Number of kebab shops in France: 12,600 in 2026

How many kebab shops are there in France, depending on your question?#

The right answer depends on your question. To size a supplier's market, use 12,600 kebab shops, or 19,200 outlets if your product (meat, sauces, bread, packaging) also appeals to businesses that sell kebabs alongside other food. For an offer aimed at kebab shop owners, with no head office to win over, use the count of independents with no chain or franchise: 12,364.

All tables in this article use the same total: 12,638 kebab shops before rounding. The headline rounds it to 12,600. This total comes from our November 2026 count, described in the expandable method section at the bottom of the page.

10,400 businesses or 300 to 360 million kebabs: what each figure counts#

The word "kebab" means two things. A kebab is a dish: meat cooked on a spit, served in pita bread with vegetables and sauces. It is also the restaurant that sells it.

Figures circulating about France's kebab market mix these two meanings. Here are the recurring figures, with their sources and dates.

The key figures

• 10,400 businesses in 2024, generating €3.3 billion in revenue. Source: Food Service Vision, reported by L'Express Franchise on February 23, 2026. Scope unspecified.

• 10,118 units, a Gira Conseil figure reported by Observatoire de la franchise on January 27, 2012. The year of the study is not given.

• 300 to 360 million kebabs sold per year, according to the same L'Express Franchise article (2026), which cites no source.

You cannot divide the 300 to 360 million kebabs by the 10,400 businesses. Nothing establishes that all the sandwiches sold come from the businesses counted. Dividing would produce a "number of kebabs per restaurant" that none of the cited sources publishes.

Our figure of 12,600 is a fourth reference point: a location counts as a kebab shop when kebabs are its main product, based on its name, public listing and customer reviews, and the rule is documented in the method section.

The figure of 10,400 also leaves three questions unanswered:

• Are franchised kebab chains and specialized fast-food chains counted alongside independents?

• Does a sandwich shop that uses a kebab spit while also serving other dishes count toward the total?

• What was the cutoff date for the count?

The L'Express Franchise article specifies neither the scope of the businesses counted nor the cutoff date: it gives only the year 2024.

In January 2012, Observatoire de la franchise reported figures from Gira Conseil. France ranked second in the world in the number of kebab businesses. According to Observatoire de la franchise, the kebab market "consists almost entirely of independent operators." Our data says the same thing fourteen years later: 98 in 100 kebab shops belong to no chain, franchise or banner.

Does that mean the number of kebab shops has grown? No.

10,118 and 10,400 come from two firms, in two different years, and neither gives its scope. They do not form a series: they show neither an increase nor a decrease.

Chart data

Source	Figure	Date	What is counted
Public business listings, "kebab and Turkish cuisine" category	4,800	November 2026	Restaurants in the "kebab and Turkish cuisine" category, whether kebab shops or not (not a count of kebab shops); article on restaurants
Gira Conseil, reported by Observatoire de la franchise	10,118	January 27, 2012	"Units," scope unspecified
Food Service Vision, reported by L'Express Franchise	10,400	2024 (article dated February 23, 2026)	Businesses, scope unspecified
Le JDD	more than 11,000	April 10, 2025	"Kebab shops established on French soil," no primary source given in the excerpt
Gira Conseil, quoted by Le Point	14,000	March 19, 2023	"Kebab shops across France"
Scalon	12,600	November 2026	Operating kebab shops, estimated from 174,814 classified restaurants

Why does the "kebab" category in public listings show only 4,800?#

Our restaurant article counts about 4,800 restaurants listed under "kebab and Turkish cuisine" in their public listings. That is accurate, but it is not a kebab shop count: the category consists almost entirely of kebab shops, but captures only 39 in 100.

Of every 100 kebab shops we count, 61 are not listed under "kebab and Turkish cuisine." One in four (25.1%) is listed simply as a "restaurant," and another one in four (24.5%) as a fast-food or burger restaurant. That is why we also read the location's name and its customer reviews: a location whose customers talk mostly about kebabs, döner or durum is a kebab shop, whatever its listing says. The exact rule is documented in the method section.

Market terms in plain English#

Kebab terminology means different things to different people. Here are the terms used in this article.

The word "independent" can be confusing. Here it has its commercial meaning: a kebab shop that is not part of a chain, franchise or banner, so you approach its owner rather than a head office. An owner who runs several kebab shops through one company, without a shared name, is still independent; buying meat from a wholesaler or displaying a beverage brand's logo does not make a shop part of a group either.

The market, level by level#

The study moves from the overall restaurant market to geographic breakdowns, using a consistent denominator: the 186,300 operating restaurants in France.

Chart data

Level	Count	Share of restaurants
Operating restaurants	186,300	100%
Outlets selling kebabs	19,200	10.3%
Kebab shops	12,600	6.8%
Independent kebab shops, no chain or franchise	12,400	6.6%

Counts are rounded to the nearest hundred; the next table gives the kebab shop figures before rounding.

Registry figures cover a different population; see the APE code section.

What proves that a location is a kebab shop?#

The total of 12,600 kebab shops rests on six types of evidence. The broad picture: more than a third of kebab shops have the word in their name, and more than a quarter have a different listing category and a different name, but their customers mention kebabs among their main products.

Shares are calculated on 12,638 kebab shops before rounding. The rounded total is 12,600; rounded rows may differ from the total by one.

In practice: searching for kebab shops by name finds more than a third of them. Nearly two-thirds hide behind a place name (Istanbul, Bosphore, Antalya, Anatolie: 1,280 Turkish place names in our review) or a name unrelated to meat. For a prospect list, the name alone is not enough. To try it yourself: on an online map, also search for "Istanbul," "Antalya," "grill" and "durum," then read reviews before classifying a location.

Which category do kebab shops choose for their public listing?#

Chart data

Public listing category	Kebab shops	Share
Kebab and Turkish cuisine	4,957	39.2%
Restaurant with no stated specialty	3,178	25.1%
Fast food and burgers	3,094	24.5%
Pizzerias	546	4.3%
Sandwich shops, fast-food shops and takeout	316	2.5%
North African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean	157	1.2%
Tacos and Mexican	95	0.7%
Grills and meat	77	0.6%
Indian and South Asian	45	0.4%
Japanese and sushi	27	0.2%
French and traditional cuisine	26	0.2%
Asian (excluding Japanese)	22	0.2%
Other world cuisines	24	0.2%
Brasseries and bistros	19	0.2%
Italian (excluding pizzerias)	13	0.1%
Healthy food, poke and salads	11	0.1%
Crepe restaurants	10	0.1%
Cafeterias, self-service and buffets	10	0.1%
Fried and roast chicken	5	0.0%
Fish and seafood	3	0.0%
Food trucks	2	0.0%
Total	12,638	100%

All 21 categories appear in the chart data above.

4,957 kebab shops (39.2%) have a "Kebab and Turkish cuisine" listing: the category alone captures only about two kebab shops in five.

Which outlets sell kebabs without being kebab shops?#

About 6,600 locations sell kebabs without making them their main product. This number is calculated by subtraction (19,210 outlets selling kebabs, minus 12,638 kebab shops): it is not a direct measurement. Here are their public listing categories: 39.6% are "restaurants" with no stated specialty, 24.1% are fast-food and burger restaurants, 15.0% are pizzerias, followed by categories each below 4%: "kebab and Turkish cuisine" (3.7%), "North African, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean" (3.6%) and sandwich shops (3.5%). These shares come from the initial review of the 1,146 locations, before the two independent reviews: they give an order of magnitude, not a recount.

Chains, franchises or independents: who runs kebab shops?#

Of the 12,638 kebab shops counted, 12,364 are independent, not part of a chain, franchise or banner: 97.8%. The other 274 belong to 78 groups trading under one name. Only four have 10 or more kebab shops, accounting for 80 in total: Berliner Das Original (37 locations), O'Malo (16), Gur Kebab (12) and LÜKS Kebab (10). The other 74, with 2 to 9 kebab shops each, account for 194: small local banners, or outlets of chains built around other foods (Quick, O'Tacos) that customers describe as kebab shops.

Chart data

Structure	Kebab shops	Share	Groups
Independent, no chain, franchise or banner	12,364	97.8%	—
Groups of 2 to 9 kebab shops under one name	194	1.5%	74
Groups of 10 or more kebab shops under one name	80	0.6%	4
Total	12,638	100%	78

The rounded total is 12,600; shares, rounded separately, add up to 99.9%.

Chains play a far smaller role in kebab shops than in the rest of the restaurant sector. Using the rule from our restaurant article (chains with storefront names recorded one by one), 67 of 12,638 kebab shops belong to a chain, or 0.5%, compared with 5.7% of restaurants and 19.6% of fast-food and burger restaurants.

Among independents, 60 kebab shops belong to one of the 26 companies that run several without a shared name: owners with several shops, not chains.

The independent share varies little between regions: from 96.0% in Hauts-de-France, where Gur Kebab's locations are, to 98.7% in Normandie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, excluding Corse (28 kebab shops, all independent).

Independents and chains, region by region

Region	Independent, no chain	Chains and groups under one name	Independent share
Île-de-France	2,203	65	97.1%
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	1,562	31	98.1%
Grand Est	1,447	34	97.7%
Occitanie	1,114	21	98.1%
Nouvelle-Aquitaine	1,038	14	98.7%
Hauts-de-France	997	42	96.0%
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	924	24	97.5%
Normandie	814	11	98.7%
Pays de la Loire	637	9	98.6%
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	571	8	98.6%
Bretagne	502	7	98.6%
Centre-Val de Loire	491	7	98.6%
Corse	28	0	100.0%
Overseas and unknown region	36	1	—
Total	12,364	274	97.8%

Shares are calculated from the rounded counts shown.

In practice: selling to kebab shops means selling to owners, one by one. There is no head office signing for a thousand restaurants, as there is in the burger sector.

What are the kebab chains, and who operates them?#

We name only chains whose operating model is supported by a public source. For each, we distinguish what the chain says about itself from what our data shows.

• Berliner Das Original: a franchise, with a page recruiting franchisees. Its website reports 35 restaurants in 2025 and 12 openings already scheduled for 2026. In our data, 33 locations carry the exact name "Berliner Das Original - Kebab."
• Gur Kebab: a chain that does not currently use franchising ("Everything is company-operated," Zepros, November 24, 2025); it is preparing to move into franchising (Tendances Restauration, January 9, 2026). Its website reports 12 restaurants in France and 1 in Belgium. We find 12 locations linked to its website.
• Nabab Kebab: founded in 2003 in Tours, operating as a franchise; Hello Franchise counted 60 outlets in early 2018. In November 2026, we find 4 listings for operating restaurants under this name among the restaurants observed, while online directories list about ten others (Tours, Montpellier, Toulouse…) and its former website no longer loads. We do not conclude that the chain has closed: a chain may change its name, lose franchisees or lack an up-to-date public listing. Our measurement does not resolve this.

Other groups trading under one name emerge through a shared website or a single company: O'Malo (16 locations), LÜKS Kebab (10 locations, one company), Marmaris (6), Tezel (5), Au Royal Kebab (4), Unik Kebab (4). For these, the type—franchise, company-owned locations or simply a shared website—is not established: no public source we have read states it. A single website builder also serves 19 locations with unrelated names: it is a website supplier, not a network.

For a supplier, the implication is simple. The few chains are approached through their head offices; independents, who make up most of the 12,600, are approached one by one. And for each chain, the question is its model: a franchised restaurant signs its own purchasing agreements, while a company-owned restaurant follows its head office.

What other sources say about chains

• L'Express Franchise, February 23, 2026: "chains account for only 20% of the market, compared with 80% for the burger segment." The unit behind this percentage is not specified.
• Another media outlet refers to "99% of the market held by independents," without attributing the figure. We do not use it: our measurement is 97.8% independent, not part of a chain, franchise or banner.

How much revenue does a kebab shop generate?#

Food Service Vision values the kebab market at €3.3 billion in 2024, for its 10,400 businesses (source: L'Express Franchise, February 23, 2026). Another figure covers independent restaurants' "kebab and French tacos" segment (French tacos are grilled wraps): €2.4 billion in 2023, according to the same research firm (Snacking, June 18, 2024). The two cover different products or years: do not add them together or divide them by our 12,600.

We found published financial statements for 347 of the 4,716 companies behind the most clearly identified kebab shops (name, kebab listing or reviews heavily focused on kebabs), covering fiscal years ending in 2024 or later. Together, they generate about €202 million in revenue. Half generate less than €201,000 a year; a quarter generate less than €119,000, and a quarter more than €342,000.

Nearly 7 in 10 companies generate less than €300,000 in revenue, and only 11 of 347 exceed a million. These are small businesses: a typical kebab shop is an owner and a few employees, not a midsize company.

L'Express Franchise cites the Gur Kebab chain at "€1 to €1.5 million" in revenue per outlet, compared with "€300,000 on average" for an independent. The two figures are not comparable with ours: an average and "half of companies generate less than" mean different things, and our figures cover companies, which may operate several locations. They agree on the order of magnitude: the vast majority of independent kebab shops remain well below a million.

One caveat matters: of 4,716 companies, only 347 publish their accounts. Those publishing are incorporated companies (SAS, a French simplified joint-stock company, and SARL, a French limited liability company), not sole proprietorships, which file none. These figures therefore describe incorporated kebab businesses that publish accounts, not all kebab shops.

For a supplier, these figures show the customer's scale: a restaurant generating €200,000 a year does not have the budget of a chain at €1 million.

What do customers say about kebab shops?#

The 6,925 online customer reviews cover the 462 kebab shops in the sample (drawn from each evidence category, each counted once). Here is what they discuss, as a share of the reviews read.

The 7 other topics

Topic	Share of reviews
Tacos	5.9%
Sauce	5.9%
Bread	4.6%
Burger	2.3%
Delivery	1.9%
Pizza	1.7%
Halal	0.3%

Customer service ranks first, ahead of meat: one in three reviews mentions it. Price and portion size come next (slightly more than one in five reviews). Halal is mentioned in only 0.3% of reviews: customers discuss it little in their reviews; this does not tell us how many kebab shops are halal. Fries appear in 1 in 10 reviews, tacos in 1 in 17: kebabs are often sold alongside other products, which matters to a supplier selling more than spit-roasted meat.

The average rating in these reviews is 4.13 out of 5: 72% give 5 stars, and 16.5% just one.

Cleanliness appears in 9% of reviews, or 1 in 11. For hygiene, cleaning or training services, this is a way to start a conversation: see HACCP compliance for food businesses for the general framework. This is a sensitive issue for kebab shops: L'Hôtellerie-Restauration notes that "the kebab meat cone must be used the same day" and that a meat cone left rotating must not be returned to cold storage. We found no kebab-specific regulation: the general EU hygiene package framework (Regulation EC 852/2004) applies.

One point we wanted to check was the quoted price. A customer mentions the price paid in reviews from 63 of the 468 locations examined (including 462 classified as kebab shops). The typical quoted price is €9.5: €9 for a kebab alone (15 locations), €10 for a kebab meal (29 locations). This is an indication, not a recorded menu price: 63 locations do not represent the market, and a customer mentions a price that stood out.

Other price figures circulate, unrelated to ours. L'Express Franchise writes, citing Le Parisien and 20 Minutes, that the average price has jumped by more than 40% in five years and that a kebab remains one of the few full meals under €12. A survey by a research firm (EPSIMAS, January 19, 2026) gives the price consumers say they would be willing to pay: €8.43 in 2025 versus €9.20 in 2024. This is not a price recorded in a shop.

APE codes count the fast-food sector, not kebab shops#

To count businesses from a public source, you use Insee's Sirene directory. Each location has a NAF code (the French activity classification code, also called APE code) (the code classifying its main activity). A Sirene count therefore gives a number of active business locations, for a code, on a date.

There is no kebab-specific code in the classification: we read the food service subclasses, 56.10A to 56.10C in NAF rév. 2 and 56.11G to 56.12Y in NAF 2025, and no subclass covers kebabs specifically. The closest is 56.10C, "Restauration de type rapide" (fast-food service). According to Insee, it covers "fast-food restaurants" and "restaurants mainly offering takeout meals."

This code places a kebab shop, a burger restaurant and specialized fast-food chains in the same category. It says nothing about the storefront name, specialty or independent or franchised status.

A total under code 56.10C measures the size of the fast-food sector. It is not a kebab shop count.

Of the 8,195 kebab shops we link to an active registry location, 6,775 (83%) are under 56.10C. For 4,443 others, we found no active location: 3,842 have no SIRET number (the French ID of a business location) linked through our matching process, and 600 are linked only to a closed location, even though their recent reviews show they are serving customers. A list drawn from 56.10C therefore misses at least one in six linked kebab shops, and above all buries them among other businesses: 165,328 locations open under this code as of November 2, 2026, for 12,600 kebab shops.

Shares are calculated on 12,638 kebab shops before rounding.

Timing also matters. The current classification, NAF rév. 2, applies through the end of 2026, and NAF 2025 takes effect in January 2027, according to Insee. In NAF 2025, 56.10C splits into two: 56.11J for fast-food service, and 56.12Y for mobile food service. Neither means "kebab." A count by code must therefore always be read with its classification and date.

To isolate kebab shops within fast food, the code is not enough. An additional rule is needed: the storefront name, displayed menu or declared activity.

This rule must be documented. Without it, two counts of the same market will yield two figures that cannot be compared. Ours is documented in the expandable method section on this page.

Where are the kebab shops? Geography#

France has 18.6 kebab shops per 100,000 residents. Grand Est leads with 26.6, ahead of Normandie (24.7) and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (20.6). Among regions of mainland France, Bretagne ranks last at 14.8 (Corse is at 7.9, based on 28 kebab shops).

Chart data

Region	Kebab shops	Share of kebab shops	Per 100,000 residents
Île-de-France	2,268	17.9%	18.2
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes	1,593	12.6%	19.4
Grand Est	1,481	11.7%	26.6
Occitanie	1,136	9.0%	18.5
Hauts-de-France	1,039	8.2%	17.3
Nouvelle-Aquitaine	1,053	8.3%	17.1
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur	948	7.5%	18.2
Normandie	825	6.5%	24.7
Pays de la Loire	645	5.1%	16.5
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté	578	4.6%	20.6
Centre-Val de Loire	498	3.9%	19.2
Bretagne	509	4.0%	14.8
Corse	28	0.2%	7.9
La Réunion (974)	15	0.1%	1.7
Guadeloupe (971)	5	0.0%	1.3
Martinique (972)	2	0.0%	0.6
Unknown region	16	0.1%	n/a

Shares add up to 99.7% because of rounding. La Réunion's density is calculated from 15 kebab shops: it is included for reference.

By count, Île-de-France remains first with 2,268 kebab shops (17.9%), ahead of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (1,593) and Grand Est (1,481). But Île-de-France is also the most populous region: relative to its residents, it stands at 18.2 per 100,000, just below the French average. Grand Est has 1,481 kebab shops, but fewer residents: it is the region where kebab shops are most common.

According to the association of Turkish döner producers in Europe, cited by the Journal officiel de l'Union européenne, döner was reportedly first produced in Berlin in 1972; the attribution is disputed. Kebabs spread in France "first in Alsace" (Fondation Jean-Jaurès, 2019); today's map does not follow that border: Normandie and Pyrénées-Orientales are also among the most densely served areas.

Among departments, three exceed 31 kebab shops per 100,000 residents: Ardennes (33.4), Moselle (32.7) and Pyrénées-Orientales (31.9). Paris has the largest number of kebab shops (594), at 28.3 per 100,000 residents. At the other end, among departments with at least 50 kebab shops, Pyrénées-Atlantiques (11.7), Tarn (12.7) and Morbihan (13.2) are among the least densely served.

The 100 departments, from most to fewest kebab shops

Code	Department	Kebab shops	Per 100,000 residents
75	Paris	594	28.3
13	Bouches-du-Rhône	381	18.2
69	Rhône	363	19.0
59	Nord	352	13.5
76	Seine-Maritime	351	27.8
57	Moselle	344	32.7
33	Gironde	341	20.2
93	Seine-Saint-Denis	338	19.8
77	Seine-et-Marne	289	19.7
34	Hérault	287	23.4
67	Bas-Rhin	279	23.9
44	Loire-Atlantique	264	17.8
31	Haute-Garonne	234	15.9
62	Pas-de-Calais	227	15.6
92	Hauts-de-Seine	218	13.2
38	Isère	215	16.6
95	Val-d'Oise	213	16.7
94	Val-de-Marne	211	14.8
68	Haut-Rhin	210	27.3
54	Meurthe-et-Moselle	206	28.2
91	Essonne	205	15.3
06	Alpes-Maritimes	199	17.6
78	Yvelines	199	13.4
83	Var	192	17.1
60	Oise	176	21.2
42	Loire	171	22.1
35	Ille-et-Vilaine	169	15.1
66	Pyrénées-Orientales	158	31.9
63	Puy-de-Dôme	156	23.5
27	Eure	154	25.5
45	Loiret	153	22.1
74	Haute-Savoie	153	17.8
14	Calvados	147	20.7
80	Somme	145	25.7
01	Ain	144	21.2
02	Aisne	137	26.3
29	Finistère	135	14.5
30	Gard	126	16.3
51	Marne	126	22.3
49	Maine-et-Loire	115	13.8
84	Vaucluse	114	20.0
25	Doubs	114	20.8
71	Saône-et-Loire	114	20.7
72	Sarthe	111	19.5
50	Manche	105	21.1
56	Morbihan	103	13.2
28	Eure-et-Loir	102	23.5
22	Côtes-d'Armor	101	16.6
26	Drôme	101	19.3
85	Vendée	100	14.0
17	Charente-Maritime	100	14.9
21	Côte-d'Or	94	17.5
88	Vosges	90	25.3
08	Ardennes	89	33.4
37	Indre-et-Loire	88	14.2
73	Savoie	83	18.5
64	Pyrénées-Atlantiques	83	11.7
11	Aude	80	21.0
89	Yonne	74	22.4
86	Vienne	73	16.6
87	Haute-Vienne	73	19.6
03	Allier	72	21.5
61	Orne	68	24.8
24	Dordogne	67	16.1
07	Ardèche	67	20.0
40	Landes	66	15.2
16	Charente	64	18.1
10	Aube	62	20.1
39	Jura	61	23.6
18	Cher	60	20.0
41	Loir-et-Cher	56	17.0
53	Mayenne	56	18.2
79	Deux-Sèvres	55	14.7
47	Lot-et-Garonne	54	16.3
43	Haute-Loire	52	22.7
81	Tarn	51	12.7
70	Haute-Saône	51	22.0
19	Corrèze	50	20.6
82	Tarn-et-Garonne	41	15.3
55	Meuse	40	22.3
36	Indre	39	18.2
12	Aveyron	38	13.8
04	Alpes-de-Haute-Provence	36	21.2
65	Hautes-Pyrénées	36	15.7
90	Territoire de Belfort	36	25.5
52	Haute-Marne	34	20.4
58	Nièvre	34	17.1
23	Creuse	28	23.9
09	Ariège	28	17.7
05	Hautes-Alpes	27	18.6
32	Gers	24	12.5
46	Lot	23	13.2
2B	Haute-Corse	16	8.4
—	Unknown department	16	n/a
974	La Réunion	15	1.7
15	Cantal	14	9.8
2A	Corse-du-Sud	12	7.2
48	Lozère	10	12.7
971	Guadeloupe	5	1.4
972	Martinique	2	0.6

In practice, choosing a territory depends on your offer. A supplier delivering by truck looks for the number of kebab shops in an area: Île-de-France, then Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. A sales rep planning visits looks for density—the number of kebab shops along a day's route—which favors Grand Est and Normandie.

Is the market changing? Openings and the age of kebab shops#

Among the 8,010 linked kebab shops whose SIRET registration date is known, 19.4% have a SIRET number less than 2 years old, compared with 17.4% of restaurants overall. Kebab shops are therefore slightly younger than the average restaurant.

A year-old prospect list has therefore already lost entries and is missing new openings. We say "SIRET number less than 2 years old," rather than "opening": a new number can also result from a business takeover or a change of company, and our measurement does not distinguish between them.

Small businesses dominate. Among the 8,009 kebab shops linked to the registry and included in the headcount data, reported headcounts range from no employees (1.4%) to 20 to 49 employees (0.3%): none of the reported headcounts reaches 50 employees. 24.5% have 1 or 2 employees, and 19.2% have 3 to 5. Nearly half of linked kebab shops (46.6%) have no headcount reported in the registry.

By legal form, 44.1% of the companies operating linked kebab shops are SAS or SASU (the single-shareholder form of a SAS), 36.8% are SARL or EURL (the single-member form of a SARL), and 19.1% are sole proprietorships.

A kebab shop count is not a kebab shop list#

A count gives a number, a date and a scope. It does not tell you where the nearest kebab shop is or which city has the most. Nor does it tell you about the meat served or a restaurant's hygiene.

To size a fast-food market, start with a dated count whose scope is documented. The figure of 10,400, without a scope, serves as a press reference point, not a basis for calculation.

A kebab shop list is a different deliverable. It names each business, with its address and activity verified entry by entry. The list lets you prospect; the total count does not.

When building a kebab shop prospect list, five points determine its quality.

1. Start with kebab shops, not the activity code. A list drawn solely from code 56.10C is full of restaurants that are not kebab shops and misses at least one in six linked kebab shops (see above).
2. Read names and reviews, not just the category. The public listing's "kebab and Turkish cuisine" category captures only 39 in 100 kebab shops (4,957 of 12,600).
3. Identify chain members. 98 in 100 entries are independents with no chain or franchise: for each entry, the list must indicate any chain or banner, and the company that operates the location.
4. Check contact availability. Only 19.3% of kebab shops have a website, compared with 40.7% of the 174,814 restaurants observed (the same base as our kebab shops; the restaurant article gives 47% in its November 2 snapshot). A website is therefore a poor channel for reaching kebab shops: phone calls and in-person visits are more likely options. We have not measured the share of kebab shops with a public phone number or email address: the list must state this for each entry.
5. Refresh. One in five dated SIRET numbers is less than 2 years old: refresh the list every year.

How can you use these figures for market research?#

Size an addressable market#

A product or service aimed at all kebab shops has a potential market of 12,600 locations. A product or service that also targets pizzerias, fast-food restaurants and sandwich shops selling kebabs alongside other food has a potential market of 19,200 locations. A product or service aimed at kebab shop owners targets the 12,364 independents with no chain or franchise. Selling to head offices limits your target market to the 4 groups of 10 or more kebab shops, which account for 80 shops—a very small number, so it is best to avoid building a sales model around head offices.

Segment the market#

Compare ownership structure, business size and region. The 12,364 independents break down by headcount (most of those with known headcounts have fewer than 6 employees), legal form (incorporated company or sole proprietorship) and region.

Choose a territory#

Regional and departmental counts show market size; to compare two territories, use counts per resident: 26.6 kebab shops per 100,000 residents in Grand Est, 14.8 in Bretagne.

Track a changing market#

A study must be dated and repeated: for a related market, see the number of bars in France.

Frequently asked questions#

How many kebab shops are there in France?#

12,600 operating kebab shops in November 2026, according to Scalon's count, or 6.8% of the 186,300 restaurants. Including locations where kebabs are a secondary product, about 19,200 outlets sell kebabs. Food Service Vision reports 10,400 businesses in 2024, with no published scope.

How many kebab shops are independent, with no chain or franchise?#

12,364 of 12,638, or 97.8%. The other 274 belong to 78 groups trading under one name, only 4 of which have 10 or more kebab shops.

What are the kebab chains in France?#

Berliner Das Original (franchise, 35 restaurants in 2025 according to its website), Gur Kebab (12 restaurants in France, company-operated, preparing a move into franchising) and Nabab Kebab (franchise, 4 listings for operating restaurants under this name among the restaurants observed in November 2026, while online directories list about ten others (Tours, Montpellier, Toulouse…) and its former website no longer loads). They account for little: chains and groups trading under one name account for 274 of 12,638 kebab shops, or 2.2%.

How much revenue does a kebab shop make?#

According to Food Service Vision, the market generated €3.3 billion in 2024. Among the 347 kebab shop companies whose published accounts we found, half generate less than €201,000 a year and only 11 exceed a million.

Which NAF or APE code applies to a kebab shop?#

There is no kebab-specific code. The closest is 56.10C, fast-food service, held by 6,775 of the 8,195 kebab shops linked to the registry. On January 1, 2027, NAF 2025 replaces it with 56.11J (fast-food service) and 56.12Y (mobile food service).

Which region has the most kebab shops?#

By count, Île-de-France (2,268), followed by Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (1,593) and Grand Est (1,481). Relative to population, Grand Est leads with 26.6 kebab shops per 100,000 residents, compared with the French average of 18.6.

What kebab prices do customers mention?#

At 63 locations whose reviews we read, customers mention a price: typically €9.5, €9 for a kebab alone and €10 for a meal. This is an indication, not a recorded menu price. L'Express Franchise writes, citing the press, that the average price has risen by more than 40% in five years.

How can you reach kebab shop owners?#

Not through a website: only 19.3% of kebab shops have one. The share with a public phone number has not been measured: check contact details entry by entry.

Method#

The total comes from Scalon's graph, which brings together each business's records in the Sirene registry, public business listings and professional directories. Public listings and customer reviews were read on November 6, 2026; the Sirene registry as of November 2 was used for the total. The starting point is the restaurant count (174,814 restaurants observed, 186,277 in total), within which we searched for kebab shops. A location is a kebab shop when kebabs are its main product. The calculation yields 12,638 kebab shops, rounded to 12,600.

Detailed method and limitations

Unit and universe. The unit is a kebab shop: a location whose main product is kebabs, identified by its public listing and its SIRET number, if available. A company operating three kebab shops counts as three. The study population consists of the 174,814 restaurants observed for the restaurant article; we reused that population without reviewing it again. A location selling kebabs without making them its main product is a "secondary kebab outlet": it is counted among outlets selling kebabs (19,210, rounded to about 19,200, including about 6,600 as a secondary product), not among the 12,638 kebab shops.

Cells. Each observed restaurant is classified by its strongest evidence: the word kebab, kebap, döner or durum in its name (4,000 restaurants); a public "kebab shop," "doner kebab" or "gyros" listing (1,462); a "Turkish restaurant" listing (1,250); otherwise, the share of reviews mentioning kebabs, measured through keyword searches across 37.2 million reviews, with 24,931 listings mentioning kebab, döner or durum: 25% or more of reviews (1,882 restaurants), 10 to 25% (3,993), less than 10% (5,382), no review mentioning them (100,048 restaurants with plausible specialties, 40,130 others), fewer than 10 reviews (14,117 plausible, 2,550 others).

Initial review. In each cell, 1,146 locations were randomly selected (stratified sampling, md5 hash) and evaluated by the Claude Haiku 5.5 model (Anthropic), using the name, listing categories and 20 most recent reviews; 15,980 reviews were read for this sample. Each answer includes a supporting quote; if the quote cannot be found, the answer is still counted as given. The share of kebab shops with kebabs as their "main product" is 98% when the name contains kebab, 97.5% for a kebab listing, 62% for a Turkish listing, 84% when 25% or more of reviews mention kebabs, 50% for 10 to 25%, 4% below 10%, and 0 in 200 for locations with no review mentioning kebabs (4 "secondary" outlets in 200) and 0 in 150 for those with few reviews. The cells sum to 9,916 kebab shops; adjusted to the 186,277 restaurants (factor of 1.0656, accounting for unobserved restaurants and the activity correction in the restaurant article, assuming the same kebab shop share among restaurants we do not observe), the result is 10,566 (a margin of about 436).

Two independent reviews. 100 locations randomly selected from the candidates were reviewed twice, independently, by Scalon (two other AI models, which saw neither the initial review nor the other independent review): the two reviews agree 86 times out of 100 (80 times on clear-cut cases), and Scalon resolved disagreements. This judgment gives 61 kebab shops among the 100 locations, versus 51 in the initial review: 11 missed, 1 too many. The ratio is 1.196 (95% interval of 1.070 to 1.370, using resampling). Applied to the initial review's total, it gives 12,638. The initial review and Scalon's judgment agree 88 times out of 100, an initial-review error of 12 in 100 (7.0% to 19.8% at 95%); a second run of the same review agrees with the first 79 times out of 100. To allocate kebab shops across segments, we use the adjudicator's rates for each cell, then scale the weights to the total; the direct estimate from the 100 independently reviewed locations gives 11,680, and 12,064 cell by cell: both remain within the margin.

Margin and variants. The total of 12,638 has a margin of ± 1,665 kebab shops at 95% confidence, or 13.2%, giving a range of 10,973 to 14,303. This margin does not cover the 114,165 restaurants with no review mentioning kebabs or with fewer than 10 reviews: we found no kebab shops among the 350 locations we examined, but there could be up to 1,800 (95% upper bound). The lower end of the estimate is therefore more certain than the upper end. We tested both classifications for nine borderline cases: the total ranges from 11,602 (all excluded) to 13,466 (all included). The initial review alone, without the correction from the two independent reviews, would yield 10,566, and 10,496 excluding rejected cases: the same order of magnitude as Food Service Vision's figure, but the two independent reviews show that the initial review misses kebab shops.

The 19,200 and the 6,572. The total of 19,210 outlets selling kebabs combines, based on the initial review, "main product" kebab shops (10,566) and "secondary product" locations (8,643, or 8,111 locations × 1.0656), adjusted to the 186,277 restaurants. This sum has not been adjusted using the correction from the two independent reviews. The 6,572 "secondary" locations are therefore a difference, 19,210 − 12,638, not a direct measurement; their breakdown by listing category comes from the initial review. This total has no calculated margin and is more likely a minimum: of the 11 kebab shops missed by the initial review in the two independent reviews, 4 were not classified as "secondary product."

The 4,443 kebab shops with no active location linked (weighted counts, rounded separately: 3,842 + 600 make 4,442). 3,842 have no SIRET number linked through our registry matching process, and 600 are linked only to a closed location, even though their recent reviews show they are serving customers. This is primarily a limitation of the matching process, not proof that the registry omits these locations. Of the 8,195 kebab shops linked to an active location, 6,775 (82.7%) are under 56.10C.

Classification. Listing categories are assigned using a fixed, manually written category table (the same as in the restaurant article). Registry matches use the activity code of the linked active location (snapshot dated September 24, 2026); without a linked active location, the match remains "unknown." For market structure, we first group kebab shops that share a manually recorded storefront name, a website domain or a SIREN number: 128 groups of 2 or more kebab shops. A group trades under one name when the first distinctive word of its locations' names (leaving out common words such as kebab, restaurant or snack) appears in at least two locations and in at least half of them; manually recorded storefront names qualify automatically, as do four groups whose name is spelled differently from one location to the next, including Nabab Kebab (3 locations linked to its website). This gives 78 groups. The 26 companies that run several kebab shops without a shared name and the 24 groups linked only by a website builder or a platform remain among the independents. Online ordering platforms, website builders, web agencies and directories are excluded. We determine a chain's operating model from how its locations are divided among companies and from public evidence (a page recruiting franchisees or an article describing company-operated locations). For networks identified through a shared website, we have not reviewed any such evidence, so the operating model remains unconfirmed.

Revenue. This comes from published accounts of companies behind clearly identified kebab shops (name, kebab listing or kebab mentions in 25% or more of reviews), whose main registered activity is food service (56.10), with a fiscal year ending in 2024 or later and positive revenue: 347 companies out of 4,716. Their combined revenue is €202,432,527. Companies without published accounts are not included.

Reviews and prices. The 6,925 reviews cover the 462 kebab shops in the sample (drawn from each evidence category, each counted once). Topics are measured as the share of reviews mentioning them (a review may mention several). The price is what a customer mentions in a review: 63 prices found in reviews from 468 locations, with a typical value of €9.5; by meal type, €9 for a kebab alone (15 locations), €10 for a kebab meal (29 locations), €9 when the meal type is unspecified (19 locations).

Comparison with public sources. Totals are compared with Food Service Vision (10,400), Gira Conseil (10,118 and 14,000), Le JDD (more than 11,000), Fondation Jean-Jaurès (more than 10,000) and the O'Kebap chain (about 11,000, in 2011), as published by these sources. Density relates kebab shops to Insee's municipal population figures. Age is measured from the SIRET registration date, which dates the registered establishment rather than the location's first opening.

Rounding. Counts and shares are rounded separately; shares have one decimal place and their sum may differ from 100%. The total of 12,638 becomes 12,600 in the headline, 186,277 becomes 186,300, and 19,210 becomes about 19,200.

Limitations. The margin of ± 1,665 kebab shops applies to the total: regional and departmental figures are even less certain. The registry is dated September 24, 2026 for codes and creation dates. Our count of 12,638 kebab shops is a single snapshot, so comparisons with press figures require caveats. Age shares cover the 8,010 linked kebab shops whose SIRET registration date is known, and headcount shares use a base of 8,009 kebab shops (including 3,735 with no reported headcount); legal-form shares describe the companies (SIREN numbers) linked to the registry, on their own weighted base. Groups whose kebab shops share neither a storefront name, nor a website, nor a company escape the count, as do Nabab Kebab franchisees whose listing is not linked to its website: the number of kebab shops in chains is a minimum, and the independent share may be slightly overstated. Quoted prices and review topics come from a few hundred locations. The commands that reproduce each figure are kept with the article.

Key takeaways#

France has 12,600 operating kebab shops in November 2026, or about 1 in 15 restaurants, and about 19,200 outlets selling kebabs. Almost all are independent (98 in 100): you sell to them one by one, and the 4 groups of 10 or more kebab shops carry little weight.

For a market study or prospect list, define your target before choosing which count to use, read names and reviews rather than just the activity code, keep the same denominator throughout, and date each data snapshot.

Correction of November 9, 2026. "Independent" used to mean a kebab shop that shares no company, website or storefront name with another: 96.8%, 12,234 kebab shops. It now means a kebab shop that is not part of a chain, franchise or banner, the distinction that matters when selling to kebab shops: 97.8%, 12,364 kebab shops. Owners who run several kebab shops without a shared name, and locations linked only by a website builder, now count as independents; figures that do not concern market structure are unchanged.

Cite this study#

Full citation, including counts

Scalon Observatory, "Number of kebab shops in France: 12,600 in 2026," November 9, 2026: 12,600 operating kebab shops in France (estimate, 12,638 before rounding); 6.8% of the 186,300 operating restaurants; about 19,200 outlets selling kebabs, including about 6,600 as a secondary product; 12,364 independent kebab shops, not part of a chain, franchise or banner (97.8%); 78 groups trading under one name, including 4 with 10 or more kebab shops; 18.6 kebab shops per 100,000 residents, 26.6 in Grand Est. https://scalon.fr/en/observatory/number-of-kebab-shops-in-france

Sources#

• Marché du kebab en France en 2026 (chiffres de Food Service Vision), L'Express Franchise, February 23, 2026
• Hamburger et kebab dans le cahier de tendances de Gira Conseil, Observatoire de la franchise, January 27, 2012
• Le business du kebab, NR Magazine, February 24, 2026
• French tacos, kebab et Asie, les 3 gagnants de la restauration rapide indépendante, Snacking, June 18, 2024
• Fondation Jean-Jaurès, October 4, 2019
• Le JDD, April 10, 2025; Le Point, March 19, 2023; Observatoire de la franchise, article dated January 21, 2011 (O'Kebap)
• Berliner Das Original, franchise page on the official website
• Gur Kebab, history, official website
• Hello Franchise, May 23, 2019 (Nabab Kebab); Zepros, November 24, 2025 (Gur Kebab)
• Tendances Restauration, January 9, 2026 (Gur Kebab)
• Sous-classe 56.10C de la NAF rév. 2, Insee, published December 19, 2025
• Vers une nouvelle nomenclature : la NAF 2025, Insee
• L'Hôtellerie-Restauration, aliments à risques : sandwichs, hamburgers, kebabs, 2022
• EPSIMAS, January 19, 2026 (prices consumers are willing to pay)
• Nombre de restaurants en France : 186,300 en 2026, Observatoire Scalon
• Sirene registry (Insee), public business listings and their reviews: read in Scalon's graph on November 2 and 6, 2026.

Article edited on November 9, 2026.