National Restaurant Association news and trends

Food Services Employment Returns to Pre-Pandemic Level With 61,000 Gain
Economy // October 06, 2023

The number of people employed in food services and drinking places is back to where it was in the pre-pandemic month of February 2020. It reached that level with the addition of 61,000 during the month of September, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) said...

Restaurants Lean Into Drive-Thrus as New Data Show Recovery Endangered by Delta Variant
Restaurant innovation // September 01, 2021

In 2021, the restaurant industry is faring much better than last year, but the rise of the delta variant threatens restaurants in the latter part of the year. On Tuesday (Aug. 31), the National Restaurant Association released its mid-year supplement to the 2021 State of...

National Restaurant Association Urges Congress to Replenish Relief Fund In Response To Delta Variant
Restaurant Roundup // August 24, 2021

Restaurants are in danger — that is the message that the National Restaurant Association is communicating to Congress through an open letter sent Tuesday (Aug 24) regarding the threat that the delta variant poses. The letter relays findings of the association’s recent survey of restaurant...

Restaurant Sales Fell In February, But Coming Months Look Promising
Retail // March 18, 2021

February may have been a good month for the restaurant industry in terms of job gains, but sales tell a different story. The National Restaurant Association, the “largest foodservice trade association in the world,” which represents over 500,000 U.S. restaurant businesses, reported on Tuesday (March...

Quick Reads
FTC Junk Fee Crackdown Leaves Restaurants Feeling Queasy

August 25, 2024
The Biden administration’s anti-junk-fee campaign is targeting the restaurant sector. But as CNBC reported Sunday (Aug. 25), restaurateurs are trying to avoid this fight. The report, citing data from the National Restaurant Association, said that 15% of restaurant owners added surcharges or fees to checks due to higher costs last year. And a recent report […]

Food Services Employment Returns to Pre-Pandemic Level With 61,000 Gain

October 06, 2023
The number of people employed in food services and drinking places is back to where it was in the pre-pandemic month of February 2020. It reached that level with the...

Restaurant Industry: Over Half-Million Eateries In ‘Economic Free Fall’

December 08, 2020
Over 110,000 restaurants have shuttered since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and another 500,000-plus establishments are in an “economic free fall,” the National Restaurant Association said in a letter...

National Restaurant Association To Governors: Eateries Aren’t COVID-19 ‘Super Spreaders’

November 19, 2020
As governors across the country scramble to reimpose restrictions on dining as coronavirus cases soar, the National Restaurant Association is pushing back. The influential restaurant trade and lobbying group fired...