Operations

Restaurant operators still planning to add locations despite economy

Photo: Adobe Stock

September 9, 2025

Restaurant brands are continuing to plan new locations but are strategically thinking about how they scale more sustainably while also identifying critical areas for improvement, according to The 2025 Restaurant Growth Insights Report by Crunchtime Information Systems Inc. in partnership with Technomic.

Key findings include:

• Growth plans amid economic concerns: Operators plan to open, on average, 20% more new locations in the next two years than the last two, despite 73% being concerned about economic uncertainty, and 75% saying that growth is now harder to achieve.
• Sales forecasting accuracy falls short: Despite being a top priority, operators say their sales forecasts are only 60% accurate, on average, even though 72% use tech-based forecasting tools. This signals that while tools exist, many solutions are not meeting their needs. Inaccurate forecasts (off by 40%) will negatively impact growth and profitability.
• Visibility gaps hurt the bottom line: While 80% of operators prioritize real-time visibility into data across key areas like labor, food costs, and compliance, fewer than half actually have it. Major blind spots exist in tracking food costs, waste, and ingredient usage — critical to profitability. Full visibility is essential for spotting issues, ensuring accountability and making smart decisions that protect growth and guest experience.
• Growth depends on strong vendor support: Although 83% of operators strive to partner with vendors who can support their growth, 79% faced challenges during periods of expansion, ranging from rising costs to poor integration, which all become amplified as brands scale. These challenges highlight that the tools that are in place aren't always delivering the real-time guidance or accuracy needed.

"Restaurant operators are focused not only on opening new locations, but also on ensuring their systems, teams and partners are built to scale. This research gives them the benchmarks they need to make those calls," John Raguin, CEO of Crunchtime, said in a press release on the findings. "At the same time, there's significant opportunity to improve forecasting accuracy and real-time visibility into operational data — capabilities that are critical to getting growth right."