Good food plus good ambience appears to add up to good business for full-service restaurants now that the fear of Covid has diminished. In a few cities, reservation levels are even above 2019 levels. Miami led the way with a 50% increase. And landlords are paying attention.

JLL's  F&B Report 2023 paints a generally optimistic portrait of both fast food and dine-in restaurants. Consumers were already buying burgers and chicken wings and subs at pre-pandemic levels by February 2023. Dine-in business was still 6.8% below February 2019, but up 6.2% compared to February 2022. Now the main challenges both sectors face are rising food costs, a dwindling labor supply, and a shortage of available space. 

Total food and beverage sales rose 34% in 2021 and a further 17% in 2022. JLL cites a Bank of America report showing 70% of restaurant owners surveyed expect another boost this year, and 52% plan to expand. One change resulting from Covid is growing demand for delivery or drive-through service.