The restaurant industry in 2026 is tightening. 

Here is how to navigate a landscape where customer habits are shifting, costs are rising, and standing still is the riskiest move of all.

In this Omada article, we’ll cover:

• Should you care about the top restaurant growth trends?
• Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Sales and revenue
• Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Food and styles
• Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Marketing and operations
• Restaurant growth trends in 2026: What's out?

Should you care about the top restaurant growth trends?

There is a valid argument to be made that you don't have to care about trends at all. 

Many of the world’s best-loved restaurants - from the corner diner that hasn’t changed its menu in forty years to the family-run Italian spot using the same tablecloths since 1995 - survive and even thrive by refusing to change a thing. 

Their brand is consistency. Their value proposition is nostalgia and reliability. 

If that is your model, chasing the "next big thing" can actually damage the authenticity your regulars love.

However, for every institution that thrives on stasis, a great many more fail as the industry evolves without them. 

We wouldn't advocate for any firm to blindly follow trends; you must be authentic to your vision and respectful of your specific clientele. 

But ignoring the shifting ground beneath your feet is dangerous. 

You have to know what your customers want, but perhaps more importantly, you need to know what trends they won't like and what shifts in the economy will force their hand.

Staying on top of industry trends isn't about pivoting your entire concept to sell the viral food of the week. It is a great way to make small, strategic adjustments to your offering or operations to keep competitive. It allows you to anticipate pain points before they become critical injuries. 

This is especially true when times are tough. 

The hospitality and retail industries are currently being squeezed by economic pressures, and in a tight margin business, awareness is the difference between weathering the storm and being washed away.

Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Sales and revenue

The economic landscape for restaurants has shifted dramatically over the last few years. According to recent data from McKinsey, food away from home now accounts for more than half of all US food and beverage spending. 

On the surface, this sounds like a victory for the industry. But digging deeper reveals that total spending has plateaued. Firms relying on the aggressive growth models of the early 2020s may need to rethink their strategies immediately.

The dynamics of inflation have played a tricky game with consumer psychology. Post-pandemic inflation initially impacted the prices of groceries and food eaten at home more severely than restaurant prices. 

This made dining out feel like a comparative value. 

However, that dynamic has reversed. Eating out has seen sharper price rises recently compared to eating in, just as consumers are becoming increasingly price-sensitive. There has been a mass reduction in the desire to eat out, with people across the board reporting a lower intention of dining in restaurants over the next three months.

The pressure is not distributed equally. Every generational cohort reports less intention to eat out, with lower-income groups tightening their wallets the most. Interestingly, even middle-income earners in older generations are choosing the grocery store over the menu. 

The two forces of gravity here appear to be low income and older age; both groups feel the need to cut back significantly.

The most resilient groups? 

High-income Millennials and high-income Baby Boomers. These two cohorts saw only single percentage point drops in their intention to dine out. These trends remain consistent across eat-in or take-out scenarios. 

For the rest of the market, the plan is to spend less. When asked how they plan to do that, 50% of consumers cited using discounts or promotions. 

This suggests a clear path for 2026: restaurants may need to cut internal costs now to prepare for declining sales volume, while simultaneously offering aggressive promotions to keep price-sensitive customers coming through the door.

Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Food and styles

If customers are spending less, what exactly are they looking for when they do spend? 

According to the ConsumerWise survey, value is now increasingly defined by volume. After poor food quality, the main disappointment diners report is that the portion wasn't big enough. 

As expectations of value shift in a high-inflation environment, portion size is becoming a primary motivator. People want to see where their money is going, quite literally, on the plate.

In terms of specific menu items, the data reveals a fascinating contradiction between what consumers say and what they buy. The dishes that customers report intending to cut back on are burgers (57%), seafood (50%), and Italian food (49%), with steak, desserts, and specialty coffees trailing closely behind. Conversely, the food consumers claim they are least likely to cut back on includes salad (18%), sandwiches, and Asian cuisine.

This reflects a continued consumer trend toward health and wellness: a multi-year process that has seen the rise of poke bowls, high-protein diets, and avocado-everything. 

It is indicative of a focus on image and longevity that continues to impact hospitality.

However, restaurant owners should take self-reported survey data with a grain of salt. It should be noted that despite the intention to cut back, burgers still represent almost a third of all restaurant sales in 2024-2025.

The lesson here is not to delete your burger section, but to understand the "guilt gap."

Customers *want* to eat healthier (salads/Asian), but they often *buy* comfort (burgers/pasta). The winning strategy for 2026 may be offering healthier options to get them in the door, but ensuring your comfort staples offer massive, undeniable value through portion size for when they inevitably order the burger.

Restaurant growth trends in 2026: Marketing and operations

RestaurantDive predicts a difficult year for the industry in 2026, with sales set to struggle and operational costs continuing to climb. "Profitability and survival becomes a question, and it’s a challenge when you see that sales are trending down," notes analyst Victor Fernandez. 

The pressures are coming from all sides. "Supply chains are really screwed up again," says Phil Kafarakis, president and CEO of IFMA. "Tariffs have a lot to do with that... There’s a lot of uncertainty with the physical mechanics of moving stuff from around the world, and the logistics are a nightmare."

Bryan Solar adds a stark warning: "Figuring out how to manage costs in order to be profitable is going to happen at a clip that has not happened historically for restaurants. The ones who don’t, unfortunately, I don’t think they’re going to be as successful."

The industry reaction is to lean heavily on technology to survive. 

But for small, owner-operated restaurants, buying complex software isn't the answer - they don't have time to learn it. They need labor. This is why restaurants are increasingly turning to Omada.

Omada is not a tool you have to manage; it is an AI marketing team that does the work for you. For a small restaurant owner, saving 10 hours a week by not having to film reels, post to social media, answer customer DMs, or plan campaigns is a financial lifeline. 

That is 10 hours you can put back into the kitchen or the books.

Omada acts as a full marketing department - a social media manager, a video producer, a graphic designer, and a bilingual customer service rep - all working autonomously. 

It ensures your restaurant shows up every single day, capturing leads and answering queries in English and Spanish, without you lifting a finger. 

For the price of roughly one meal a day, Omada removes the burden of growth so you can focus on survival and quality. In 2026, the restaurants that win won't be the ones working harder; they will be the ones who hired the right team to handle the noise.

Restaurant growth trends in 2026: What's out?

Beyond the hard economic data, British fashion magazine GQ reminds us that growth is often a question of taste. What is "in" and what is "out" for 2026? 

When a pretentious outlet based in London or New York claims something is "out," it can actually be deeply instructive for a restaurant owner in a different market.

Trends from the urban core often take years to trickle down to the rest of the country. A trend declared "dead" by a critic in Manhattan might just be arriving in a suburb or small town. 

This creates a massive arbitrage opportunity. If your restaurant scene is a bit more small-town, you should check whether other firms in your market have ridden these trends yet. If they haven't, consider incorporating them now. You can capitalize on them while they are still hot in the taste-making capitals, knowing they will feel fresh to your local audience.

GQ cites items like "Hot Honey," "French Dip," and "Tableside Theatre" as major movements. Tableside theatre - preparing caesar salads, carving meats, or flaming desserts at the table - speaks directly to the "value" trend mentioned earlier. It turns a meal into an event, justifying the higher price point. Hot honey offers a cheap way to update a menu without changing core ingredients.

Ultimately, there is opportunity in every corner of the market if you look closely. 

Whether it is leveraging "old" trends that are new to your zip code, using Omada to reclaim your time, or adjusting portion sizes to scream "value," the goal for 2026 is simple: stay agile, stay visible, and keep your doors open.