economy

The Bottom Line: There is a sense that low-income consumers are changing their spending at fast-food restaurants and focusing more on value. But the impact appears limited, at least so far.

Restaurants and hotels led all economic segments in job creation during January, yet still came up about half a million jobs short of where their payrolls were pre-pandemic, according to new federal statistics.

Operators have increasingly aggressive growth plans and are proposing more complicated restaurant formats than ever. But permitting and construction delays are slowing it all down.