The U.S. restaurant industry has continued to rebound from its March 2020 lows. Many positive dynamics are contributing to the momentum much of the restaurant industry is experiencing—from increasing COVID-19 vaccinations to easing of dine-in restrictions and the general willingness of consumers to re-engage in public activities, including dining indoors. With pent-up consumer demand for eating out and gathering socially, positive trends will likely continue throughout the industry, with full-service restaurants finally seeing strong rebounds.
Despite various challenges that will continue to impact the restaurant industry, market optimism remains high with most industry participants signaling continued strength in the restaurant equities, lending and M&A markets. Restaurant-focused institutional investors are actively searching for attractive investment opportunities, as high-profile deals begin to be announced. As the vaccine rollout continues throughout 2021, this positive outlook for the U.S. restaurant market will likely strengthen.
