Network Research

Original data journalism from the network

Cross-city studies built from the independent restaurants tracked across our 22 US city dining guides. Every figure is computed from our own directories and attributed to its sources.

September 2026

What America actually eats when it eats out

We analyzed 21,880 independent restaurants across 22 cities. Mexican, not pizza, is the national staple; every city has a measurable food signature; and dinner in DC costs nearly double the network average.