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The outlook for restaurants in 2026

A Deeper Dive: Technomic’s David Henkes joins the restaurant finance podcast to discuss the outlook for restaurants this year and what has been holding consumers back. By Jonathan Maze on Jan. 07, 2026

What is the outlook for restaurants in 2026?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Technomic Senior Principal David Henkes. 

We wanted to talk with Henkes about what will happen in 2026.

Restaurants are coming off a 2025 in which consumers cut back on dining frequency. Henkes talks about exactly why that happened and whether Technomic believes things will improve over the course of the year.

We get into a lot of other issues, including the state of the economy and what it will take to get people dining out more frequently again. 

We’re talking 2026 outlook on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

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A Deeper Dive  News  economy 
Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants.
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