Restaurant Trends to Watch in 2025

After contending with another year of high food and labor costs, financially stressed consumers, and fierce competition, restaurant operators are approaching 2025 with a heightened focus on growing and protecting their business. Discover how they plan to step up their marketing game, create new menus, pricing strategies, and dining experiences, use automation and AI in daily tasks, reduce waste, and more. Get all the juicy insights in Popmenu’s latest nationwide study of U.S. restaurant leaders and consumers.

“2024 was an incredibly difficult year for many restaurants who saw unsustainable costs grow and guest traffic decline. 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.”

Brendan Sweeney, CEO & Co-founder of Popmenu

Business outlook for 2025.

Optimism prevails when it comes to business prospects, but operators remain watchful of economic factors such as consumer purchasing behavior, the cost of doing business, and the transition to a new U.S. presidential administration.

How operators feel about the year ahead.

2025

2024

Very optimistic

29%

33%

Cautiously
optimistic

61%

56%

Not optimistic

10%

11%

32%

Plan to open a new location or expand an existing one, on par with last year.

The guest point of view.

Most consumers (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. Over the next 12 months, restaurant patronage will largely mirror that of 2024, with some improvement, as guests prioritize wallet-friendly menus and unique dining experiences.

The majority of consumers (62%) expect their restaurant spend to hold steady this year while near 1 in 4 expect an increase.

23%

will spend more on restaurants in 2025

62%

will maintain restaurant spend in 2025

64%

want more dining experiences vs. just food

When asked what would make them more likely to visit one restaurant over another in the months ahead, many consumers pointed to bigger, better deals:

72%

affordable meal options

50%

special offers and discounts

How operators plan to grow and safeguard their business in 2025.

Reach more guests and build closer relationships with them.

To strengthen demand, 3 in 4 operators expect to increase marketing across digital channels. The majority also plan to assemble robust profiles of what guests like, send personalized offers and messages more frequently, and get better at asking for and managing guest feedback. By the numbers, operators will…
‍

62%

invite more people to join their VIP list

66%

send out offers and rewards

72%

get guest feedback regularly

66%

respond to reviews in a timely manner

Top channels operators are using to entice first-timers and regulars include:

The majority of operators (81%) say they will closely monitor guest traffic, revenue, email open rates, social engagement, and other ROI metrics tied to marketing activities to guide future campaigns and messaging.

“To stay competitive in today’s market, you have to communicate with your customers, whether that’s via your website, social media, email, or text. It’s probably the second most important thing behind providing great food and exceptional service.”

Joel Keller, Chief Operating Officer of Henri’s Bakery and Deli

Introduce new menu options, pricing, and dining experiences.

Consumers walking into their favorite eateries will likely see some changes to menu content and pricing. Operators plan to offer:

More than half (57%) of operators plan to increase menu prices, an improvement from 71% last year and 93% in 2022, as food costs become relatively more manageable and operators appeal to budget-strained consumers. 1 in 5 operators (22%) are considering variable menu pricing (i.e., prices change based on demand, time of day, day of the week, or seasonality).

Percentage of operators increasing menu prices:

57%

2025

71%

2024

72%

2023

93%

2022

Consumers looking for unique dining experiences will find that 74% of operators are happy to oblige with memorable ambiance and special events and entertainment. Operators plan to offer more of the following in the year ahead:

75%

Holiday events

60%

Live music/entertainment

59%

Theme nights

30%

Unique lighting/decor

22%

Nostalgia pop-ups

21%

Interactive dinners

“The biggest challenge in creating a restaurant is to tell a story from the moment you walk in, being able to transform you through a journey. I look at the restaurant through the lens of ‘Am I transporting people or not?’”

Fares Kargar, Founder and Owner of Delbar

Lean on AI and automation.

AI and automation will continue to play critical roles in enhancing hospitality. Noting a positive impact on brand visibility, foot traffic, revenue, and productivity, large percentages of operators plan to automate more online and on-premise functions in 2025—with a heavy emphasis on providing front-of-house support.

59%

automate more online functions

43%

automate more on-premise functions

45%

Front of house

28%

Back of house

31%

Management

From taking orders and preparing food to business operations and marketing, one third of operators have adopted AI technology at their restaurants, while 48% plan to in 2025. More than half of operators believe AI will become a staple in restaurants over the next three years; 20% believe it’s already a staple.

34%

have adopted AI technology

48%

plan to adopt AI technology in 2025

54%

believe AI will become a staple in restaurants over the next 3 years

20%

believe AI is already a staple in restaurants

When making purchasing decisions on AI and other technologies, 94% of operators say the level of customer support they will receive is a top factor in choosing vendors.

“When you run six restaurants with a small team, the goal is to streamline projects and make things more efficient. Marketing with AI helps us do this.”

Sarah Truex, Marketing and Social Media Manager of Locanda Restaurants

Minimize waste, tools, and fees.

To positively impact financial outcomes and the environment, operators are seeking ways to fully utilize food resources so nothing is wasted. They are also moving from multiple tools to fewer tools that can cover the same functions, and ultimately save time and money.

70%

plan to reduce or eliminate food waste

38%

plan to consolidate technologies

In addition, 3 in 4 operators are looking to reduce fees for online orders. 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. Operators also want to gain efficiencies to minimize the number of times they have to pause intake of online orders, so they don't miss revenue opportunities.

75%

plan to reduce online ordering fees

47%

plan to reduce how often they have to pause intake of online orders

“The majority of our stores in North America have moved to direct online ordering. Instead of jumping between systems, we now manage everything in one platform and control the guest experience.”

Care Pantojan, Marketing Manager of Max’s North America

That’s a wrap.

Following an intensely challenging year, operators are entering 2025 with a playbook for boosting traffic and revenue, reducing waste, and building stronger guest relationships. Marketing across digital channels, introducing new menus and creative dining experiences, and engaging guests with tailored content will take center stage—with AI and automation serving as linchpins for efficiency and profitable growth.

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. 