The last several years have been a string of disruptions to the restaurant industry. From pandemic rules and food-cost hikes, labor shortages to tariffs and rapid-fire changes to technology, as an industry, restaurants have been on a rollercoaster. While monitoring trends and adjusting accordingly demonstrates a flexible and healthy sense of hospitality, restaurants also must balance a stoicism that gives customers a sense of place and familiarity—which is why it was heartening to read Nation’s Restaurant News’s (NRN) recent article about the return of full-service restaurants.
According to the piece, Placer.ai data reported that “traffic at casual dining concepts stabilized in the first half of 2025.” Further: “Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Michael Halen notes that casual dining outperformed quick-service in the first half of this year, driven by hospitality and strong value perceptions “via portion sizes and reasonable prices.” Family dining same-store sales have also turned positive recently, according to Black Box Intelligence.”
It seems this is especially true for restaurant groups that have weathered the ups and downs and navigated necessary changes and improvements over the last few years. “Brands that launched menu updates, including TGI Fridays, Olive Garden, and The Cheesecake Factory, saw notable engagement and positive feedback,” NRN noted. This included updates to technology digital systems to improve the customer experience—an efficiency that has been noticeably appreciated even in sit-down establishments like Outback Steakhouse, Chili’s, and Applebee’s.
NRN still paints a realistic picture, and there are further areas of improvement that restaurant owners should pay attention to. “Some brands were criticized for not having healthier options, for example, while others had unsatisfying portion sizes,” was on example. Customers are generally more and more educated about health and will expect to be able to accommodate their dietary needs and wants. Other improvement areas to watch for include a balance between the demand for technology and becoming so digitally forward that a human component is lost, NRN added. “Sentiment around service also declined at several chains, with wait times and order accuracy emerging as common pain points.”
Alicia Kelso’s article included lists of full-service establishments ranked for customer experience, menu offerings, and overall value.
Richard Weil, owner and principal for National Restaurant Consultants adds, “With full-service customers, expectations—in all generational demographics—remain high for customer service, as noted above. The ability to provide guests with, not just quality food and cleanliness, but also excellent service remains paramount. Meeting and exceeding guests’ expectations is not only meaningful but is a primary reasons guests return. Make sure you are watching and listening to guests’ interactions and both their verbal and non-verbal responses throughout their time in your restaurant. It matters!”