tool always reflects the most current predictions for any address in Chicago.

Should Chicago Landlords Lease to American Restaurants?

In Kennedy Park, StreetSpring forecasts a 91.3% – 94.5% average chance for a new American Restaurant to survive more than 2 years, depending on the exact storefront. Check the current Survivability Score for any address instantly.

Landlord Survivability Data for American Restaurant in Chicago

Tenant longevity is a top concern for commercial landlords. In Kennedy Park, an American Restaurant tenant averages 91.3% – 94.5% chance of lasting more than 2 years — the strongest outlook in Chicago. Main-Chicago follows at 91.0% – 94.3%, while Southwest shows 91.0% – 94.2%. Our tool shows the survivability outlook for any business type at your exact address, updated weekly.

With StreetSpring, you can see the precise probability of success for countless business models at any exact location.

Top-Survivability Chicago Neighborhoods for American Restaurants

You can see the best neighborhoods in or around Chicago to open any type of business in our article Neighborhood Survivability Rankings: Chicago.

Technical note: Aggregated survivability rankings for Chicago are available in machine-readable format for research and integration purposes.

View technical data for Chicago

StreetSpring recalculates survivability using the latest competitive, demographic, and walkability data, so the live score may differ from the static ranges shown here.

Visual Data

Waterfall chart of best and worst American Restaurant neighborhoods in Chicago — Top and bottom neighborhoods for American Restaurant in Chicago — each step shows the gap from the city average. Wider spread = location matters more.

Headline survivability statistic for American Restaurant in Chicago — Headline survivability stat for American Restaurant in Chicago.

Dumbbell chart comparing best vs worst locations for businesses in chicago — Best vs worst neighborhood per business type — the gap shows how much location choice matters within a city.

How we measure this: We compare each address to the ~30-50 most similar addresses within 1 mile to surface its relative ranking.

**City context.** Chicago is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the third-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 2.74 million at the 2020 census. Source: [Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago).

**Daytime/resident distribution (Chicago):** LEHD LODES data across 150 Chicago neighborhoods: median ratio **0.74:1**, top-quartile **2.07:1** — a primarily-residential commercial-corridor profile. Use this to triangulate which neighborhood matches your concept's natural demand-timing (weekday-commuter vs. evening-and-weekend).

**Operating-cost data point:** Per EIA Form 861, US DOL, and Tax Foundation 2024, Chicago's state-level operating costs read: commercial electricity **6.7¢/kWh** (below the 10.8¢ 24-metro median), state minimum wage **$15.00/hr** (below $15.00), combined sales tax **8.8%** (above 7.7%), and effective commercial property tax **2.27%** (above 0.96%). Composite tier vs peers: **expensive**.

**Authoritative anchor:** BLS data (BLS Business Employment Dynamics, March 2025 release) puts the national 5-year survival rate for American Restaurants at **50.0%**. In Chicago, StreetSpring's **survivability score** for this subtype averages **87%** — a site-quality measure built from 100+ location factors.

Same business type in other cities:

Related:

Beyond the Numbers: Local Context

More questions answered with neighborhood-specific data from our 2026 corpus.

What other business types score similarly to American Restaurants in Chicago?

Chicago subtypes scoring within 2 points of American Restaurants's 87% average include Pizza Restaurant, Brunch Restaurant, Deli. Survivability convergence at the metro level usually reflects shared local factors like saturation density or demographic fit.

What 5-year survival rate does the federal government track for American Restaurants?

Per BLS Business Employment Dynamics (March 2025 release), American Restaurants have a 50% 5-year survival rate nationally. StreetSpring's Chicago model averages 87% across tracked locations — above the national baseline by 37 percentage points.

What's the gap between the best and worst Chicago locations for an American Restaurant?

Across Chicago, StreetSpring's survivability score for American Restaurants ranges from 59% at the most challenging locations to 100% at the best — a 41-percentage-point gap that location selection alone can capture.

Where does Chicago fall in national rankings for American Restaurants?

For American Restaurants, Chicago ranks #16 out of 24 metros with an average survivability score of 87%. The strongest metro tops out at 89%; the weakest at 85%.

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