Running a restaurant in 2026 means operating in constant uncertainty. Labor costs won't stop climbing. Customer expectations keep changing. And somewhere in all that chaos, you need to actually make money.
The average restaurant profit margin hovers between 3% and 5%, with top performers reaching around 10%. Nearly 17% of restaurants close within their first year, and about 50% fail within five years. The margins are tight, and the room for error is getting smaller.
Most operators wait for something to break before they look closely at their business. By then, they're already losing ground. The smarter move? Pressure test everything before the market does it for you.