prices

Workforce

D.C. restaurants reel from a triple dose of woes

Eating places are closing at the rate of one per week because of the one-two-three combination.

Operations

Inflation eases, but not at fast-food restaurants

Limited-service menu prices rose 6.2% over the past year, according to new federal data, and continue to rise at a rate much faster than overall inflation.

Lower-income people are clearly pulling back, while higher earners and families show resilience, according to new data.

Cava, the newly public fast-casual chain called "the next Chipotle" by investors, and Noodles & Co., which held that title a decade ago, just reported two very different quarters that are a study in contrasts—and offer a warning for Cava.

Restaurant Rewind: The 1,500-seat, $30 million-a-year landmark may have been the restaurant industry’s greatest value story.

Working Lunch: A McDonald's in Connecticut is already charging that much for a combo featuring the signature sandwich. Might that become the threshold in the industry's largest restaurant market?

Consumers have been resilient. But they’re also paying more for food than ever before. Operators may need to look beyond price increases next year.

Company officials say the required wage hike next year will increase labor costs up to 3%. And that cost will be passed on to consumers.

Food away-from-home prices continue rising faster than grocery prices, even as they are more muted from previous years’ increases.

The Bottom Line: Restaurants have stepped off the pricing gas. But sales are slowing and traffic is weak, and more operators are turning to price promotions.

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