Nearly half (47%) of rd+d readers said their business was exactly as projected it would be so far in 2024.

Inflation is the biggest challenge facing 48% of restaurant development + design readers and their teams.

Survey after survey shows that keeping costs contained is a top priority for restaurant development + design readers.

In a pulse survey fielded in June, just 24% of restaurant development + design readers said 2024 being a presidential election year impacts their business plans.

Adding grab-and-go retail sales areas to restaurants has become increasingly popular but it’s not a must-have — at least not yet.

Drive-thrus have been trending since the pandemic broke out in spring 2020.

One key theme emerged when readers were asked which restaurant design trend they’d like to see go away.

New growth does not have a one-size-fits-all answer.

A whopping 56% of restaurant development + design readers surveyed in April say that labor and staffing represent the biggest challenge they face right now.

Readers say interior renovations and additions were where they’d seen the greatest operator investment in existing units so far in 2024.

35% of readers of restaurant development + design magazine said “poor acoustics” was their number one restaurant design pet peeve.

Open/visible kitchens topped the list of overdone restaurant design trends for 30% of survey respondents.

Readers report the overwhelming majority of their new projects include an outdoor dining component.

With the world in the midst of an artificial intelligence (AI) revolution, rd+d asked readers to

While no one aesthetic dominates restaurant spaces, several design concepts continue to move the needle on the projects.

An overwhelming percentage of readers believe that sustainability is important in their new builds and renovation projects.

When asked which technology solution they would like to understand better, 44% of restaurant development + design readers had one solution at the top of their lists.

30% of restaurant development + design readers surveyed noted that their bar projects are getting bigger.

In the wake of the pandemic, the consensus was that economic development was shifting to suburban areas, but that doesn’t seem to hold true for restaurant development +

The majority of rd+d readers said their bottom lines were the same or better than projected so far in 2023, as of an August pulse survey.

Operators are remodeling, according to the latest pulse survey from rd+d. And it’s a split!

While inflation appears to be easing for consumers overall, construction costs have gone up, according to rd+d readers.

Though supply chain woes have slipped from the headlines and have eased overall, it appears the restaurant industry is not in the clear yet.

When asked to name the biggest front-of-the-house restaurant design mistakes they see in the wild, rd+d readers had plenty of opinions.

The death of on-premises dining has been overstated — at least according to rd+d’s latest pulse survey.

When asked to offer up their best advice for operators working with restaurant designers, 45% of rd+d readers said that communication and teamwork are key to a successful

In a pulse survey fielded in February 2023, 52% of rd+d readers wished they had a better understanding of consumer behavior.

In a pulse survey fielded in February, 57% of restaurant development + design readers say that poor acoustics that make it hard for dining companions to hear one another

In a pulse survey fielded in February, 90% of rd+d readers reported feeling optimistic about the state of restaurant development and openings for 2023 and 2024.

Restroom design represents an often overlooked area of restaurant design.