What’s Up with Restaurants  (In Two Pages)

Big Chalk’s Perspective on the Out-of-Home Dining Category Entering 2025

What’s happening with the out-of-home dining category and where are things headed as we enter 2025?

In a much-needed dose of good news for the restaurant industry, the portion of U.S. households aiming to cut their dining-out spending decreased in Q4 2024 – offering cautious optimism for the category heading into 2025. But it's not all smooth sailing.

Despite some strong earnings from early-reporting chains, driven by aggressive, value-based promotions, holiday spending surveys revealed that restaurant visits were the first expense consumers planned to trim. This leaves Q4 results and early 2025 projections on uncertain ground, as many households continue to keep dining out in their budgetary crosshairs.

Download the PDF for an executive-level deep dive into the trends shaping the restaurant landscape, including shifts in trade-off consumer behavior affecting participation and foot traffic, the role of promotions in driving recovery, and winning strategies to stay ahead in 2025.