How will restaurants fare in 2026?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Michelle Korsmo, the president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, who talks about the trade group’s State of the Industry Report.

Korsmo discusses the industry’s annual projection of restaurant sales, profitability and trends. We talk extensively about the association’s expectations for foodservice sales this year, projected to be nearly $1.6 trillion.

We discuss issues with industry profitability, and why so many operators are simply unprofitable. And we talk about immigration and other association priorities.

This is a great conversation with the head of the restaurant industry’s biggest trade group so please check it out.

How the restaurant industry will fare in 2026