Best zones to open a restaurant in Orange County
We scored 16 neighbourhood-sized cells of Orange County for a restaurant. Lower Peters Canyon leads with 77/100 against a city average of 56/100. Every score is built from open data plus live Google Maps evidence — nothing is estimated by hand.
- City average
- 56/100
- #1 · Lower Peters Canyon
- 77/100
- Data confidence
- 60%
- Updated
- 16 September 2026
Opportunity map
Best zones to open a Food & Beverage in Orange County
Compare neighbourhood scores, evidence and confidence before choosing a specific address.
City score 56/100· 16 zones· Updated Sep 16, 2026
- 177Lower Peters Canyon12 competitors · 4.5★
- 269Irvine Business Complex11 competitors · 4.5★
- 369Santa Ana Memorial Park12 competitors · 4.4★
- 468French Park16 competitors · 4.6★
- 564Woodbridge9 competitors · 4.6★
- 663Lacy17 competitors · 4.6★
- 754French Court5 competitors · 4.5★
- 852Westpark4 competitors · 4.4★
- 952El Camino Real6 competitors · 4.5★
- 1050Heninger Park6 competitors · 4.6★
- 1149Pacific Park6 competitors · 4.6★
- 1249South Coast3 competitors · 4.6★
- 1347Madison Park6 competitors · 4.5★
- 1445Wilshire Square4 competitors · 4.3★
- 1545Logan5 competitors · 4.7★
- 1645Delhi9 competitors · 4.7★
Full ranking
16 zones scored
| # | Zone | Score | Confidence | Competitors | Residents (10-min walk) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lower Peters Canyon | 77 | 60% | 12 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 2 | Irvine Business Complex | 69 | 60% | 11 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 3 | Santa Ana Memorial Park | 69 | 60% | 12 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 4 | French Park | 68 | 60% | 16 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 5 | Woodbridge | 64 | 60% | 9 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 6 | Lacy | 63 | 60% | 17 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 7 | French Court | 54 | 60% | 5 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 8 | Westpark | 52 | 60% | 4 · 4.4★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 9 | El Camino Real | 52 | 60% | 6 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 10 | Heninger Park | 50 | 60% | 6 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 11 | Pacific Park | 49 | 60% | 6 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 12 | South Coast | 49 | 60% | 3 · 4.6★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 13 | Madison Park | 47 | 60% | 6 · 4.5★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 14 | Wilshire Square | 45 | 60% | 4 · 4.3★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 15 | Logan | 45 | 60% | 5 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
| 16 | Delhi | 45 | 60% | 9 · 4.7★ | — | Open in the interactive map → |
Top 3 zones in detail
Lower Peters Canyon
- Demand100
- Room72
- Beatable49
- Vitality73
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+57), Street vitality (+12)
Main competitors
- Urban Plates · 4.8★ (3,305)
- Lazy Dog Restaurant & Bar · 4.4★ (2,837)
- Snooze, an A.M. Eatery · 4.4★ (2,443)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Irvine Business Complex
- Demand80
- Room72
- Beatable47
- Vitality70
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+37)
Main competitors
- North Italia · 4.4★ (3,954)
- Bosscat Kitchen & Libations · 4.4★ (2,435)
- Houston's · 4.4★ (2,372)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
Santa Ana Memorial Park
- Demand72
- Room72
- Beatable52
- Vitality73
- Access—
- Cost—
Strengths: Demand (+29), Street vitality (+12)
Main competitors
- El Gallo Giro · 4.4★ (4,918)
- Santa Buffet & Grill · 4.0★ (2,269)
- Taqueria El Taquero Guzman · 4.5★ (1,205)
Rent sustainability, customer personas, 12-month financials and a 90-day action plan for the exact address.
How the score works
Six components, weighted for this sector. Missing data is left out and the weights are redistributed — a component is never guessed.
- Demand24%
Residents within a 10-minute walk (WorldPop × Valhalla) blended with proven spend — Google review volume vs. the best cell in the city.
- Room in the market18%
How many comparable businesses already operate within ~1 km. Fewer competitors scores higher.
- Beatable competition14%
Average Google rating of incumbents. Weaker incumbents leave more room for a strong newcomer.
- Street vitality20%
Commercial density, footfall anchors (schools, offices, stations, hotels) and business mix from OpenStreetMap.
- Accessibility16%
Transit stops, main and pedestrian streets, and how much ground a 10-minute walk actually covers.
- Affordability8%
Typical commercial rent where a benchmark exists. Cheaper scores higher; missing rent is left out, never guessed.
Data sources
- WorldPop
residential population per cell
- OpenStreetMap
points of interest, transit stops, streets, footfall anchors
- Valhalla
10-minute walking isochrones
- Google Maps
competitor names, ratings and review volumes (via SerpAPI)
Frequently asked questions
- Which is the best zone to open a restaurant in Orange County?
- Lower Peters Canyon scores highest at 77/100, +21 points above the city average. Scores combine demand, room in the market, competitor quality, street vitality, accessibility and cost.
- Where does the data come from?
- Population from WorldPop, walking reach from Valhalla isochrones, points of interest, transit and streets from OpenStreetMap, and competitor names, ratings and review volumes from Google Maps. Each cell shows a confidence level based on how many of these sources were available.
- How fresh is this ranking?
- Zones were last recomputed on 16 September 2026. The interactive map refreshes the data automatically when the cache expires (30 days).