By the numbers

2015 projected sales is $709.2 billion

Projected to employ 14 million people in 2015

Projected to add 1.7 million jobs over next decade

More than 9 in 10 restaurants have fewer than 50 employees.

Half of all adults have worked in the restaurant industry at some point in their lives, and one in three got their first job experience in a restaurant.

Source: National Restaurant Association

This story was originally published September 6, 2015 at 9:04 PM with the headline "By the numbers ."