Operations

Restaurant traffic moderates, but QSRs remain above 2026 average

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September 14, 2026

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Placer.ai data shows restaurant traffic moderated during the week of Aug. 24-30 compared with the first half of 2026, although quick-service restaurants overall remained 1.6% above their weekly average within the first half of the year. Fast-casual traffic slipped 0.4% below its first half of the year average, while full-service restaurant visits were down 5.5%.

Among major chains, Chick-fil-A recorded the strongest performance, with visits 9.8% above their normal weekly average, followed by sweetgreen at 5.9% and McDonald's at 3%. Taco Bell remained 6.1% below its average, while Chopt was down 9.6% and Panera Bread declined 3.3%, according to a news release.

"While most QSR and fast casual chains continue to run ahead of their H1 weekly averages, visitation trends moderated during the week of Aug. 24-30, 2026," said R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research at Placer.ai, in the release. He said the fast-casual decline may reflect a return to more typical traffic levels following "an unusually strong prior week fueled by promotions and new product launches."

The data is based on Placer.ai's estimates of visits to restaurant locations nationwide using a panel of tens of millions of devices and machine-learning models.