Why menu innovation and authenticity help restaurants thrive in bad economies

The restaurant industry is facing serious economic headwinds: at the end of 2024, traffic dipped to -0.8% year-over-year—the lowest traffic rate since before the pandemic, according to the latest Technomic data. Technomic presented its annual State of the Industry report at the 2025 Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, Arizona, which presented a mixed outlook on the restaurant industry's challenges related to low consumer confidence and the recent rollercoaster tariffs news, as well as surprising bright spots amid the downturn.