Nostalgia-driven aesthetics will be the most influential restaurant design style for 2026, according to 36% of restaurant development + design readers participating in a December 2025 survey.
Another 27% of readers said maximalism and layered storytelling will be the top design style this year.
Other styles named as key trends in 2026 included cozy — residential in scale and feel (11%), high-tech/futuristic (9%), biophilic or nature-driven designs (7%) and glam/luxe (4%).
Finally, 7% named a grab bag of other styles, including “comfortable urban,” “low-tech” and a desire for each style to be “classy.”
rd+d regularly surveys subscribers on the state of restaurant development and design. This survey was fielded in December 2025. Subscribe to The Pulse to get rd+d’s surveys and results delivered to your inbox six times a year and to contribute your opinions to the surveys.
