Restaurant costs up 36% in six years, squeezing every line of the P&L

The National Restaurant Association's new data shows operating expenses have risen 36 percent over the past six years, and the pressure is spread across the entire P&L: food, labor, utilities, and card fees all moved up together. For an indie operator, that means there is no single line item to fix. Margins that worked in 2019 no longer work at 2025 prices, even if revenue has kept pace. Most operators have absorbed pieces of this quietly, through smaller portions, deferred repairs, or thinner scheduling, without ever auditing the full cumulative drift.

Curated by Chayadol Sundarapura · restaurant-business →

Published Thu, 16 Jul 2026 21:57:52 GMT