Sugar Foods ecoSticks Style and Substance - skyscraper - both - 04.18

General Mills - Pillsbury Takeout and Delivery Tips - skyscraper - both - 04.20

Certified Cage-Free Egg Bites - Portable, Protein-Packed Breakfast - banner - both - 09.23

Hormel - Bacon 1 - Great Bacon in Half the Time - skyscraper - both - 02.20

Cargill - Truvia Sweet Customer Satisfaction Naturally - skyscraper - both - 03.19

Nestle Vitality - Build a Refreshing Beverage Program - both - skyscraper - 04.20

Wild Alaska Burgers - banner - both - 04.25

McCain - Takeout and Delivery Menu Ideas - banner - both - 05.20

Wild Alaska Salmon Burgers - banner - both - 04.25

Reel in Greater Appeal - both - banner - 10.22

Sugar Foods ecoSticks Style and Substance - banner - both - 04.18

Rich's Plant-Based - Good Things Grow - banner - both - 11.20

Banner Ad - 2 - MM - Food calculator - Operator - Supersized

Check Out the Major Products Product Guide - skyscraper - OE - 03.22

Nestle White Cheddar Mac - Customize Creamy Comfort - banner - both - 04.19

Rich's Plant Based and Gluten Free Crusts - banner - both - 07.18

Tyson - Wright Brand Bacon - skyscraper - both - 04.21

Nestle White Cheddar Mac - Mac Pizza - skyscraper - both - 04.19

Simplot RoastWorks - banner - both - 01.20

Simplot Sidewinders - Bendy is Trendy - banner - both - 01.20

Nestle Stouffer's Comfort Foods Beyond Compare - video - skyscraper - both - 01.20

Empress 5-Compartment School Food Tray - 05.22

Dan's Prize Corned Beef Pastrami - Simple, Tender - banner - both - 04.20

Hormel - Fire-Braised Chicken - Now Serving Flame-Seared Perfection - skyscraper - both - 02.20

Simplot Conquest Crispy Potato Strips - skyscraper - both - 01.20

Nestle Vitality - Build a Refreshing Beverage Program - banner - both - 04.20

Performance Dairy Craveable Flavor and Time Savings - banner - both - 04.24

Dan's Prize Pot Roast, Prime Rib, Short Ribs Time-Intensive Proteins Made Easy - banner - both - 04.20

Sugar Foods - Add Savory Beet Notes Crispy Beets skyscraper - both - 05.18

Nestle - Hot Cocoa Single-Serve Packets - banner - both - 09.21

Ambrosia Chocolate - banner - both - 03.23

Reel in Greater Appeal - skyscraper - both - 10.22

Performance Dairy Extra Melt - banner - both - 04.24

Simplot Harvest Fresh Avocados - skyscraper - both - 01.20

Jennie-O Premium Turkey Breast Turkey that Turns Up the Quality - skyscraper - both - 02.20

Cargill - Truvia Serve America's Best-Selling Stevia Sweetener - skyscraper - both - 03.19

Kraft - Bold Flavor, New Home. - skycraper - both - 08.22

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt banner with chef - both - 04.23

Chef-mate We Can Better - skyscraper - both - 06.23

Essity - Impress Your Guests - banner - OE - 03.17

Nestle Stouffers White Cheddar Mac and Cheese - skyscraper - both - 08.18

Savor the Experience - OE - banner - 09.29 - 12.28.25

Sugar Foods ecoStick Less Waste - banner - both - 10.16

This Soup Can Do That Tomato Chicken Tinga and Ratatouille - both - banner - 10.03.25

Dixie Ultra Surface Systems - banner - both - 02.23

Wild Alaska Keta Salmon - skyscraper - both - 08.25

Hormel - Fire-Braised Chicken - We Cook It - Operators Take Credit - skyscraper - both - 02.20

McCain - Tactical Takeout Webinar - skyscraper - both - 05.20

Indiana Packers - All-in-One Pork Supplier - skyscraper - both - 07.21

Sugar Food Traina California Dried Fruits - banner - OE - 10.19

Indiana Packers - Vertical Integration - banner - both - 07.21

Banner Ad - 1 - MM - Recipes - Operator - supersized

Jennie-O No Basic Burger Here - banner - both - 03.20

Banner Ad - 3 - OE - Operator - supersized

Banner Ad - 4 - PICs - Operator - supersized

Hormel - Fontanini - Handcrafted Family Recipes - skyscraper - both - 02.20

Simplot Delivery Solved - Conquest Fries - banner - both - 08.20

Knorr's Cook with More Possibilities - skyscraper - both - 09.24

Butterball - Your Trusted Partner - skyscraper - both - 07.19

Hormel - Bacon 1 - You've Never Seen Bacon Like This - banner - both - 02.20

Mini Cinnamon Swirl French Toast - banner - both - 09.23

Seafood is Better - skyscraper - both - 05.21

General Mills - Gluten Free Options - banner - both - 03.18

Hormel - Fire-Braised Chicken - Ease Your Operator's Kitchen - banner - both - 02.20

Rich's Plant Based and Gluten Free Crusts - skyscraper - both - 07.18

A Family of Fine Cheeses - skyscraper - both - 08.22

Cargill - Truvia Sweet Customer Satisfaction Naturally - banner - both - 03.19

Entree Redi Wild Alaska Pollock - banner - both - 08.25

Sugar Foods Barista Blend - skyscraper - both - 04.17

Basic American Crispy Craveable Operator banner ad - 12.17

Nestle Stouffers Can Your Classics Do This Recipe Ideas - banner - both - 01.20

Hormel - Fontanini - Handcrafted Meats - Unparalleled Flavor - banner - both - 02.20

Tyson Cortona Pepperoni - skyscraper OE 1.23

Sugar Foods Barista Blend - banner - both - 04.17

Performance Plus Food Safety - skyscraper - both - 09.21

Sugar Foods ecoStick Dispensers Beverage Station - skyscraper - both -10.16

Tyson - Bonici - Crave Chorizo - skyscraper - both - 04.21

Cooper Shreds Have Now Arrived - banner - 02.24

Simplot Conquest Crispy Potato Strips - banner - both - 01.20

Sugar Foods - Turn Up the Beets Crispy Beets - skyscraper - both - 05.18

Cargill - Truvia Serve Americas Best Selling Stevia Sweetener - banner - both - 03.19

Tyson - Jimmy Dean - Loaded with Flavor - banner - both - 04.21

Nestle Stouffer White Mac and Cheese - banner - both - 08.18

Sugar Foods - Turn Up the Beets Crispy Beets - banner - both - 05.18

Performance Dairy Convenience and Consistency - banner - both - 04.24

Nestle Minors Slow Simmered Stock - Free Sample - skyscraper - both - 02.20

Rich's Plant Based Cooking Creme - skyscraper - both - 02.18

Indiana Packers - Vertical Integration - skyscraper - both - 07.21

Sugar Foods ecoSticks Beautiful Inside and Out - banner - both - 04.18

Sugar Foods Deliver It Better - skyscraper - both - 04.20

Simplot Harvest Fresh Avocado - banner - both - 01.20

Hormel - Bacon 1 - Less Time Less Grease Less Mess - banner - both - 02.20

Simplot - Pineapple Perfected - RoastWorks - skyscraper - both - 08.20

Performance Dairy Clarified Butter - banner - both - 04.24

Jennie-O Premium Turkey Breast Products - Turkey that Turns Up the Quality - banner - both - 02.20

Dan's Prize Pulled Meats Simplify the Kitchen - banner - both - 04.20

Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt skyscraper - both - 04.23

Simplot Pineapple Perfected - RoastWorks - banner - both - 08.20

This Soup Can Do That Mushroom Dijon Chicken - both - skyscraper - 10.03.25

Savor the Experience - OE - skyscraper - 09.29 - 12.28.25

Restaurants don&rsquo;t need another trend list. They need real relief and real insights. Heading into 2026, operators are juggling three hard truths:
<ul>
<li>Ingredient and labor costs are elevated and unpredictable</li>
<li>Guest traffic fluctuates from week to week</li>
<li>There&rsquo;s a limit to how much guests will accept on their bill</li>
</ul>
At the same time, restaurants are under pressure to simplify operations, keep guests coming back, and make every menu, staffing, and workflow decision with margins in mind. This report distills what we&rsquo;re seeing with single-location independents and fast-growing groups into a short list of where those pressures show up next. The goal: give the industry a shared playbook that turns today&rsquo;s challenges into tomorrow&rsquo;s opportunity. It&rsquo;s written first for operators, but built so the wider restaurant community can reflect, add their own point of view, and contribute to a more profitable restaurant industry.
2026 Independent Restaurant Profit Outlook
In this report, you&rsquo;ll find:
<ul>
<li>Six core predictions for 2026</li>
<li>Practical plays to protect and grow profit</li>
<li>Clear &ldquo;bottom lines&rdquo; on what it all means for operators</li>
</ul>
After years of being sold &ldquo;transformation,&rdquo; too many restaurants are stuck with bloated stacks, disconnected tools, surprise fees, and features that look great in a demo but fall apart on a Friday night.
SpotOn takes a different approach. We stay close to how restaurants actually run. Our <a href="https://www.spoton.com/restaurant-management-system/?ref=spoton.com" target="_blank">restaurant management system</a> is designed to drive revenue with practical AI and the right integrations to show operators what&rsquo;s happening, help them act quickly, and protect every dollar, without turning operators into an IT manager. And we back it up with dedicated onboarding, training, and ongoing live support.
We distill what we&rsquo;re seeing across thousands of concepts, compare it with your numbers, and adjust as your business and guests change. The roadmap starts with operator input, not buzzwords&mdash;less bloat, less noise, more control and a clearer path to profitable growth.
That means:
<ul>
<li>First-party first:&nbsp;you own your data, your guests, and your profit.</li>
<li>Useful AI only:&nbsp;built into everyday workflows, not another dashboard.</li>
<li>Operator-first:&nbsp;if it doesn&rsquo;t help you run better shifts, it&rsquo;s noise.</li>
</ul>
Think of these predictions as a cheat sheet&mdash;for operators deciding what to try next, and for the wider industry aligning around the forces that will shape restaurants in 2026.
1. Value returns to the menu &mdash; and still makes money
Consumers are fatigued by shrinkflation and &ldquo;mystery&rdquo; downsizing, so menus that feel fair win repeat traffic. The operators who thrive pair transparent value (craveable bundles, right-priced add-ons, honest and consistent portion tiers) with disciplined food costs, ensuring every order hits contribution&mdash;even when guests choose the value path.
Technology helps you grow profit from what you sell, not from coupons and deals. Add-ons become easy when you build bundles around high-margin items, right-size portions, time offers by daypart, and track promo ROI by channel. SpotOn keeps your first-party offer front and center, while spelling out which items make money and shifting ordering habits so you can double down on money makers and cut back on what&rsquo;s not working.
Make value obvious&mdash;and profitable:
<ul>
<li>Design bundles that subsidize proteins with high-margin sides, beverages, or dessert minis.</li>
<li>Offer tiered portions (solo/share/family) with clear value cues&mdash;no &ldquo;gotchas.&rdquo;</li>
<li>Review mix shift and promo ROI weekly; expand winners quickly and cut underperformers.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: building trust drives traffic. Make value obvious, keep the math visible, and let contributions, not discounts, do the heavy lifting. When guests feel treated fairly, average check and brand loyalty rise together.
2. The &ldquo;own the guest&rdquo; battle escalates &mdash; and operator-owned data is paramount
Reservation and marketplace consolidation (Resy/Tock with Amex; OpenTable tighter with Square; 7Rooms inside DoorDash) tightening access to a restaurant&rsquo;s guest data, pushing restaurants to &ldquo;rent&rdquo; demand.. The operators who win will own the guest profile end-to-end&mdash;so acquisition costs fall, repeat rates rise, and marketing works on their terms.
Use technology to turn every interaction into a profile moment&mdash;reservations, Wi-Fi, QR, kiosks, and first-party checkout&mdash;and centralize IDs, tenders, and rewards in one place. As a challenger brand, SpotOn is &ldquo;first-party first&rdquo;: <a href="https://www.spoton.com/solutions/reservations-and-waitlist/?ref=spoton.com" target="_blank">reservations</a>, <a href="https://www.spoton.com/solutions/reservations-and-waitlist/?ref=spoton.com" target="_blank">waitlist</a>, and <a href="https://www.spoton.com/solutions/online-ordering-and-delivery/?ref=spoton.com" target="_blank">online ordering</a> live inside your RMS, while deep marketplace integrations capture demand without sacrificing data, dollars, or control.
Prioritize first-party, supplement with third-party:
<ul>
<li>Capture every interaction and centralize guest profiles. Turn reservations, Wi-Fi, QR, kiosks, and first-party checkout into profile-building moments; automate remarketing by visit cadence, daypart, and AOV.</li>
<li>Convert third-party customers. Use bounce-backs, on-receipt offers, and timed perks to move marketplace visitors into first-party reservations and ordering.</li>
<li>Track how much you spend to attract new customers, how often they come back, and how much profit you make from them by channel; renegotiate or reduce what doesn&rsquo;t pay back.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: owning the guest is the priority. Keep relationships, and data, first-party, and let marketplaces work for you, not over you. Control the profile, control the profit.
3. AI works into the background &mdash; and quietly lifts margins
AI is moving from &ldquo;feature&rdquo; to infrastructure, quietly analyzing a restaurant&rsquo;s daily operations to help teams find what they need and act faster. Instead of chasing hype or speed-for-speed&rsquo;s-sake, the winning pattern is practicality: AI that notices issues before you do, shows you the questions you wouldn&rsquo;t have thought to ask and prioritizes the actions that lifts margins. The impact for operators is fewer misses, gained confidence, and more time on the floor.
Lean on technology that embeds <a href="https://www.spoton.com/blog/operator-first-ai-vision-restaurant-tech/" target="_blank">AI behind the scenes</a>&mdash;not as a new dashboard to learn, but as intelligence in the tools you already use: suggest smarter schedules, flag anomalies in sales/labor/COGS, pre-reconcile payouts, optimize order throttling, and surface &ldquo;next best actions&rdquo; during service. As a challenger brand, SpotOn focuses on being first with useful AI inside the RMS&mdash;not the flashiest&mdash;so operators get proactive insights where they work, without extra clicks or vendor lock-in.
Make AI work behind the scenes:
<ul>
<li>Start with one high-friction workflow (e.g., schedule building, comp/void monitoring, tip payouts) and automate 80% of the steps.</li>
<li>Measure time saved and error reduction weekly; keep features that move minutes and margin, cut the rest.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: AI doesn&rsquo;t need a spotlight to deliver value. When intelligence is embedded in everyday workflows, teams move faster, errors drop, and margins rise. Go for practical, operator-first AI that earns trust shift after shift&mdash;and let results, not buzzwords, lead the way.
4. Labor gets leaner and pricier &mdash; time is the new margin
Labor availability is tightening while replacement costs climb, exposing brittle workflows and making back-office waste unacceptable. Most restaurants can&rsquo;t raise prices much further or run dangerously lean, so minutes saved in operations must become points of margin.
Technology can standardize handoffs, smooth peaks, and give managers time back with scheduling assistance, order throttling, KDS workflows, and exception-driven alerts. As a challenger, SpotOn keeps AI behind the scenes&mdash;flagging anomalies, suggesting schedules, and pre-reconciling payouts&mdash;so leaders act once on what matters most and get on with running the shift.
Win back minutes, gain margin:
<ul>
<li>Set &ldquo;time theft&rdquo; goals (minutes removed per process) and track them weekly like COGS.</li>
<li>Use expo rules and throttling to protect service quality without over-staffing.</li>
<li>Cross-train for two critical roles per shift to reduce single-point failures.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: simpler beats thinner. Standardize the work, automate the busywork, and let managers manage. When minutes flow back to the floor, margin and morale both improve.
5. Payments move to faster funds and programmable value
Employee and vendor payouts and guest payments are shifting toward real-time rails and wallet/loyalty hybrids, linking how customers pay to how brands reward&mdash;and lowering total cost of acceptance. Faster funds, cleaner reconciliation, and direct rewards keep more dollars in the business and reduce friction for teams and customers.
Lean on technology that quantifies payment costs by channel and tender, automates reconciliation, and makes loyalty program enrollment effortless for customers during checkout. As a challenger, SpotOn prioritizes outcomes over ideology&mdash;supporting trusted rapid <a href="https://www.spoton.com/solutions/tip-management/?ref=spoton.com" target="_blank">tip payout</a> rails today and evaluating new methods only where they deliver clear ROI in speed, net cost, fraud reduction, and loyalty lift.
Route around cost and turn checkout into loyalty:
<ul>
<li>Measure payment costs by channel/tender and nudge to lower-cost rails where appropriate.</li>
<li>Use digital receipts and checkout prompts to enroll guests into loyalty on the spot.</li>
<li>Pilot one real-time payout use case (e.g., tips), then expand based on turnover and satisfaction data.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: payments should work for operators, not the other way around. Route around cost, get paid faster, and turn checkout into loyalty&mdash;so cash flow, control, and guest lifetime value all trend up.
6. Beverage mix resets around low/no-proof with THC and daypart drinks filling the gaps
No/low-proof is the new center of gravity&mdash;and daypart drinks are doing the heavy lifting. Dirty sodas and refreshers are driving new occasions across breakfast, afternoon, and late-night, while THC beverages are moving from curiosity to category in states where it&rsquo;s legal. As alcohol orders soften, widening the beverage categories&mdash;and piloting compliant THC&mdash;protects check averages through more selling moments, higher food attachment, and premium pricing without the ABV.
Operators can use tech to test, time, and track what actually replaces lost alcohol dollars&mdash;menu engineering, digital promos, and item-level reporting to prove lift. As a challenger brand, SpotOn keeps you in control with first-party ordering, kiosks, and real-time mix/attach analytics inside the RMS&mdash;no walled gardens&mdash;so you can scale winners fast and sunset the rest.
Treat beverages like a portfolio:
<ul>
<li>Map a hero beverage to each daypart and pair it with a complementary add-on to protect contribution.</li>
<li>If THC is legal and matches your brand, create SOPs for ID, inventory, and training before launch, then monitor attachments and repeat weekly.</li>
<li>Rotate 2&ndash;3 LTO beverages monthly; keep the top-performers, cut the rest.</li>
</ul>
Bottom line: beverages are a portfolio, not a single bet. Non-alcoholic, THC, and daypart drinks can more than cover softening alcohol sales&mdash;as long as you measure and repeat. Keep what moves the margin and let the data call the shots.
What 2026 means for operators&mdash;and for the wider industry
Taken together, these predictions point to a restaurant industry that&rsquo;s moved past crisis mode and is now deep into refinement and return on effort:
<ul>
<li>Menus are being rebuilt around trust and contribution, not tricks</li>
<li>Guest relationships are moving from rented to owned, with first-party data at the center</li>
<li>AI is quietly becoming embedded, not a buzzword</li>
<li>Labor stories are increasingly about time and workflow, not just wages</li>
<li>Payments are shifting from overhead to strategy</li>
<li>Beverage programs are turning into portfolios that span dayparts and proof levels</li>
</ul>
For operators, the mandate is clear: simplify, standardize, and measure what matters. Get the foundation right, then iterate. For the wider restaurant industry there&rsquo;s a real opening to connect the dots. The choices we make about technology, policy, capital, and collaboration will shape how restaurants welcome guests, support workers, and make the numbers work in 2026 and beyond.
If we listen closely to operators and learn from what&rsquo;s working on the ground, we can help turn the next wave of change into something tangible: stronger businesses, better shifts, and a healthier restaurant ecosystem for everyone involved.
View the full report <a title="2026_SpotOn_Restaurant_Outlook" href="https://greatmenusstarthere.com/uploads/files/2026_SpotOn_Restaurant_Outlook.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.
Source: Megan Palmer, <a href="https://www.spoton.com/blog/2026-independent-restaurant-profit-outlook/" target="_blank">SpotOn</a>

Costs are high, traffic is unpredictable, and price increases are hitting a wall. Here’s how operators will protect profit in 2026—and what writers and analysts should watch.

2026 Independent Restaurant Profit Outlook

<a href="https://www.expertmarket.com/food-beverage/industry-trends-2025" target="_blank">Expert Market&rsquo;s 2025 Food and Beverage Report</a> found that the majority of restaurant operators are feeling serious stress.
&ldquo;The restaurant industry has always worked on tight profit margins, so, when there&rsquo;s a rise in operating costs, businesses have no choice but to pass that on to the customer. It&rsquo;s not a great situation to be in &ndash; they&rsquo;re backed into a corner at the moment,&rdquo; said Chris Maillard of Expert Market.
&ldquo;The food and beverage sector is often the canary in the coalmine &ndash; as discretionary spending, it&rsquo;s one of the first areas to feel the pinch in tough economic climates. This could be a signal that tariffs will soon start to bite across other areas of the U.S. economy.&rdquo;
Costs Accumulate
According to Sawsan Abublan, CEO of Shawarma Press, the most challenging factor for restaurants right now is the rising cost of items like food supplies.
&ldquo;Unlike labor or utilities, which can be forecasted, ingredient prices fluctuate frequently and are influenced by multiple external factors &ndash; global trade conditions, transportation costs, climate impacts, and even international conflicts that affect supply chains, all of which make margin management increasingly difficult,&rdquo; Abublan told The Food Institute. 
<a href="https://www.expertmarket.com/food-beverage/industry-trends-2025" target="_blank">Expert Market</a> found 76% said that rising ingredient costs are having an impact on their profit.
Wages
Sixty-two percent of respondents to the aforementioned report said they&rsquo;ve had to raise menu prices to offset wage increases.
Labor costs might be the most predictable expense, but increases in other areas, like ingredients, have made it harder to plan for, noted Chris Motola, financial analyst at National Business Capital.
Tariffs
<a href="https://www.expertmarket.com/food-beverage/industry-trends-2025" target="_blank">According to the report</a>, 47% of businesses said tariffs have directly led to increased menu prices for customers.
Tariffs have been attributed to an increase in ingredients and supplies, according to 41% of respondents, and 25% say supply chain volatility is a major obstacle.
Re-engineering menus around more profitable prime costs is a skill some restaurants use to mitigate the aforementioned challenges, while some chains &ldquo;struggle, and just wallow in the headwinds,&rdquo; said Dan Rowe, the CEO of Fransmart.
Industry Impact
When the dust settles from all these factors, independent restaurants may be hurt most.
&ldquo;Large chains of quick-service restaurants may be able to absorb price increases because they buy in such massive quantities from a variety of locations,&rdquo; said Izzy Kharasch, president at Hospitality Works. &ldquo;A small restaurant will be far less able to absorb those costs without raising menu prices.&rdquo;
These obstacles figure to linger well into 2026.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;ll be interested in seeing how the rest of 2025 plays out &ndash; whether, for example, we see fewer new restaurants opening and more closing their doors. It&rsquo;s sure to be a real roller-coaster ride for the entire industry,&rdquo; Kharasch said.
One certainty: restaurants will need to learn to adapt.
&ldquo;The industry has always evolved through challenges &ndash; whether it&rsquo;s economic shifts, labor shortages, or changes in consumer behavior,&rdquo; Abublan said. &ldquo;While some volatility will persist, especially with global supply chains, I believe these pressures are driving restaurants to become more resilient and efficient.&rdquo;
Despite challenges like rising ingredient costs and tariffs, the restaurant sector isn&rsquo;t completely devoid of success stories right now.
&ldquo;Everything goes in cycles, and there is always opportunity in foodservice,&rdquo; Rowe, of Fransmart, noted. &ldquo;Look at Five Guys, with a limited menu and relatively high menu prices &ndash; same-store sales continue growing and they&rsquo;re opening new units all over the world.
&ldquo;I went to a smash-burger concept (recently) that does $4 million a year in 1,000 square feet and makes 30 percent profit. Imagine making $100,000 a month profit in a burger concept, while everyone else is crying about beef costs? &hellip; (There&rsquo;s) plenty of opportunity.&rdquo;
Source: Tess Owings, <a href="https://foodinstitute.com/focus/restaurants-3-key-challenges-for-2026/" target="_blank">The Food Institute</a>

Rising cost of ingredients. Increasing wages. Tariffs. You name it and the food industry is facing it right now. Both internal costs and external forces are applying pressure to the food industry.

Restaurants’ 3 Key Challenges for 2026

What can we expect on restaurant menus in 2026? Flavors, dishes, and experiences that take us out of the &ldquo;day-to-day&rdquo; and transport us somewhere, some, or both&mdash;without breaking the bank.
This quest for comfort, nostalgia, and &ldquo;flavor-escapism&rdquo; intersects with an ever-present search for healthy options and value, as restaurant operators seek out the dishes that satisfy consumers&rsquo; cravings.
<ol>
<li>Local sourcing</li>
<li>Comfort foods</li>
<li>Value menus and options</li>
<li>Smashed burgers</li>
<li>Clear menu labeling, icons, and cues</li>
<li>Allergen-friendly menus</li>
<li>Global comfort foods</li>
<li>&ldquo;Cleaner&rdquo; recipes, additive- and dye-free, or less processed menu items</li>
<li>Proteins as add-ons</li>
<li>Compostable and reusable packaging</li>
</ol>
Source: National Restaurant Association 2026 &ldquo;What&rsquo;s Hot&rdquo; Culinary Forecast

What can we expect on restaurant menus in 2026? Flavors, dishes, and experiences that take us out of the “day-to-day” and transport us somewhere, some, or both—without breaking the bank.

Top 10 Chart-Topping Trends

Elevated instant noodles, like ramen, offers complex flavors in a high-quality, customized, and affordable way.
Today&rsquo;s foodies are looking for escape&mdash;and the chance to step out of their everyday lives and into something or somewhere more comforting. There&rsquo;s a sense of nostalgia that&rsquo;s inspiring innovation to meld the past with the present. According to the National Restaurant Association&rsquo;s 2026 What&rsquo;s Hot Culinary Forecast, restaurant operators are ramping up their efforts to meet those needs and offer their guests comforting, flavorful foods that are appealing in their global complexity, but healthful and accessible at the same time.
What&rsquo;s old is new again
Social media, for example, is turning the smashed burger &ndash; once a nostalgic staple &ndash; into a tempting item that appeals to younger generations. The challenge, however, is to make one of America&rsquo;s ultimate comfort foods seem new and globally popular, too. To achieve that goal, chefs are cooking up interesting twists, such as smashed burger tacos. &ldquo;Menu innovation is an important driver of sales, especially during these uncertain times when people are looking to food and drink to make them feel good and give them comfort,&rdquo; says Dr. Chad Moutray, Association Senior Vice President of Research &amp; Knowledge and Chief Economist. The Top 5 dishes also highlight a deep-seated desire to experience the world through various types of cuisines. Consumers want to be transported with every bite, whether it&rsquo;s a Caribbean curry bowl or a protein-packed miso dish that teleports them to the streets of Tokyo. Restaurant menus are eager to bring that global interest home via exclusive interpretations of a variety of dishes. They include:
<ol>
<li>Smashed burgers:&nbsp;The ground beef is cooked on a hot griddle or in a cast-iron skillet, creating a burger with a crispy, caramelized crust and juicy middle.</li>
<li>Elevated instant noodles:&nbsp;This restaurant version of instant noodles, such as ramen, features complex flavors in a high-quality, customized, and affordable way.</li>
<li>Caribbean curry bowls:&nbsp;This fusion dish features a distinct flavor profile that consists of different aromatic spices, like turmeric, allspice, and thyme, with a bit of peppery heat.</li>
<li>Smoothie bowls:&nbsp;Colorful, customizable, and healthy, these delicious and nutritious, veggie- and fruit-based bowls fit various dietary needs and are easy to eat on-the-go.</li>
<li>Miso-glazed proteins:&nbsp;Typically made with a fermented paste of soybeans, koji, salt, and sometimes grains, these dishes are steeped in complex flavors and healthfulness, and bring depth to a variety of fish, meats, and plant-based proteins</li>
</ol>
Thanks to these elevated recipes, access to the world of food is at everyone&rsquo;s fingertips at all types of restaurants&mdash;whether they&rsquo;re fine dining, casual, or quickservice locations.
Source: <a href="https://restaurant.org/education-and-resources/resource-library/what-foods-will-be-hot-in-2026-healthy-and-spicy-top-list/" target="_blank">National Restaurant Association</a>

Global smashed burgers, Caribbean curry bowls and elevated noodles are faves.

What Foods Will Be Hot in 2026? Healthy and Spicy Top List

Expect to see global flavors continue to influence menu trends, artificial intelligence use to alter dishes and menus, and protein and GLP-1 drugs reshape restaurant offerings in 2026. That&rsquo;s according to the 23rd annual Baum + Whiteman Food and Restaurant Trends Forecast for 2026.
Specifically, the report forecasts a higher profile for cardamon, kimchi, &ldquo;warm&rdquo; spices, Caribbean and upscale Indian cuisine and regional wine bars and coffee houses.
&ldquo;Most of the ethnic food we eat is pretty spicy because vast numbers of people are coming from palm-tree countries, so that&rsquo;s in large measure influencing what we eat, and we all have become national &lsquo;pepperheads,&rsquo;&rdquo; said Michael Whiteman, president of the food and restaurant consulting company. &ldquo;You can do an interesting exercise, which I did a few years ago, but you can go to any of the food websites &hellip; and get the top 50 restaurants of the year &mdash; in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New Orleans &mdash; and what you&rsquo;ll discover is what you used to call the American restaurant is somewhere fourth or fifth down the list.&rdquo;
The global menu trend includes the addition of &ldquo;warm spices,&rdquo; such as cardamon, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg, which Whiteman called &ldquo;just as valid&rdquo; as the others because they add flavor to a dish without a lot of heat.
Emerging cuisines
The report identified a surge of upscale Indian, new-wave Caribbean and international steakhouses as consumers seek new flavors and unusual food and beverage experiences.
The high-end Indian restaurants are moving from England and feature menus &ldquo;unambiguously flavorful and regionally focused,&rdquo; according to the report.
Caribbean ingredients and dishes are branching out from immigrant communities and appearing in menus featuring tropical staples such as roti, guava, plantains and jerk seasonings.
On the steakhouse side, some with &ldquo;serious ethnic menus&rdquo; are expanding by combining the familiar US steakhouse menu with an international one, according to the forecast. The results are premium Mexican, Argentine, Korean and Japanese steakhouses and Thai, Chinese and Israeli chophouses.
Integrating AI into menus
The forecast sees AI applications breaking further into the food and restaurant space and mentions the technology&rsquo;s ability to come up with a menu item in six seconds. The tool also may address consumers using weight-loss drugs.
&ldquo;If I were a restaurateur, I could ask AI to look at my menu and recommend three dishes that would be suitable for people who are on Wegovy, and I have every confidence that AI would have given me a good response, and generally AI would then ask me further if I&rsquo;d like recipes for these dishes,&rdquo; Whiteman said.
He noted that some positives about the technology for chefs who may be &ldquo;lying awake nights wondering what (they&rsquo;re) going to do with this weight-loss thing&rdquo; include saving time, money and reducing food waste.
Restaurant companies, including big chains, are trying to address the GLP-1 issue, Whiteman said, and it&rsquo;s likely to require menu overhauls and different messaging to acknowledge users of the medications without leaving out others.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t think anybody has made a big move yet in terms of redoing their menus, and it&rsquo;s an issue that&rsquo;s difficult to come to grips with because you really don&rsquo;t want to have a section on the menu that says, &lsquo;Here&rsquo;s for GLP-1 users,&rsquo; so I think it&rsquo;s going to take some innovation in developing the proper messaging,&rdquo; he said, adding, &ldquo;You might have a section called &lsquo;high-protein bites,&rsquo; but you can&rsquo;t distort what a menu is supposed to do by calling too much attention to that because there&rsquo;s all the rest of us.&rdquo;
Allergen and ingredient alerts 
Menus in some California restaurants will be carrying allergen alerts starting next July, and chain restaurant menus in New York are currently posting symbols indicating excess sugar or excess salt, according to the report.
Whiteman said it&rsquo;s an example of increasing state and local regulations that often target fast food.
&ldquo;If you walk into a fast-food restaurant and there&rsquo;s a dish with excess sugar in it or excess salt, there will be a symbol on the menu for it,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That symbol has to be no smaller than the largest letter describing the dish.&rdquo;
If a diner wants to learn more, the New York law requires the restaurant to have an app describing the symbol, he said.
Whiteman said the internet &ldquo;causes a lot of panic and fads&rdquo; when it comes to food, and we&rsquo;re currently seeing some of that play out with the ongoing controversies over seed oils and vegetable oils and how they and other food products are processed.
&ldquo;I have two children, and when I&rsquo;m with them and their friends, I discover that they really don&rsquo;t understand processed food,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They don&rsquo;t understand the difference between processed food that&rsquo;s okay to eat and processed food that&rsquo;s not.&rdquo;
Reflections on evolving trends
In 23 years of producing the forecasts through travel, reading and research, Whiteman said the most profound change he&rsquo;s seen is less freedom for consumers to choose where and what to eat.
&ldquo;This sounds counterintuitive, but 23 years ago, consumers were making their own discoveries, egged on by the then-limited food media,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Since then, the tsunami of bloggers, critics, pseudo-critics, reservation apps, TikTok and influencers have exerted such a gravitational pull on the eating-out market that consumers aren&rsquo;t aware how their choices have been subliminally predetermined, and this is one of the reasons why menus today are discouragingly similar."
Source: Cathy Siegner, <a href="https://www.foodbusinessnews.net/articles/29380-whats-ahead-for-restaurant-menus" target="_blank">Food Business News</a>

Expect to see global flavors continue to influence menu trends, artificial intelligence use to alter dishes and menus, and protein and GLP-1 drugs reshape restaurant offerings in 2026.

What’s Ahead for Restaurant Menus?

The delicious food you provide your customers is the foundation of your restaurant.
But it&rsquo;s the words that sell it. That&rsquo;s why menu copy that converts is so vital to your success.
Like most restaurant owners and managers who juggle staffing, inventory, and a dozen marketing priorities, you are incredibly busy. Yet, polishing your menu copy is one of the best moves you can make to improve your revenue.
Put this task at the top of your list and work on <a href="https://restaurantengine.com/5-tips-for-revamping-your-menu/" target="_blank">smarter menu descriptions</a> that convert diners into premium orders, nudge guests toward add-ons, and lift average ticket prices.
We&rsquo;ve put together some easy and practical copy strategies with information on how to make them work in your restaurant. Writing dish descriptions that raise average ticket prices is important, and it helps your menu do some of the selling before your front-of-house team even gets to the table.
Why Menu Copy is So Important
A study by the <a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0010880401426008" target="_blank">Cornell Food and Brand Lab</a> found that when you use descriptive menu labels, your sales increase by about 27%. Their study showed this is for menu items that were rewritten using sensory, evocative language.
In fact, customers even rated those menu items as higher quality and better value afterwards. You can see that crafting new menu content pays for itself very quickly with increased average ticket prices.
Try it yourself on a couple of menu items that you really want to push and see what happens over a month-long period.
What this means for you is that for a small investment in creativity and a little bit of testing, you can boost orders of targeted dishes, increase add-ons (think sides, upgrades, desserts), and raise your average check all without raising base prices.
If you&rsquo;re worried about writing the copy on your own, there are plenty of marketing agencies and even freelancers willing to help you with your menu copy.
The Three Copy Principles That Matter
First, you want to include sensory details, and you want to keep it simple and not too complex.
For example, use one or two sensory words that evoke taste, texture, or aroma, such as &ldquo;charred,&rdquo; &ldquo;buttery,&rdquo; &ldquo;crisp,&rdquo; or &ldquo;velvety.&rdquo; Avoid long ingredient lists that look like a pantry inventory. Instead, focus on what the guest will experience when they taste and see your food.
Your copy should be descriptive and unique.
Second, you want to highlight the differentiator of the menu item.
For example, ask some questions like these to decide:
<ul>
<li>Why is this dish special at my restaurant?</li>
<li>Is the pork heritage-breed?</li>
<li>Is the salsa a family recipe?</li>
<li>Is the steak grilled over pecan wood?</li>
<li>What makes the ingredients special? Are they sourced locally?</li>
</ul>
Highlight the single thing that sets the dish apart from what your guests could get elsewhere. This makes higher-margin choices seem worth the money.
Third, use the structure of your copy to lead your customer to choose the item. This is vastly different from using pressure.
For example, use short modifiers like &ldquo;featured&rdquo; or &ldquo;chef&rsquo;s favorite&rdquo; to guide your customers&rsquo; choices. You can also use symbols with your text to highlight items. Or consider bolding text or using different colored copy to bring out special words.
Combine that with smart placement (see menu engineering below), and your servers become order-completion agents rather than the only sales channel.
A Simple Template for Menu Writers
When you rewrite the copy for a dish, follow this three-line template. It&rsquo;s quick, consistent, and testable.
<ol>
<li>Name of the dish:&nbsp;This should be concise and appetizing. Avoid bland technical names and keep it short.</li>
<li>A micro-story:&nbsp;This should be around eight to 20 words and one sentence. Include a sensory word, plus your differentiator, plus the benefit to the customer. For example, you might say, &ldquo;Buttery local halibut, pan-seared and finished with lemon-thyme butter.&rdquo;</li>
<li>A micro sell: This sentence should be around three to 10 words. Craft a short value proposition such as: &ldquo;gluten-free option available,&rdquo; &ldquo;pairs with our house pinot,&rdquo; or &ldquo;locally sourced ingredients.&rdquo;</li>
</ol>
Here is an example of a complete description using the three-line template:
Grilled Pork Chop: Our chef&rsquo;s signature dish, this Applewood-smoked pork chop, is seared to a crisp crust and finished with cider glaze. Pairs perfectly with roasted root vegetables. This structure respects guest attention and fits most menu designs.
Short, concise, and creative is the way to go with your menu copy.
The Highest Converting Words
Here&rsquo;s a list of some high-conversion words that convert and raise your average ticket prices:
<ul>
<li>House-made</li>
<li>Hand cut</li>
<li>Wood grilled</li>
<li>Slow braised</li>
<li>Line caught</li>
<li>Buttery</li>
<li>Crisp</li>
<li>Smoky</li>
<li>Marinated overnight</li>
<li>Served family style</li>
<li>Locally sourced</li>
<li>Chef&rsquo;s favorite</li>
</ul>
Do try to avoid over-exaggerated words like &ldquo;world&rsquo;s best.&rdquo; Also, skip long lists of each ingredient and be clear and unique.
Menu Engineering to Increase Conversions
Crafting better copy on its own helps increase average tickets. However, when you add copy to placement, you get an even bigger increase.
Restaurant <a href="https://www.usfoods.com/our-services/business-trends/the-science-of-menu-design.html" target="_blank">menu engineers</a> recommend pairing strong descriptions with visual tactics.
For example:
<ul>
<li>Remove unnecessary dollar signs.</li>
<li>Use whitespace to spotlight hero dishes.</li>
<li>Consider &ldquo;callout&rdquo; boxes for high-margin items.</li>
</ul>
These design choices lower friction and direct the diner&rsquo;s eye to profitable choices without making guests feel pressure to choose one dish over another.
Pro tip: Test one change at a time so you can <a href="https://restaurantengine.com/profitable-menu-engineering-highlighting-high-margin-dishes/" target="_blank">measure impact</a>.
Here&rsquo;s your 30-day testing plan:
<ul>
<li>Week 1:&nbsp;Pick three high-margin items to rewrite using the template.</li>
<li>Week 2:&nbsp;Update your print and online menus and tell your servers about the new micro stories so they can share them too.</li>
<li>Week 3&ndash;4:&nbsp;Track the number of orders of your rewritten menu items, add-ons sold, and average tickets. Compare the results to the previous month. Small changes should be visible within a few weeks.</li>
</ul>
Consistency and Your Brand
Always be consistent between platforms and stay true to your brand.
Guests often see your menu descriptions on your website or on to-go platforms first. Then, they encounter them in your restaurant.
Consistency is key, and you want to use the same concise micro-story across all your platforms, both digital and in-house.
Also, think about your voice. Your tone should match your brand (playful, refined, rustic, fine dining, etc.).
In addition, in all your arenas, add professional-quality photos.
Quick Checklist Before You Publish Your Revised Menu
<ul>
<li>Use one sensory word in every description.</li>
<li>Call out one differentiator.</li>
<li>Add a short micro-sell.</li>
<li>Try displaying pricing without dollar signs.</li>
<li>Train your servers on 10-second descriptions that match your revised menu copy.</li>
<li>Track orders and average tickets on items with revised copy.</li>
</ul>
Final Thoughts on Menu Copy That Converts
As with all marketing, you want to test, measure, and repeat to gauge your results. Use these results to then refine your tactics.
Menu copy is a low-cost lever with measurable returns. Make changes and see what works.
And remember, what converts and raises average tickets for a neighborhood pizza place won&rsquo;t be the same as a white-tablecloth spot. Know your brand and stay true to your brand voice. Incorporate creative content, amazing photos, and graphics, and you&rsquo;re ready to launch your revised menu.
Finally, make incremental tweaks, track results, and scale what works.
Source: Justine Nightingale, <a href="https://restaurantengine.com/menu-copy-that-converts-writing-dish-descriptions-that-raise-average-tickets/" target="_blank">Restaurant Engine</a>
Editor&rsquo;s Note: This article is for informational purposes only, and no endorsement of any vendor(s) should be inferred.

Use the descriptions of your dishes to entice customers and encourage them to order more.

Menu Copy That Converts: Writing Dish Descriptions That Raise Average Tickets

Limited-time offerings have become a fixture in nearly every segment of the restaurant industry. While they might look like simple menu swaps, they&rsquo;re one of the most strategic components in a restaurant&rsquo;s recipe for success. Done well, they can drive repeat traffic, test potential core items and keep lineups feeling fresh. Behind the scenes, the real work is just as much about discipline as it is about creativity. A fine line is drawn between excitement and burnout, which is critical for not only culinary teams but also operators, franchisees, hourly staff and guests.
Flavor Can&rsquo;t Be The Only Filter
When it comes to crafting brunch items, flavor is just the beginning. For an LTO to succeed, it also has to hold up in real kitchens across a variety of locations, staff skill levels and service models.
Before any item is added to the lineup, it must pass one essential test: Does it taste good? At Sunny Street Caf&eacute;, our journey for innovation begins with flavor-first experimentation and the most delicious version of a dish, trickling through the corporate team and in-store feedback loops to fine-tune. From there, success depends on how well the idea holds up under real-world pressure in a busy brunch environment.
Is it prep-heavy? Does it introduce too many new ingredients? Can it be plated consistently and quickly across the system? After all, even the best thing you&rsquo;ve ever tasted wouldn&rsquo;t matter if it takes 20 minutes to get to a guest&rsquo;s table.
And while taste is foundational, guest feedback often proves even more decisive. In-store reactions play a major role before any rollout. If guests love the item, it moves forward. If they don&rsquo;t, then it&rsquo;s back to the drawing board. Whether due to timing or space, some standout items that don&rsquo;t quite fit the core menu will sometimes make a return. For us, Shrimp &amp; Grits had been on the radar for years, but only made its debut after extensive refinement and a strong level of confidence in its operational fit.
Hit or Miss?
The saying &ldquo;Nothing ventured, nothing gained&rdquo; is a lot like the process of creating an LTO. Each one involves some experimentation and boundary-testing &mdash; we&rsquo;ve seen both sides of the coin.
Some ideas come out of the test kitchen ready to shine, such as Hot Honey Chicken &amp; Waffles that blended just the right mix of flavor, familiarity, trend alignment and operational ease. With only one new ingredient and plenty of craveability, it was a no-brainer for brunch fans.
On the other hand, not every bold idea is destined to be a blockbuster. A breakfast torta piled high with fried chicken and refried black beans brought plenty of flavor to the table, but missed the mark with guests who didn&rsquo;t associate it with brunch. Still, feedback from guests and the team was instrumental in refining everything from spice level to portion size.
Cadence Is Key to Avoiding Burnout
One of the most overlooked aspects of a successful LTO program is timing. Launching too often, and both teams and guests are fatigued. Wait too long, and the moment fizzles. A quarterly cadence strikes the sweet spot for many brands, giving guests enough time to fall in love with a dish but never overstaying its welcome. This pacing allows enough runway to concept, test, train and promote without overwhelming the system. Culinary teams are encouraged to be selective and intentional, giving each item a real chance to perform before making decisions about what comes next.
Whether it&rsquo;s a sweet pancake, savory sandwich or a seasonal beverage, there is also a deliberate strategy that caters to longtime regulars and those who come in looking for something new. Not everyone is going to be in the mood for a breakfast burrito at 9 a.m., so that&rsquo;s when a fresh muffin or bold cold brew will do the trick while keeping pressure on the kitchen manageable.
Scaling Requires More Than a Recipe
A common misstep in LTO execution is underestimating the operational side of the rollout. Even a beautifully developed item can underperform if teams don&rsquo;t have the right tools to support it.
The solution isn&rsquo;t flashy &mdash; it&rsquo;s documentation, training and communication. Video walk-throughs, detailed recipe sheets and step-by-step guides help standardize execution. General managers and kitchen leads are trained first, laying the groundwork for store-level teams to follow and build alignment and confidence. Regular check-ins from the operations team and mystery shops help ensure each dish is prepared and plated to perfection. Like any well-run team, success comes from clear communication, strong coaching and consistent follow-through. If it can&rsquo;t be executed the same way at every location, it&rsquo;s not ready.
Trends Are Tools, Not Mandates
Keeping menus relevant means staying in tune with food culture and curiosity &mdash; whether that&rsquo;s global flavor profiles, bold spice blends or evolving formats. But chasing every trend isn&rsquo;t sustainable. The real challenge is identifying which trends make sense for your brand and kitchen, and translating them into approachable, executable ideas.
In a world where the camera eats first, younger guests are seeking menu moments worth sharing &mdash; in flavor and flair. More than ever, visuals play a larger role in the food industry. Overly complicated, photogenic LTOs as one-off stunts can drain resources or confuse the kitchen, while the most effective ones take what&rsquo;s buzzy and adapt it for operational reality. That might mean turning a complex plated dish into a sandwich or turning an indulgent dessert into a breakfast feature. The key is translating trend into brand &mdash; all while keeping the guest experience intact.
Don&rsquo;t Reinvent the Wheel
Making an impact doesn&rsquo;t have to come with a high price tag. A rule of thumb to follow is to avoid using premium proteins, such as pork belly or short rib, as they complicate prep, inflate food costs and slow down food execution. However, another useful lens is to look at what already works in the kitchen. Some of the most effective LTOs come from smart reimagining of what&rsquo;s on hand: introducing a custom sauce, adjusting plating or pairing existing proteins with seasonal ingredients.
For example, a pulled pork dish can take on an entirely new flavor profile with a simple sauce swap or a fresh set of sides. The beauty of this approach is that it keeps food costs manageable and allows teams to focus on execution rather than reinvention, delivering variety without added proteins, complexity or cost. In the long run, it&rsquo;s about doing more with what is already there and doing it well.
A Smarter Way Forward
LTOs are often seen as creative expressions, and they certainly are &mdash; but they also need structure, guardrails and a long-term view. When approached with the right balance of imagination and practicality, they become more than a flash of seasonal excitement. They become a repeatable, scalable and strategic lever for growth.
Whether you&rsquo;re a culinary director, a franchisee or a general manager, the goal is the same: to serve food people love &mdash; consistently, creatively and without adding friction. That&rsquo;s the real recipe for successful menu innovation.
Source: Matthew Stasko, <a href="https://modernrestaurantmanagement.com/limited-time-long-term-impact-rethinking-ltos-for-scalability-and-success/" target="_blank">Modern Restaurant Management</a>

Done well, LTOs can drive repeat traffic, test potential core items and keep lineups feeling fresh.

Limited-Time, Long-Term Impact: Rethinking LTOs for Scalability and Success

2025 is on track to have the highest number of limited-time offerings at restaurants of any year &mdash; up to 39,000 if current trends continue &mdash; Joe Pawlak, a managing principal at Technomic, said during a session discussing winners in the restaurant industry at the 2025 National Restaurant Association Show on Monday.
Pawlak shared slides highlighting the increase in restaurant LTOs measured by Technomic in recent years, from 17,790 in 2020 to 36,830 in 2024. This year is on track to beat 2024&rsquo;s total, likely because restaurants view LTOs as a way to manage recent traffic shortfalls.
&ldquo;Over the past 14 to 15 months sales are soft, traffic is down, costs are going up,&rdquo; Pawlak said, adding that tariffs are unlikely to improve the situation, as consumers save money in anticipation of rising prices and reduced economic prosperity. &ldquo;Uncertainty around tariffs, from a consumer standpoint, has really spooked consumer confidence.&rdquo;
On top of that, the restaurant industry is already extremely competitive, said Robert Byrne, senior director of consumer research at Technomic. In fact, Technomic estimates that there is one standalone restaurant for every 425 Americans. This means successful brands must navigate a heavily saturated market full of consumers who are hesitant to spend one more dollar, Byrne said.
Cravings get the better of consumers
Against that discouraging macroeconomic backdrop, craveable LTOs are breaking through, Byrne said.
Technomic&rsquo;s annual surveys of consumer priorities reflect the growing importance of LTOs. In 2022, 50% of consumers said that a restaurant&rsquo;s LTO offers were important when deciding where to eat. As of early 2025, that number had risen to 55%, according to slides shared during the session.
Craveable items were also important in diner decision making, with 74% of consumers saying it was a deciding factor in their choice of restaurants in 2022, which increased to 78% this year, per Technomic. New, exciting products also are top of mind, and 68% of consumers said it was a deciding factor for choosing a restaurant in 2025, up from 62% in 2022.
But craveability is an intangible and subjective property, even if it drives traffic through LTOs. Technomic surveyed consumers about a range of LTOs to find out which ones are rated as craveable.
Bottom of Form
Pawlak said multiple proteins are a big driver &mdash; 79% of surveyed consumers found Miller&rsquo;s Ale House&rsquo;s Honey Bourbon Salmon and Shrimp LTO to be craveable, while 78% said the same of <a href="https://news.bk.com/blog-posts/fried-pickle-ranch-maple-bourbon-bbq-and-mexican-street-corn-burger-king-r-reveals-the-final-three-creations-from-its-million-dollar-whopper-r-contest" target="_blank">Burger King&rsquo;s Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper</a>. Out of the LTOs Technomic studied, those were two of the three most highly rated in terms of craveability. Brisket Street Tacos at Taco Cabana took second place.
Aside from combined proteins and premium proteins, like brisket, which helped <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chipotle-same-store-sales-increase-7-percent-2024-LTO-traffic-drivers/739266/" target="_blank">drive traffic for Chipotle late last year</a>, consumers are looking for innovative and flavorful sauces, particularly with bourbon notes. Both BK and Miller&rsquo;s Ale House used bourbon-flavored sauces on their craveable dishes, while Bonefish Grill&rsquo;s Old Fashioned Cedar Plank Salmon also came with a Jim Beam bourbon honey glaze.
Byrne said one example of an LTO-heavy menu strategy driving strong transaction growth was Taco Bell, which saw <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/taco-bell-sales-surge-kfc-saucy-expansion/746728/" target="_blank">comps rise 9% last quarter</a>. Byrne said this was driven by the brand&rsquo;s &ldquo;aggressive&rdquo; LTO strategy, which includes offerings outside of its core menu. The brand recently brought back its nuggets for <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/taco-bell-chicken-nuggets-return-permanent-2026-addition/745558/" target="_blank">a second stint on the menu</a>, and seems to be considering them for a permanent menu slot.
Byrne said Taco Bell&rsquo;s LTOs are particularly good at making consumers crave. Like the LTOs discussed by Pawlak, Taco Bell makes use of premium proteins, like its <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/taco-bell-launches-cantina-chicken-menu/710351/" target="_blank">Cantina Chicken Menu</a>, and new sauces, like the Hidden Valley Ranch Fire Ranch Sauce, which launched alongside <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/taco-bell-adds-chicken-nuggets-menu-dec-19/735768/" target="_blank">the original nuggets LTO</a>.
&ldquo;Cravings are that number one need-state, that emotional driver that forces the consumer to choose Taco Bell for a specific occasion. Forty-three percent in fact, are saying that, &lsquo;Hey, the need to satisfy craving, which is the reason I chose Taco Bell,&rsquo;&rdquo; Byrne said.
But value plays a role, too
Value is another major factor that&rsquo;s driving success at standout restaurant brands.
Byrne cited Chili&rsquo;s success <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/chilis-q3-traffic-bump-brinker-operations-fast-food-pricing/746597/" target="_blank">at driving 21% traffic growth</a> as demonstrating the importance of value. The Three-for-Me deal, which started with the Big Smasher Burger, means consumers can limit their spending at Chili&rsquo;s to a minimum $10.99. This price is competitive with many fast food restaurants, and is an ambitious goal for a casual dining chain.
&ldquo;[The Big Smasher Burger] was not aimed at direct competitors, but rather at quick-service restaurants &mdash; at every single consumer for every single potential occasion in the United States.
But the value play there is more than price,&rdquo; Byrne said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s this relentless focus on operations that new management brought to the table alongside that Three-for-Me.&rdquo;
Alongside the food, Byrne said, Chili&rsquo;s offers a full-service experience. Pawlak also discussed the importance of on-premise experience in adding to consumers&rsquo; value perceptions and driving them to decide on a restaurant. Two surprising categories that increased in importance for consumers, Pawlak said, were music selection and in-store Wi-Fi, both of which have become increasingly important factors for diners picking a restaurant since 2022. The increasing importance of on-premise factors in driving consumer choice could reflect the degree to which that experience plays into a holistic value perception, helping to explain why some consumers <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/nra-show-chicago-2025-macroeconomic-concern-consumer-pullback/748430/" target="_blank">might be trading up</a>.
Source: Aneurin Canham-Clyne, <a href="https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/Technomic-nra-2025-featured-session-ltos-traffic-chilis-taco-bell/748553/" target="_blank">Restaurant Dive</a>

With consumers bracing for tariff impacts, limited-time offerings will likely grow in importance alongside budget-focused menu items.

LTOs and value are key to solving restaurant traffic downturn: Technomic

Pre-planning and a good blueprint for what to do if your establishment is implicated as a source of a foodborne illness can have a big impact on the safety of your guests and employees and the ability of your business to survive. The National Restaurant Association Always Ready: Foodborne Illness Outbreak includes best practices from leading government resources including the FDA, CDC, the Council to Improve Foodborne Outbreak Response, ServSafe, and crisis comms professionals as well as tips from food safety experts and HR leads from independent restaurants and national brands. It includes the best means to prevent an outbreak, and what to do during and after if your restaurant is implicated as a source of a foodborne illness. Guidance includes:
<ul>
<li>Leading causes of foodborne illness outbreaks and key prevention measures</li>
<li>Handling a complaint</li>
<li>Working with regulatory/health department officials to isolate the cause and rectify a breach</li>
<li>Communication do&rsquo;s and don&rsquo;ts, with employees and guests</li>
<li>Responding to the media and social media best practices</li>
</ul>
Get the complete guide <a title="Safety_and_Sanitation_NRA_Always_Ready_Foodborne_Illness_Guide" href="https://greatmenusstarthere.com/uploads/files/Safety_and_Sanitation_NRA_Always_Ready_Foodborne_Illness_Guide.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.
Source: National Restaurant Association

This guidebook includes the best means to prevent an outbreak, and what to do during and after if your restaurant is implicated as a source of a foodborne illness.

Always Ready: Foodborne Illness

This article outlines key restaurant menu pricing strategies and the common challenges restaurateurs face.

8 Restaurant Menu Pricing Strategies

Why the smallest details on the plate matter most when market pressures challenge the guest experience.
Setting the Stage: A Market That Won&rsquo;t Sit Still
The restaurant industry is navigating one of the most unpredictable periods in recent memory. Inflation continues to influence purchasing decisions, but it&rsquo;s the volatility of the broader market &ndash; from fluctuating commodity prices to shifting labor availability and evolving consumer expectations - that has operators rethinking how they deliver value at every touchpoint.
Guests today are more observant and more discerning. They notice price movements, portion adjustments, and changes in menu composition. And while operators are working tirelessly to keep their businesses profitable, diners are asking a quiet but important question: &ldquo;Does this still feel worth it?&rdquo;
The New Definition of Value
Answering that question requires a fundamental shift in thinking. In times of economic uncertainty, perceived value becomes just as crucial as actual cost. Operators who can enhance the guest experience in thoughtful, intentional ways are better positioned to maintain loyalty, even as market pressures mount.
Today&rsquo;s diners evaluate value holistically: taste, presentation, ambiance, and attention to detail all shape their willingness to return. When these elements align, guests feel confident that the meal, regardless of price, delivers on its promise.
Where Presentation Steps Forward
This is where the power of small details becomes strikingly clear. Non-food elements such as bamboo or wood picks, skewers, frill garnishes, parasol picks, and other simple plating accents offer operators a subtle yet impactful lever. These might look like simple decorative touches, but they really are signals of craft, care, and upscale presentation. They transform a dish from ordinary to memorable and provide the visual cues that today&rsquo;s value-driven guests instinctively look for.
Micro-Enhancements, Macro Impact
In a volatile market, these micro-enhancements carry real strategic weight. They allow operators to:
<ul>
<li>Strengthen the perceived value of a dish even as costs fluctuate</li>
<li>Differentiate their menu without overhauling recipes or increasing food spend</li>
<li>Create elevated experiences that justify menu prices naturally</li>
<li>Boost guest satisfaction, which is increasingly tied to presentation and ambiance</li>
<li>Add a sense of intention and care, even in fast-paced or high-volume settings</li>
</ul>
These touches require minimal investment but offer a strong return in guest perception, an essential advantage when margins are tight, labor is stretched thin, and the operating environment is unpredictable.
Upscale, Don&rsquo;t Overhaul
One of the most powerful insights of the moment is that operators don&rsquo;t need major menu changes to strengthen value. By enhancing presentation through thoughtful, low-cost accents, restaurants can refresh familiar dishes in ways that feel new, elevated, and intentional. These enhancements reinforce the message that operators care - and guests respond positively to that care.
A Path to Resilience in an Uncertain Climate
As market volatility becomes the new normal, the operators who thrive will be those who think beyond cost-cutting and embrace experience-building. Today&rsquo;s diners want more than a meal&mdash;they want a moment. And thoughtful presentation, even in small forms, helps deliver that moment consistently.
In challenging times, innovation doesn&rsquo;t have to be grand. Sometimes it&rsquo;s the quiet, deliberate touches that shape the value story most convincingly. In a market defined by uncertainty, elevating the plate may be one of the most reliable strategies operators have to keep guests satisfied and coming back.
Content courtesy of Handgards

Why the smallest details on the plate matter most when market pressures challenge the guest experience.

Crafting Value Through Presentation

The rise of Generative AI and large language models (LLMs) has inspired a wave of SEO experimentation. While some misused AI to create low-quality, algorithm-manipulating content, it ultimately encouraged the industry to adopt more strategic content marketing, focusing on new ideas and real value.
Now, as AI search algorithm introductions and changes stabilize, quality, trust, and real audience value are back at the forefront, leaving you to wonder what exactly is on the horizon for gaining visibility in SERPs in 2026.
In this year&rsquo;s SEO Trends 2026, we&rsquo;ve compiled expert advice and predictions on:
<ul>
<li>How to build SEO strategies that outlast algorithm turbulence</li>
<li>Why AI content quality, not quantity, now determines ranking success</li>
<li>The new rules for gaining visibility in a zero-click search environment</li>
<li>How to create audience-first content that earns trust and conversions</li>
</ul>
As we enter 2026, the search world may appear vastly different, yet these genuine, strategic areas of SEO are revitalized and thriving once again.
Our experts have plenty to say about what real, experience-driven SEO looks like in 2026, plus which opportunities you should seize in the year ahead.
Start planning your SEO strategy now.
Access your copy of SEO Trends 2026&nbsp;<a title="Marketing_and_Social_Media_SEO_Trends_Playbook" href="https://greatmenusstarthere.com/uploads/files/Marketing_and_Social_Media_SEO_Trends_Playbook.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> and discover what your key to SERP visibility right now.
Source: <a href="https://www.searchenginejournal.com/seo-trends/" target="_blank">Search Engine Journal</a>
Editor&rsquo;s Note: This article is for informational purposes only, and no endorsement of any vendor(s) should be inferred.

Great news, SEO practitioners: SEO isn’t dying. Bad content is.

SEO Trends 2026

In today's digital age, it&rsquo;s not enough to just have a great menu, location, and service. To truly stand out, your restaurant needs a strong online presence.
And we&rsquo;re not talking about just having a website and social media page. We&rsquo;re talking about making them work together, creating a beautiful symphony between your restaurant website and social media that brings in more customers through both channels.
Why This Matters for Your Brand and SEO
You might be thinking, "Do I really need to fuss with both?"
The answer is a resounding YES! Here's why:
Branding
Your website is your digital storefront. It offers a comprehensive look at your brand, your story, your full menu, and your unique vibe.
Social media, on the other hand, is your dynamic, interactive billboard. It's where you engage with customers, showcase daily specials, share behind-the-scenes glimpses, and let your personality shine.
When your restaurant website and social media work together, they reinforce your brand identity, making it more memorable and cohesive. Imagine seeing a mouth-watering dish on Instagram, then clicking through to a website that perfectly captures the same ambiance. That's brand synergy!
SEO 
Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about making it easy for people to find you when they're searching online. Your website is the core of your SEO strategy, with all your essential information like location, hours, and menu items. But your restaurant social media strategy plays a crucial supporting role.
When people share your content, click through to your website from social posts, or even mention your restaurant in their own social posts, it sends signals to search engines that your business is active and relevant. This can boost your search rankings, meaning more hungry customers will find you when they're searching for "restaurants near me" or "best pizza in town."
Doing It Yourself: A Recipe for Success for Small Restaurants
The good news is, you don't need a massive marketing budget to create synergy between your restaurant website and social media profiles. With a little bit of planning, even small operators can knock this out on their own.
Start by making sure you have consistent branding across all platforms. This is your foundation. Use the same high-quality photos, logos, fonts, and color schemes on both your restaurant website and social media profiles.
If your restaurant has a rustic, farm-to-table vibe, that should come across in both your website and your Instagram. This creates a seamless experience for your customers and strengthens your brand identity.
Cross-Promotion 
Don't be shy about sending traffic back and forth between your restaurant website and social media pages!
<ul>
<li>From social to website:&nbsp;Always include a link to your website in your social media bios. When you post about a new menu item, a special event, or reservation availability, make sure to add a clear call to action like "Learn more on our website!" or "Book your table now!" with a direct link. Instagram's "Link in Bio" is your best friend here.</li>
<li>From website to social:&nbsp;Embed social media widgets on your website so visitors can easily find your accounts to see your latest posts and follow you. Add social media icons that link directly to your profiles. Consider a pop-up or banner on your website inviting visitors to follow you on their favorite platforms for daily specials or behind-the-scenes fun.</li>
</ul>
Content That Connects
Think about your content strategy with both your restaurant website and social media outlets in mind.
<ul>
<li>Website as your hub:&nbsp;Your website is where you present content that remains the same for long periods, such as your full menu, your story, FAQs, and high-quality photos of your space and dishes.</li>
<li>Social media as your storyteller:&nbsp;Use social media to present &ldquo;breaking news.&rdquo; Share daily specials, offer behind-the-scenes glimpses of your kitchen, spotlight staff members, feature some of your regular customers enjoying themselves at happy hour (with their permission!), and pose engaging questions to your community. You can then link back to your website for more details on things like catering menus or private event bookings.</li>
</ul>
More Helpful Restaurant Social Media Strategy Tips
Leverage User-Generated Content (UGC)
Encourage your customers to tag you in their social media posts. When they do, share their photos and stories on your social media. You may even want to consider creating a "Fan Favorites" section on your website where you feature some of the best user-generated content (UGC). This not only provides fresh content but also builds community and trust.
Simplified Online Ordering and Reservations
If you offer online ordering or reservations, make sure these links are prominently displayed on both your restaurant website and social media profiles. The fewer clicks it takes for a customer to order their favorite dish or book a table, the better.
Google My Business (GMB) Integration
While not strictly website or social media, your Google My Business (GMB) profile is critical for local SEO. Make sure your restaurant website and social media links are always up-to-date on your GMB profile. This helps connect all the dots for search engines and customers.
When You Need a Helping Hand: Companies That Can Assist
While you can definitely do a lot on your own, sometimes it's helpful to get a little extra support. Several companies offer services that can streamline your online presence:
<ul>
<li>POS providers:&nbsp;Many modern <a href="https://backofhouse.io/pos-systems" target="_blank">point of sale (POS) systems</a> like <a href="https://backofhouse.io/vendors/toast" target="_blank">Toast</a>, <a href="https://backofhouse.io/vendors/square" target="_blank">Square</a>, and <a href="https://www.clover.com/deals/restaurant/?vn=product&amp;ckmid=103417&amp;traffsrc=brand&amp;a=144&amp;ocid=1024570&amp;agid=169448094407&amp;subid=2139530925.2139530925.1864840651&amp;s1=2139530925.2139530925.1864840651&amp;cpid=116352&amp;gclid=Cj0KCQjwmK_CBhCEARIsAMKwcD7oVLHvjr-lUCJixACNcNXJ2FtxRTMXHUP8JS400yGWZIiWnUxAcM0aAjyJEALw_wcB&amp;device=c&amp;cookiereset=1&amp;c=114008&amp;s3=p.g.755912633673&amp;s4=c&amp;s6=9192625&amp;s7=brand&amp;ls=g&amp;s20=116352&amp;gad_source=1&amp;gad_campaignid=21563477468" target="_blank">Clover</a> offer integrated website building tools, online ordering, and even marketing features that can help you manage your online presence more efficiently and effectively.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.squarespace.com/" target="_blank">Squarespace</a>&nbsp;&amp; <a href="https://backofhouse.io/marketplace#/2467182" target="_blank">Wix</a>: These <a href="https://backofhouse.io/resources/the-best-restaurant-website-builders-for-2025" target="_blank">website builders</a> are fantastic for small businesses because they are user-friendly and often come with built-in features for restaurant website and social media integration, online ordering (through integrations), and SEO tools.</li>
<li><a href="https://www.hootsuite.com/" target="_blank">Hootsuite</a>&nbsp;&amp; <a href="https://buffer.com/" target="_blank">Buffer</a>: If managing multiple social media accounts feels overwhelming, <a href="https://backofhouse.io/resources/social-media-for-restaurants-6-tools-for-success" target="_blank">social media management tools</a> like Hootsuite and Buffer allow you to schedule posts, monitor mentions, and analyze your performance across various platforms from a single dashboard.</li>
<li>Local Marketing Agencies:&nbsp;Many local marketing agencies specialize in helping small businesses with their online presence, including website design, SEO, and restaurant social media strategy. A quick search for "restaurant marketing agency [your city]" can help you find local experts. If you&rsquo;re in a small town, you may be able to find a student or other aspiring marketer to help; ask on your community Facebook page.</li>
</ul>
By putting in a little effort to synergize your restaurant website and social media, you're not just creating an online presence; you're building a thriving digital ecosystem for your restaurant. So go ahead &mdash; harmonize those platforms and watch your customer base grow!
Source: Dan Durkin, <a href="https://greatmenusstarthere.com/Editor&rsquo;s%20Note:%20This%20article%20is%20for%20informational%20purposes%20only,%20and%20no%20endorsement%20of%20any%20vendor(s)%20should%20be%20inferred." target="_blank">Back of House</a>

In today's digital age, it’s not enough to just have a great menu, location, and service. To truly stand out, your restaurant needs a strong online presence.

Create Synergy Between Your Restaurant Website and Social Media Accounts

Most restaurant industry folks have conceded that 2025 didn&rsquo;t quite go the way it was expected to go coming into the year.
&ldquo;We were all fired up in January. Everything&rsquo;s changed,&rdquo; Bank of America managing director and head of the restaurant group Cristin O&rsquo;Hara said during a recent interview. &ldquo;That buoyance we had in January quickly tailed off because of uncertainty.&rdquo;
Uncertainty, she added, is the obvious &ldquo;word of the year&rdquo; winner, driven by a confluence of factors from tariffs to interest rates, layoffs to consumer sentiment, and, of course, lingering inflation.
&ldquo;We thought there would be momentum and that just hasn&rsquo;t happened. Uncertainty does not breed growth or feelings of confidence,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Hara said.
What&rsquo;s more is that some metrics, like consumer sentiment, have even gotten worse. Bank of America data, for instance, shows that one out of four consumers are now living paycheck-to-paycheck.
&ldquo;That&rsquo;s not a good set of circumstances for QSR, or really anyone in a discretionary (spending) environment,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;When people are living paycheck-to-paycheck, they have to make some hard decisions.&rdquo;
As more consumers become more selective, the restaurant industry is shifting into an intensifying market share game, she added. The winners are further separating themselves from the rest of the pack and O&rsquo;Hara doesn&rsquo;t expect this trend to change anytime soon. Of course, moving into that &ldquo;winners&rsquo;&rdquo; bracket is easier said than done, but it&rsquo;s not impossible.
Here&rsquo;s how brands can gain share in 2026.
Expand the idea of &lsquo;value&rsquo; 
The current value environment began proliferating in earnest in the middle of 2024 and has continued to intensify and evolve. Still, traffic remains pressured. That&rsquo;s because the definition of &ldquo;value&rdquo; has evolved to include much more than price, and brands that don&rsquo;t evolve with it will be left behind.
&ldquo;Price is just the denominator now,&rdquo; Revenue Management Solutions chief executive officer John Oakes said during a recent interview. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s about everything else you get on top. The big focus now is on understanding what other things we can do to make sure we&rsquo;re providing great value without just hitting price. Going into next year, there will be more needed conversations about taking less price than inflation.&rdquo;
Oakes added that Chili&rsquo;s is a perfect example here: &ldquo;There&rsquo;s not nearly as much of a gap between casual dining and QSR right now. At Chili&rsquo;s, you&rsquo;re getting what you&rsquo;re paying for, including an entire experience.&rdquo;
O&rsquo;Hara added that QSRs don&rsquo;t have leverage to keep raising prices anymore, as evidenced by continued negative traffic in the segment. Indeed, most brands are planning to be more conservative on price and focused on making sure they&rsquo;re growing their business with more than just check, Oakes added.
Even so, O&rsquo;Hara expects the fragile consumer environment to continue in 2026, particularly for lower-income consumers.
Shifting focus
But, she added that the industry&rsquo;s current struggles aren&rsquo;t just consumer-driven.
&ldquo;There are brands with plenty of problems. Look at Wendy&rsquo;s. They have a corporate C-suite strategy problem,&rdquo; O&rsquo;Hara said. &ldquo;There&rsquo;s only so much math you can do to make it work and it&rsquo;s not just consumers, but some brands needing a reset.&rdquo;
For context, Wendy's is currently searching for its third CEO in two years and interim CEO Ken Cook recently put "Project Fresh" turnaround plan into place after the chain has experienced struggling sales most of this year.
Perhaps because of these higher-level challenges, more restaurant companies are focusing on four-wall profit growth rather than net unit growth. Further, more franchisors are keeping a stronger pulse on franchisees&rsquo; financial performance, according to Oakes.
&ldquo;There are more conversations about franchisees&rsquo; (profit-and-loss statement) data because that&rsquo;s how they make money, and because of the environment,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the data telling (franchisors) what actions need to be taken to improve the business. You have to have some profitability, but brands have to service higher amounts of debt than they did a few years ago. We&rsquo;ve seen a really big focus shift to unit-level economics.
&ldquo;Because of this, I think we&rsquo;ll stay a little conservative on net new unit growth and try to steady the ship a little bit.&rdquo;
Scale and simplicity matter 
Also in this environment, simplicity and scale matter, and perhaps more than ever. O&rsquo;Hara points out some of the strongest brands as an example, such as In-N-Out Burger, Raising Cane&rsquo;s, and Chick-fil-A.
&ldquo;Those guys have management, scale, and simplicity. If the menu is specific, maybe you have more leverage than somebody that is spread too thin on the menu board,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Those with scale can also afford to get the message out with good marketing, they can afford LTOs, and they can maybe do some discounting. Those with financial flexibility are typically the ones with scale and simplicity.&rdquo;
Pushing through continued pullback
That said, even if brands find the right value proposition, find the appropriate amount of visibility into performance metrics, and achieve the right levels of scale and simplicity, that doesn&rsquo;t mean consumers are going to come rushing back. O&rsquo;Hara said the consumer set will remain pressured in 2026 and closures will likely continue as brands are forced to step up their unit-economics&rsquo; game.
Amid such continued uncertainty, consumer insights researcher Lisa Miller said the industry will need to create its own momentum and drive its own demand in 2026 because &ldquo;macro recovery won&rsquo;t do it for them.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Even when fear lessens, diners aren&rsquo;t rushing back. The emotional economy is more sensitive than it&rsquo;s ever been. Our data shows that guests are cautious, spending is selective, and small shocks create big pauses,&rdquo; Miller said.
She added that it&rsquo;s critical for operators to be agile.
&ldquo;The external environment isn&rsquo;t the iceberg. Internal resistance to change is,&rdquo; she said, adding that brands need to move away from slow decision cycles, blaming external forces, and clinging to the past &mdash; or, doing &ldquo;things the way they&rsquo;ve always been done.&rdquo;
&ldquo;The operators who move fast, test fast, and reduce friction inside their own four walls will win in 2026,&rdquo; she said.
Source: Alicia Kelso, <a href="https://www.nrn.com/restaurant-insights/how-restaurants-can-win-market-share-in-2026" target="_blank">Nation&rsquo;s Restaurant News</a>

Expect to see more conservative pricing and prioritizing unit-level economics over net unit growth.

How Restaurants Can Win Market Share in 2026

Every year, Menu Matters takes the consumer pulse to understand how they are feeling and what they want from the food industry in the year ahead. Too often we get so caught up in our own issues, goals, problems, etc., that we forget it all comes back to the ultimate end user&mdash;the consumer. Because before you decide to leverage a trend, ingredient, dish, flavor, cuisine, etc., you need to know if it&rsquo;s something your end user even needs or wants.
So how are consumers feeling as we head into 2026? In a word, destabilized. They live in a world of internet slop, brands and leaders they don&rsquo;t trust, a shaky economy, and a reality that seems to change with every new headline.
Last year, 2025, was a turning point, when advances in AI meant that suddenly every piece of content, from photos to videos to articles, could no longer be trusted&mdash;every piece of media now needs to be questioned. According to <a href="https://allaboutcookies.org/ai-content-online-survey" target="_blank">digital security research firm All About Cookies</a>, 77% of internet users say they have been tricked by AI content online.
What does that mean for consumers? In short, they just want someone to be real with them. They want people and institutions they can trust. They want to know that brands have real people behind them who stand behind their products. They want real products&mdash;ingredients they can trust that feel like an actual value. They want real experiences that feel meaningful, not another cash grab.
Here are five ways you can be more real with consumers in 2026.
1. Cut through the noise.&nbsp;According to the International Journal of Communication, the average person is fed 74 gigabytes of information in a single day, or the equivalent of what an educated person would have consumed in their entire lifetime 500 years ago. But while consumers are being fed a lot of information, much of it isn&rsquo;t very impactful (hours of scrolling through puppy and dance videos) or it&rsquo;s &ldquo;AI slop,&rdquo; the low-quality content that is flooding digital spaces.
Many consumers also say their lives are being inundated with lots of friction&mdash;including new or hidden fees, constant subscription services, extra steps or unnecessary hoops they must jump through (like finding it difficult to cancel a service). Knowing this, how can you cut through some of that noise and help them find real content and solutions? How can your product create an easy, frictionless experience? How can your marketing efforts connect in a real way, not just add more noise?
2. Invent experiences that are unique to your customer.&nbsp;Today&rsquo;s consumers also worry that they can&rsquo;t be their own, real selves. &ldquo;Cringe culture&rdquo; has taken over, particularly for younger generations. They&rsquo;re so afraid of being called out for doing something wrong, online or even in the real world, that they play it safe, never taking a chance to showcase their unique identity. But consumers are looking to break free from those strictures and showcase their individuality. So how do you help them? It goes beyond just letting them customize a bowl or sandwich and instead focuses on options that are truly unique to an individual.
Can you create products that speak to their heritage or background? What about hyper-local foods and flavors that feel unique to their town or region? Some social media users are even creating their own branded cafes in their homes, a way of using food to showcase who they are to their friends and family (albeit it in a very idealized way). How can your brand be the way that a person communicates their authentic self to the world?
3. Help consumers connect with people who understand them.&nbsp;As consumers discover and celebrate what makes them unique and authentic, they also want to connect with others who understand and respect that individuality. They want to find their tribe.
In the past we&rsquo;ve talked a lot about the loneliness epidemic, noting that the hospitality industry is uniquely designed to bring people together. But helping them find their community goes beyond a simple lunch or dinner. It&rsquo;s about bringing people together to celebrate their unique needs, whether it's an early morning dance club for Millennials who don&rsquo;t want to stay out late at night or a PowerPoint night at the local bar where they can showcase their passions or knowledge. It&rsquo;s about creating a more inclusive, empathetic world.
4. Develop more meaningful experiences.&nbsp;At a time when every digital technology is available to us, we&rsquo;re also seeing a concurrent rise in &ldquo;grandma hobbies&rdquo; such as knitting, gardening, crafting, puzzles, etc. Why? They feel more meaningful to consumers. They are hands-on and tactile, hobbies designed for fun and pleasure instead of a side hustle, resulting in the development of a real skill and tangible outcome.
Today&rsquo;s consumers are questioning everything, from work to technology to products, in order to create new paradigms that feel more meaningful and real. Food and cooking can be a very meaningful part of someone&rsquo;s life&mdash;it can be the reward in their day, the way they showcase their creativity, the source of comfort and connection, etc. Are you helping your customer create those more meaningful experiences?
5. Create real trust.&nbsp;According to Gallup, only 16% of US consumers have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in big business, a new low. The default consumer response is often that a company or brand is out to get them&mdash;raising prices without ever lowering them, selling the same frozen products from the same distributors, announcing another recall. Consumers are skeptical of ingredients, whether it&rsquo;s ultra-processed options or seed oils.
So how do you earn real trust from your customer? When Aldi offered a $40 Thanksgiving meal this year, these were some of the comments on social media: &ldquo;Aldi is the real deal.&rdquo; &ldquo;Honestly the fact that a store actually cares is amazing.&rdquo; &ldquo;This is a blessing.&rdquo; It all comes down to understanding your consumers&rsquo; needs.
Source: Maeve Webster and Mike Kostyo, <a href="https://www.preparedfoods.com/articles/131150-how-to-be-real-with-consumers-in-202" target="_blank">Prepared Foods</a>

How are consumers feeling as we head into 2026?

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