Consumers still love their pancakes: Breakfast continues as a big traffic driver, while lunch and dinner visits are down YOY, according to Technomic report.

"Health and wellbeing is one of the top spending categories" for consumers, including a trend toward healthful menus.

"Next value phase isn't about racing to the bottom on price, but about delivering food that's crave-worthy at a price that feels fair."

Technomic report found 41% want items from a "specific region within native countries," and almost half say the food should taste authentic.

Interest in protein is growing 3x faster in the meat category than in plant-based options, according to a Tastewise study.

Despite experiencing "the slowest growth in 20 years," and being open only six days a week, Chick-fil-A remained a customer favorite in 2025.

And 25% of those surveyed said they would switch to a "less-preferred restaurant for better loyalty perks."

A Technomic study also took a look at what's driving the success of Chili's, which reported 17 consecutive quarters of positive same-store growth.