Iron Horse chef and general manager Todd Engel tells ‘Varney & Co.’ his business is having a ‘really hard time’ coping with higher prices and hiring troubles.
Restaurants across the country have reduced operating hours by 7.5% since 2019, according to new data.
An analysis from Datassential found America’s hundreds of thousands of dining establishments are open for 6.4 fewer hours per week as of October 2022.
The change, it said, means patrons have fewer eating options, necessitating more sales for restaurants in a smaller window.
The report showed that nearly 60% of U.S. restaurants reduced operating hours since before COVID-19 pandemic closures.
Just 19.8% have increased them.
A sign for Denny’s American restaurant chain in Kissimmee, Florida, on Jan. 25, 2019. ((Photo by John Greim/LightRocket via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
In addition, hours at independent restaurants and casual dining restaurants had particularly steep declines, down 7.5 hours and 8.9 hours respectively.
Just one state saw a net increase in restaurant open hours; Alaska restaurants were open by nearly three hours longer each week.
Einstein Brothers bagels on a rack ((Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) / Getty Images)
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Chains that reduced their hours the most included Denny’s, Texas Roadhouse, Subway and Einstein Brothers.
A Subway fast-food restaurant is seen on April 29, 2022, in Houston, Texas. ((Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images) / Getty Images)
Conversely, Wendy’s, Crumbl Cookies, Boston Market, Jack in the Box and In-n-Out Burger are among a smaller handful of chains that extended their operating hours.
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The findings were based on data from Datassential’s Firefly database, which tracks detailed data on over 1.4 million food service establishments and more than 9 million restaurants across 60 countries around the world.
