Independent vs chain outlets
An independent outlet is a bar, restaurant, cafe or hotel run as a single site or a very small group, where the owner or manager decides the range on site, while a chain outlet is one of many locations trading under the same name, where the range is usually decided centrally; in the UK 87% of open on-premise outlets are not part of a detected chain, as of October 2026. The split decides who a sales team has to convince, and where the next doors to win are.
Share of open on-premise outlets not part of a detected chain of 5+ locations.
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The difference at a glance
| Independent | Chain | |
|---|---|---|
| Sites | One, or a handful | Many under one name |
| Who decides the range | Owner or manager on site | Head office or a category buyer |
| How a brand wins | A visit, a relationship, a reason | A central listing negotiation |
| Who sells | Field rep or distributor | Key account manager |
| Menu | Differs outlet by outlet | Same core menu across sites |
Between the two sit groups, companies running several sites, often under different names, and franchised chains, where each site is run by a franchisee inside the franchisor's rules. Classify them by where the range decision sits, not by the name over the door.
How to measure it
Independent share (%) = outlets not part of a chain / outlets in the set x 100
The result depends entirely on the chain rule. Common rules count a chain as the same trading name at a minimum number of sites in one country, with the minimum anywhere from about 3 to 10. Dashmote counts a chain as the same trading name at 5+ open locations in one country. State the rule with the number: a low minimum makes small groups look like chains, a high one hides them. Name-based rules also miss groups that trade under different names, which takes operator data; see foodservice operator.
Worked example
One city district has 500 on-premise outlets.
- 60 outlets belong to six trading names with 5+ sites in the country: chain outlets. Independent share on the name rule = 440 / 500 = 88%.
- Operator data shows that 25 of the 440 belong to three groups trading under different names. Independent share on the decision rule = 415 / 500 = 83%.
- For a rep, the five-point gap is 25 outlets where a visit to the bar will not win the listing: the decision sits with three head offices.
Why the split matters to a sales team
Independents are most of the doors and are won one at a time, which is field sales work. Chains and groups are fewer decisions with many sites behind each, which is key account work. Mixing them wastes effort both ways: a rep pitching a chain site that cannot change its range, or a key account manager who never hears about a fast-growing local group.
Dashmote marks each outlet as independent, chain or group-run where detected, with the sites that share a name or operator, so lists can be split between reps and key account managers before anyone visits. See chain and operator data, UK pub data for managed and free houses, and Amsterdam on repeat for how chain concepts cluster in one city.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a chain restaurant?
A chain restaurant is one of several locations trading under the same name with a shared core menu and central management; the minimum number of sites varies by source, commonly from 3 to 10. Dashmote's count uses 5+ open locations in one country.
Are franchised outlets chain outlets?
Yes, in most counts: a franchised site trades under the chain's name and follows its core menu, even though a separate business owns it. For sales, the franchisee may still decide some local listings.
What share of restaurants and bars are independent?
Most of them, in most countries: as of October 2026, 87% of open on-premise outlets in the UK, 94% in Germany and 93% in the Netherlands sit outside a detected chain of 5+ locations. Quick service is the channel where chains hold the most outlets.
Is a group of three restaurants independent?
Under most chain rules yes, because it falls below the site minimum. For sales it behaves like a small key account if the owner decides the range for all three, so flag it as a group.
Should field reps visit chain outlets?
Usually for execution, not for listings: the listing is negotiated centrally, while the rep checks that the agreed range, POS and promotions are in place at the site.