ATLANTA, Jan. 30, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — After contending with another year of high food and labor costs, financially stressed consumers, and fierce competition, U.S. restaurant operators are approaching 2025 with a focus on engaging more guests, more often.
Consumers will see new pricing, ordering and marketing strategies, unique dining experiences, and higher usage of AI to enhance hospitality and bridge labor gaps.
This is according to recent studies of 359 U.S. restaurant operators and 1,000 U.S. consumers by Popmenu, a tech leader serving more than 10,000 restaurants.
“2024 was an incredibly difficult year for many restaurants who saw unsustainable costs grow and guest traffic decline,” said Brendan Sweeney, CEO and Co-founder of Popmenu. “Going into 2025, operators are quickly standing up digital and culinary strategies they believe can have a direct and sizeable impact on revenue, without sacrificing margin. Central to this is constantly reaching more guests, getting to know those guests better than anyone else, and continually engaging them in a very personalized way.”
Restaurant Business Outlook for 2025
Mindful of various economic factors, the majority of restaurant operators (62%) feel cautiously optimistic about their business prospects for the year ahead while 29% feel very optimistic; nearly one third (32%) plan to open a new location or expand an existing one.
From the consumer point of view, 69% say they currently dine at or order takeout/delivery from restaurants at least once a week, down from 75% in last year’s study. Looking ahead, the majority (62%) expect their restaurant spend to hold steady compared to 2024 while nearly 1 in 4 (23%) anticipate an increase this year—72% are prioritizing wallet-friendly meals.
What Consumers Can Expect from Restaurants
- Fewer restaurants raising menu prices – While 57% of restaurant operators expect some increase in menu prices, this is an improvement from 71% last year, and 93% in 2022. One in five operators say they may adopt variable pricing (i.e., prices change based on demand, time of day, day of the week, or seasonality).
- Fewer ordering fees: 75% of operators are looking to reduce online ordering fees this year. A primary strategy is to keep more online orders on their own website to avoid high commissions—reserving third-party delivery sites for initial customer acquisition vs. ongoing order fulfillment.
- More artificial intelligence: From taking orders and preparing food to business operations and marketing, one third of operators (34%) have adopted AI technology at their restaurants while 48% plan to in 2025. More than half (54%) of operators believe AI will become a staple in restaurants over the next three years; 20% believe it’s already a staple.
- More personalized offers: To bring in a steady stream of new and repeat guests, 3 in 4 operators plan to increase marketing activities this year. The same amount plan to build out robust profiles of what each guest likes so they can send out more tailored messages and offers.
- More menu options: To create more cravings and appeal to budget-conscious guests, restaurants plan to offer more limited-time menus (40%), more classics with a twist (32%), and more value meals (28%).
- More unique dining experiences: From memorable ambiance to holiday events, live entertainment, theme nights, nostalgia pop-ups and interactive dinners, 74% of operators plan to offer standout dining experiences, not just a meal.
Survey Methodology
Popmenu conducted an anonymous, nationwide study of 359 U.S. restaurant owners and operators from November 20, 2024 to January 10, 2025. Popmenu also conducted an anonymous, nationwide survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers, ages 18 and older, from November 17 to 18, 2024.
About Popmenu
As a leader in restaurant technology, Popmenu is on a mission to make profitable growth easy for all restaurants. Digital marketing, online ordering, and on-premise technologies headline a powerful product suite infused with artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and deep data on guest preferences. The company consolidates tools needed to engage guests, serving as a digital control center for more than 10,000 independent restaurants and hospitality groups in the US, UK, and Canada. For more information, visit popmenu.com.
Media Contact
Jennifer Grasz
VP of Marketing
jennifer.grasz@popmenu.com
