Operations

Remember the pandemic? What a difference 3 years make

The restaurant industry is entering a new year with more distance from the bleakest days of the crisis than the calendar might suggest.

Turning the calendar page to a new year is often the time for a reality check. Where’s the restaurant industry in January 2023? And how do expectations for the next 12 months stack up against recollections of the past 12?

There’s no shortage of opinions on what’s ahead for the business. But one thing seems to be a point of agreement: We’re far from the cliff’s edge of three years ago, when the world was first hearing of this strange and aggressive killer called COVID-19.

Forgotten how eerie and daunting those times were? This week’s edition of Restaurant Rewind takes listeners back to the last blissful days of ignorance for an industry that was about to be walloped. Host and Editor At Large Peter Romeo reminds listeners of the business’ disbelief that such a thing could happen, and how far it’s come from those grim days.

Download this and every episode of Restaurant Rewind from wherever you get your podcasts.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Financing

For Starbucks, 2 years of change hasn't yielded promised results

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop giant’s sales struggles worsened earlier this year, despite a flurry of efforts to improve operations and employee satisfaction.

Food

Nando's Americanizes its menu a bit as U.S. expansion continues

Behind the Menu: Favorites like mac and cheese, bowls and salads join the fast casual’s Afro-Portuguese-rooted dishes, including the signature peri-peri chicken.

Financing

The consumer is cutting back, but not everywhere

The Bottom Line: Early earnings from major restaurant chains suggest the consumer has taken a distinct turn for the worse so far in 2024.

Trending

More from our partners