American restaurants emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic to find their traditional economics no longer work. After struggling to stay afloat through lockdowns, restaurant operators endured surging food costs and supply chain shortages.
Source: The Skyrocketing Costs Driving Cheeseburger Prices Up—and Restaurant Owners Out – WSJ
Closures during Covid, then door delivery services (which are often not profitable for the restaurants that provided the food), then minimum wage hikes (as high as $20/hour) have led independent restaurants going out of business or on the verge of going out of business.
The restaurants business is morphing into nation chains of fast fried food, which negotiate better prices due to bulk purchases, and food trucks, with lower fixed costs and take out business.
The other option, especially when traveling, is the local grocery store deli section.
All that will be left will be high end restaurants – and national chains of greasy fried foods, much of which actually tastes terrible.
