What to make of a weird year in the restaurant business

What are we to make of the weird year in restaurants?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Kenny Kraft, a managing director with Houlihan Lokey, and Tyler Martinez, a vice president with the investment firm.

The three of us talk about the state of the restaurant industry, and there’s a lot to talk about. This year has been an odd one. 

Consumers have cut back on dining out at fast-food chains and casual dining concepts but appear to be spending more at restaurants overall. Some chains are filing for bankruptcy and others like Wingstop are generating record high sales. 

And many concepts are grabbing share, such as Chili’s, Popeyes and Domino’s.

We talk about what’s driving these share gains and these differences. We talk extensively about consumers’ perception of value, and how brands can get on the right side of consumer perception of quality. 

We also talk a bit about the eatertainment sector and what’s driving challenges there this year. 

We’re talking about the state of the restaurant industry on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.