What’s the future have in store for FAT Brands? How did GDP fare during the first quarter? Is consolidation good for business? The U.S. owes how much? How many restaurant jobs did Chicago lose? Answers to these questions and more, This Week in Foodservice.

Chili’s performance remains, well, chili pepper hot.

Not only are the chain’s financial results outpacing the casual dining segment, it’s same-store sales are fast approaching $5 million in annual unit value, which is a significant increase from its $3 million mark prior to this multi-year run, per a FSR Magazine story.

The piece puts a finer point on this amazing run: the chain grew by 21% in 2025 and added nearly $1 billion in sales, which would surpass the annual sales of many large chains, like Bob Evans, Hooters, and Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen.

Foodservice News

• The restaurant industry’s performance took a small step backward in March. The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index came in at 100.0 for the month, which represents a 0.9-point decline from February. Both the Current Situation and Expectations Indexes declined.
• A high-efficiency equipment package continues to drive performance at Chipotle. The chain now has this package installed at more than 600 restaurants, which is 250 more than the previous quarter, per a Restaurant Dive story. Where Chipotle has installed its high-efficiency package it has improvement in same-store sales, the story adds. The package includes a dual-sided plancha, three-pan rice cooker and high-capacity fryer.
• Consolidation remains a fact of life for most industry segments. But is it good for business? A Worse on Purpose blog post looks at Sysco’s pending acquisition of Restaurant Depot and the impact consolidation has had on broadliners for the past 50 years or so.
• The future of FAT Brands individual concepts is getting clearer. Or is it? The auction winners of the multiconcept operator’s assets were announced and it appears the company will be divided into at least four entities, per a Franchise Times story. A bankruptcy court needs to approve the buyers. A company called Twnpks Bid Co. emerged as a likely buyer for Twin Peaks. And an organization known as FBG Bid Co won the auction for 14 of the FAT Brands concepts. The owner of both Twnpks Bid Co. and FBG Bid Co., however, are not clear.
• The Chicago restaurant industry lost 2,100 jobs in 2025, per data shared by the Illinois Restaurant Association. As of January 2026, Chicago’s full-service restaurant industry was nearly 10,000 jobs fewer than before the pandemic. The IRA shared this data on the heels of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoing an ordinance that would have paused a planned phaseout of the city’s tip credit. “This data is not surprising. Chicago’s restaurant industry is struggling. Tipped workers and restaurant operators have been sounding the alarm that phasing out the tip credit is costing jobs and causing lasting damage to our city’s independent restaurants. We need to freeze the tip credit to give these businesses and the workers they employ a fighting chance,” said Sam Toia, president and CEO, Illinois Restaurant Association.
• NSF now offers electrical safety testing and certification for foodservice equipment, per a release. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory scope expansion enables NSF to test and certify the electrical safety of both commercial and residential food equipment, including refrigerators, freezers, powered equipment and vending machines, among many other categories.
• The National Restaurant Association named Robin Repass executive director and chief legal counsel of the Restaurant Law Center. The RLC is an independent public policy organization that represents the interests of the foodservice industry in the courts, per a NRA release. Prior to joining the Restaurant Law Center, Repass was a partner at Fisher & Phillips in Washington, D.C., where she led workplace safety, employment law, and government relations matters for employers and trade associations nationwide, including clients in the restaurant, foodservice, and hospitality sectors.
• Congrats to RATIONAL USA on being named a 2026 Best and Brightest Company to Work For. The company earned recognition in both the Chicago metropolitan competition and the national program. This marks the eighth consecutive year RATIONAL USA has been recognized. The Best and Brightest Companies to Work For program evaluates organizations across categories including compensation and benefits, employee enrichment and engagement, diversity and inclusion, community initiatives, and communication and shared vision.

Economic News

• U.S. gross domestic product increased 2.0% during the first quarter of 2026, per an advance estimate from U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is greater than the 0.5% increase in GDP from the fourth quarter of 2025. That’s where the good news ends. Government debt now totals $31.27 trillion, according to the U.S. Treasury, which is greater than GDP, which is an estimated $31.22 trillion, per a Yahoo! Finance analysis.
• Personal consumption expenditures increased 0.9% in March, per the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. This is 0.3% more than the increases for both personal income and disposable personal income.
• The number of job openings totaled 6.9 million in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The USBL considers the number of openings is “unchanged” for the month. In March, hires increased to 5.6 million while total separations “changed little” at 5.4 million. Within separations, both quits (3.2 million), and layoffs and discharges (1.9 million) changed little, too.
• The Conference Board’s Leading Economic Index declined 0.6% in March 2026 for a reading of 97.3. This more than reversed the 0.3% increase from February. “The LEI continues to signal a slowdown in the economy over the coming months, as higher oil prices and supply chain tensions will likely place additional upward pressure on inflation and further reduce consumers’ purchasing power,” per Justyna Zabinska-LaMonica, sr. manager, business cycle indicators, The Conference Board.
• New orders for manufactured durable goods increased 0.8% in March compared to the previous month, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This followed a 1.2% February decrease. Excluding transportation, new orders increased 0.9%. Excluding defense, new orders decreased 0.3%.
• The housing-related news was mixed in March. The number of building permits issued in March declined 10.8% compared the previous month, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. And March 2026 permits were 7.4% less than the same month in 2025. In contrast, housing starts were 10.8% greater than February and March of 2025. In fact, the 1.5 million housing starts in March was the greatest amount since 2022, per a Yahoo! Finance article.
• March sales of new single-family houses increased 7.4% compared to the previous month, per the U.S. Census Bureau and the Department of Housing and Urban Development. This also represents a 3.3% increase compared to March of 2025. The news was not all Sgood, however. While the number of sales grew, the sale price declined to a five-year-low, per an analysis from the National Association of Realtors.