Mexican food has become one of the most popular cuisines in America, and in the chain restaurant sphere, there are two spots that absolutely dominate. While burgers still dominate the lists of largest chain restaurants in the U.S., for years, the "international" food that the country couldn't get enough of was Italian. Propped up by pizza's enduring popularity, it was the food Americans ordered most, and it still is, but Mexican restaurants have been rising rapidly, and Mexican has already overtaken Italian with younger generations.
There are more than 52,000 Mexican and Tex-Mex restaurants in the entire U.S., per IBIS World. Further data from the Pew Research Center, conducted in 2024, found that 11% of American restaurants serve Mexican-style dishes, and a whopping 85% of counties in the U.S. are home to at least one Mexican restaurant. All of this is to say: Mexican food is a big deal in America.