Missing a market trend doesn’t just mean falling behind.

It means losing real revenue.

From external factors impacting guest traffic to rising operational inefficiencies, the cost of ignoring what’s shaping consumer sentiment adds up fast.

Being close to the market isn’t just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity for survival.

Yet too often, brands are caught flat-footed, reacting too late to shifts they could have seen coming.

So we dug into the real impact of market trends on restaurant performance and the strategies forward-thinking brands are using to stay ahead. Here’s what we found.

Consumer Behavior Trends

Ignoring shifts in consumer behavior is one of the fastest ways to become irrelevant.

Preferences around value and experience evolve quickly.

So what’s the solution?

Stay close to the voice of the guest.

Easy to say, harder to do.

At BBI, we help guide restaurants to get better with sentiment dashboards.

By combining decades of restaurant expertise, AI, guest experience management, and the best workforce and financial benchmarks, brands can make better choices backed by real data.

However, with or without BBI dashboards, the important part is that you track real-time feedback – and then ensure you’re comparing against your competition and segmenting your analysis in a meaningful way (e.g. location, daypart, etc.).

Best Practice #1:

Guest feedback compounds – the more you have of it, the more accurate and holistic the picture you gain will be. This means ensuring you incorporate different review channels and survey responses. The key is consistency: both in terms of the sources of feedback you analyze and – crucially – HOW you analyze it. If you analyze different feedback sources using different tools or methodologies, don’t expect to get a clear picture.

Best Practice #2:

Set a regular cadence – monthly or quarterly – to monitor feedback trends outside of break/fix resolution so you can get a 30,000 foot view. Then align your marketing, operations, and menu strategies accordingly.

Best Practice #3:

Leverage FREE resources in the industry.

Don’t overlook tools like:

• State of the Industry Webinar, which helps restaurant leaders benchmark and track macro-level shifts shaping consumer demand
• Industry commentary from organizations able to offer a unique perspective or industry media outlets that consolidate trend analysis from a healthy variety of sources:
  • Restaurant Dive– the latest news in the restaurant industry, covering topics like consumer trends, technology, marketing and branding, operations, and more
  • Out of the Box– helping brands stay ahead of restaurant market trends and make proactive decisions based on trends from proprietary Black Box Intelligence data
  • Doordash’s Merchant Blog– Explore today’s dining habits and get industry insights from the 2025 DoorDash Delivery Trends Report.

Economic Trends

Economic conditions shape how and where guests choose to spend.

Ignoring shifts in inflation, employment confidence, or discretionary income can lead to pricing missteps, overextended promotions, or missed opportunities to meet guests where they are financially.

The most successful brands monitor key economic indicators and adjust quickly.

Black Box Intelligence’s Performance Intelligence platform, for example, allows you to compare guest sentiment and traffic performance across different economic climates.

Best Practice #1:

Set quarterly planning sessions to reevaluate pricing, portion sizes, and promotional strategies in light of economic signals.

Best Practice #2:

Pair this with external data sources like the Bureau of Labor Statistics or the Conference Board’s Consumer Confidence Index for broader context. Staying in sync with the economic mood ensures your brand delivers value—not just discounts.

Menu & Culinary Trends

In a saturated market, a well-executed menu launch can be one of the most impactful moves a brand makes. Menu innovation also equips restaurateurs with new, compelling narratives to amplify across campaigns.

This can help brands break through the noise and remain top of mind. But the benefits go beyond excitement.

Thoughtful innovation, such as limited-time offers, can yield significant financial results.

With impacts varying across traffic, check size, and lasting brand buzz.

But campaigns and menu innovations that don’t align with current restaurant market trends or customer preferences? They can fall flat or even have negative impacts.

To provide a crude example, promoting high-priced items during economic downturns may not resonate with value-seeking customers. Guest sentiment analysis can provide invaluable insights into what customers truly desire, enabling brands to tailor offerings accordingly.

Denny’s serves as a prime example of aligning brand purpose with operational strategies.

By ensuring that every team member understands and embodies the brand’s mission, Denny’s has successfully navigated market shifts and maintained customer loyalty.

Best Practice #1:

Test new items as LTOs to gauge interest without overcommitting resources. Use sales and sentiment data during the LTO window to inform whether to scale, tweak, or retire the item.

Best Practice #2:

Benchmark your menu performance against competitors. Identify what’s trending in your segment. Tools like Black Box’s Competitor Intelligence, help you take control of guest sentiment brand comparisons to know exactly where to focus to stand out.

Technology Trends

Technology isn’t just streamlining operations. It’s about shaping the guest experience and redefining what competitive advantage looks like.

From digital ordering and loyalty programs to back-of-house operations and real-time sentiment tracking, the most successful concepts treat technology as a guest experience multiplier.

We’ve seen how the right tech stack can turn data into a strategic asset.

In fact, our own AI-powered platforms don’t just report on performance…

They surface insights that drive action.

That can look like predicting traffic changes based on economic indicator. Alternatively, it could be revealing why a certain LTO resonated more with Gen Z guests.

Regardless, we help restaurant brands see around corners.

Most importantly, forward-thinking brands don’t adopt tech for tech’s sake.

They implement it with a clear purpose: to serve guests better, streamline operations, and boost ROI.

Best Practice #1:

Make AI your co-pilot, not your afterthought.

The right AI model can flag sentiment dips, identify operational bottlenecks, and even surface patterns across dayparts, regions, and guest types. So, leverage AI tools that help your brand connect the dots between guest feedback and business performance.

Best Practice #2:

Audit your guest-facing and internal tech annually.
From mobile UX to drive-thru wait times, every touchpoint should enhance the guest experience. Use guest sentiment data to identify friction points, and map them to your tech tools. Are your loyalty programs actually driving retention? Are your kiosks boosting check size or just creating frustration? Build your roadmap from the data up.

Operational Trends

Operational inefficiencies often stem from a lack of responsiveness to guest feedback. Negative reviews highlighting issues like slow service or unclean environments can deter potential customers and erode brand reputation. Black Box Intelligence’s research indicates that even a 0.1-star increase in ASR can significantly boost revenue.

Just take it from Roger Gondek, COO at Best Practice Award Winning Brand, Twin Peaks.

The Twin Peaks team achieves success by prioritizing their workforce to enhance guest experiences.

Twin Peaks found that well-staffed restaurants contribute to:

• Faster service and higher table turnover.
• A better work environment, which reduces employee stress and turnover.
• Increased per-table averages through attentive upselling opportunities.

Best Practice #1:

Pilot, measure, scale. Repeat.

Before rolling out new tech system-wide, test it with small samples. That means first rolling it out in a few strategically chosen locations or through limited menus. Use performance metrics like guest sentiment, throughput, and check averages to evaluate success.

Best Practice #2:

Benchmark your tech stack against your competitive set.

Staying relevant means knowing how your digital experience stacks up. Tools like BBI’s Competitor Intelligence let you compare guest satisfaction and sentiment scores against similar brands, helping you identify where you’re winning and where you’re falling behind.