Restaurant sales and traffic challenges were a huge story in 2025.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive takes a look at the most popular episodes of the year.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, each of them dealt with the challenged industry environment. We spoke with Circana’s David Portalatin about consumers buying on a deal. We spoke multiple times with Technomic’s Rich Shank about the state of the restaurant industry.

We also spoke with National Restaurant Association Chief Economist Chad Moutray about the impact this is having on profitability.

And we wrap it up with Savory Fund Cofounder Andrew Smith on what private equity thinks of all this, specifically why this can be a good time to find high-quality chains.

How will AI truly change the way restaurants do business?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive concludes our series on the impact of AI on the restaurant industry with a discussion of exactly where the technology will be felt the most.

Over the past five weeks, we’ve looked at how AI is affecting fast-food restaurants in the drive-thru, how it’s influencing menu and marketing along with back-of-house tasks. 

We discuss which of these areas the impact will be felt the most, and where we’re more skeptical. We also talk about what areas surprised us, and how all this will change the industry over the next five years. 

AI is already having a big influence on restaurant marketing. 

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive continues our examination of the impact artificial intelligence is having on restaurant marketing. 

The technology is having an impact on marketing for everything from local restaurants to major chains.

Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski speaks with Khara Mangiduyos, who uses AI to help her restaurant, Kalei’s Kitchenette. 

He spoke with Bikky cofounder Abhinav Kapur and Presto cofounder Krishna Gupta, who each talk about their AI-based technology. Guszkowski also talks with former Sonic executive Craig Miller about how these can work with a big chain.

We’re talking AI in marketing on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

Customers may see AI when they order from their favorite restaurant on an app or in the drive-thru, but the technology’s biggest impact may be behind the scenes.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive continues our examination of the impact AI is having on the restaurant industry. This week’s episode looks at the technology’s impact in the back of the house. 

Senior Technology Editor Joe Guszkowski looks at the invisible ways that AI is in use in restaurants, including managing inventory and labor, forecasting sales and predicting kitchen needs. 

We speak with Dan Anfinson, COO of First Watch franchisee Mac Haik Restaurant Group. We also speak with Matt Wampler, cofounder of AI company ClearCOGs, Bruce Harris of Torchy’s Tacos and Khara Mangiduyos of the single-unit Kalei’s Kitchenette in San Diego.

We’re looking at AI in the back of the house so please check it out.

AI can’t necessarily make a burger, but it can help learn what kind of burger to put on the menu.

In this episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive, we continue our examination on the impact AI is having on restaurant menu development. 

The podcast features Christian Frangiatis, the executive chef of One by Spork in Pittsburgh. It also features Jet Tila; Marcus Merritt, the manager of Wiley and Rum, a Cuban-Caribbean fusion restaurant in Atlanta; and Chef Ian Ramirez, the founder of Mad Honey Culinary.

The podcast looks at the way they use artificial intelligence in big and subtle ways, from menu development to ingredient purchasing. 

We’re talking AI and the menu on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

AI is coming for your drive-thru. 

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive continues our look at the impact of AI in the restaurant industry. 

This week, we look at the most visible use of AI in the industry, voice-activated drive-thru ordering. 

A lot of restaurant chains are already using the technology to take orders in the drive-thru and a lot of executives swear by it, saying that it eases tasks for workers and increases sales through suggestive selling.

The biggest fast-food chains in the U.S. are looking at the technology in some form or another. 

But it also has its challenges, and there are at least some indications that drive-thru AI isn’t quite ready for a national rollout. 

We’re talking drive-thru AI on A Deeper Dive so please check it out.

AI is everywhere. Software companies bombard you with promises that their AI-powered programs will revolutionize your business. Prognosticators say it will take over roughly everything. And Wall Street, as ever, is watching.

Restaurants are certainly no exception. Companies are testing and experimenting with AI in nearly every part of their operation, from the drive-thru to the back of the house, from marketing to the kitchen. 

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive is the first in a six-part series on AI in the restaurant industry, looking at the ways big and small chains use the technology. 

We spoke with operators, executives, chefs and others to examine AI in the restaurant industry and its potential impact. This first one takes a broad look at the technology and some of the ways it can be used. 

How is El Pollo Loco giving customers value without giving up profits?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Liz Williams, CEO of the fast-food chicken chain. 

El Pollo Loco just reported a decline in same-store sales with an increase in traffic and restaurant-level profits. Generally speaking when customers pay less per order it’s hard to generate profit growth. Williams explains how the company did this.

But we talk about a lot of other things, including the company’s development strategy—it just opened its 500th restaurant—and the difficulty of operating in California, especially these days.

We also talk about the chain’s plan for beverages and why that’s a huge opportunity. And the company is testing a couple of intriguing chicken products. 

This is a great conversation with Liz Williams so please check it out. 

Why are consumers less responsive to restaurant marketing right now?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Robert Byrne, director of consumer and industry insights with Technomic and a regular podcast guest. 

We wanted to talk with Byrne about the general state of the industry, mostly because we had this question: Why isn’t anything working?

Over the past couple of years, restaurant chains have unleashed more promotions at customers than ever before. They are introducing record numbers of limited-time offers. They have more technology. And the number of deals available to consumers is at record levels. 

Even fast-casual chains that never before had to push lower prices are doing so.

Byrne is an expert on consumer behavior and we talk extensively about what is driving consumers away from restaurants. We discuss consumer concerns about inflation and what they’re thinking when they dine out. In short, consumers’ motivation is a lot different than it was not that long ago.

It’s a great conversation on this week’s A Deeper Dive so please check it out.  

Why are so many consumers dining on a deal?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features David Portalatin, SVP and food industry advisor for the data and technology firm Circana.

Circana just released a report showing that 29% of consumers are dining on a perceived deal, a historically high percentage. That has also grown over the past couple of years at a rate not seen since the Great Recession.

David on the podcast discusses that report and the factors behind consumer budget dining. 

This is a fascinating conversation. We talk about price increases, the types of deals being run, how that’s changed over the past 15 years and how restaurants can adjust to these issues. 

This is a major issue affecting all restaurant operators today and could continue to impact them over the coming months.