Business Intelligence Report, Q3 2019

Restaurants are part of the fabric of America and always seek new opportunities to better serve -- and understand -- our guests.

In this quarterly report, the National Restaurant Association leverages our proprietary predictive-analytics platform, created through a partnership with High Lantern Group, to focus on six issues of particular interest to restaurants.

Leveraging cutting-edge data-science techniques, the Association tracks over 130 issues being discussed and debated by policymakers and thought leaders across the country. We monitor these issues to better protect and advance the reputation for the industry and our members. This report looks at six emerging topics and highlights the potential policy implications of each.

  • Cashless transactions -- As some policymakers and others raise concerns about whether no-cash policies are equitable, some states and localities are seeking to ban cashless-transaction rules. 
  • Upskilling and automation -- As the nation debates employment policy related to technology-induced displacement of employment, the National Restaurant Association is actively involved in the policy discussions through the Emma Coalition we helped found.
  • Plant-based foods -- This fast-growing trend is leading to state-level debates over how such foods are labeled.
  • Plastic pollution -- From banning or restricting plastic straws to discouraging single-use utensils, states and localities are actively legislating.
  • Diversity and inclusion -- 84 percent of restaurant managers believe it is important to recruit a diverse workforce; what are the policy discussions on this topic?
  • Meal delivery -- The rise of third-party delivery services is prompting new regulatory proposals.

Download the full report.