It seems hard to believe that businesses are still rebuilding from the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated regulations—nearly six years now. But the truth is, the pandemic and shutdowns had a major impact on business and the economy, especially for restaurants. It is heartening to see that, at the end of 2025, data supported, finally, a subtle turnaround for some restaurants.
Nation’s Restaurant News (NRN) writers Alicia Kelso and Joanna Fantozzi discuss this exciting uptick, noticing patterns among the restaurants doing well. While it wasn’t a complete banner year for the industry, these new strategies are simple and applicable for most restaurants still struggling to restore order in their businesses.
“Five years is a long time to work against such strong forces and that’s one reason we’ve seen an excessive number of turnarounds in the past year or so,” Kelso and Fantozzi write. The authors categorized turnarounds into three main types, noting which businesses have been successful in these areas.
- The “Back to Basics” plan: This was a “common phrase quoted by CEOs like Todd Penegor as he took the helm for his first full year at Papa Johns, and Tarun Lal, at Dave & Buster’s, which went through some leadership tumult before his appointment. Back to Basics, according to them, means reducing complexity, slowing down the pace of growth, and focusing on their brands’ core menu and experience,” NRN states.
- The “Bring Back the Way Things Used to Be” plan: With the rise of the Gen Z into a category of major spenders, we have spent some time considering the nostalgia strategy. In the wake of the pandemic, consumers have lost a sense of stability in control, much in the way that businesses have. Everyone wants something they knew used to be good. “Consider Brian Niccol’s ‘Back to Starbucks’ plan,” says NRN. “This approach seeks to revive some nostalgic feelings of earlier success. Niccol acknowledged that Starbucks used to be more personable, for example, so he brought back handwritten names on cups and the condiments bar.”
- The Bold Makeover: An option less accessible to all restaurant businesses, a full re-brand is a “high-risk, potential high-reward strategy usually involves bolder moves,” write Kelso and Fantozzi, and it “can backfire, as Cracker Barrel’s experience this year demonstrates.” Sometimes a risk is worth the reward, however, and just as some consumers long for what once was, especially with the start of a new year, others are looking forward to something fresh and new.
Richard Weil, owner and principal of National Restaurant Consultants (NRC) is a six-decade experienced entrepreneur. “The three categories that are noted in the article above really incorporate a common theme in the back to the basics plan. The need to meet and exceed guest expectations fall into all three categories. Taking the time to look at your own operation through the eyes of your customers with needed information from you staff will help guide operators along the best pathway.”
Whatever tactic makes sense for your business, National Restaurant Consultants are equipped and ready to help. It is important to seize the momentum of this trend and determine what speaks to your customers, and what falls into your bandwidth and budget. Our restaurant consultants have decades’ worth of experience, making nuanced changes and totally overhauling restaurants’ operations.
[QUOTE FROM RICHARD]