The universe of full-service restaurants may shrink a bit in 2026. Plus, Del Taco’s 18-month turnaround plan and can embracing healthful eating help c-stores drive sales? These stories and more, This Week in Foodservice.

The universe of full-service restaurants may shrink a bit in 2026, per a Restaurant Dive story.

Citing a Black Box Intelligence study, the story notes that 9% of full-service restaurants are at risk of closure in 2026 as the shuttering of casual dining units continues to happen at a faster rate than openings.

Interestingly, last year 93% of full-service operators and 73% of limited service operators said on-premises dining was the stronger side of their business, per the 2026 State of the Industry Report published by the National Restaurant Association.

Foodservice News

• Wonder is entering the Lone Star State like a Texas tornado. The New York-based delivery-and-pickup-centric concept plans to enter the Texas market and open more than 100 units there by the end of 2027, per a Chain Store Age story. Wonder will open units in the Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio markets. It will represent the first time the company moves beyond its Northeastern U.S. stronghold.
• Can embracing healthful eating help c-stores drive sales? Data from Chicago-based Technomic says yes. More than half of today’s consumers look at nutritional information when ordering prepared foods and beverages, per Technomic. Consumers who frequent convenience stores for foodservice align with this trend, with 52% confirming increased interest in healthy eating in the past year. Further, a growing number expect c-stores to offer healthy foodservice items.
• Starbucks will open a corporate office in Nashville later this year, per multiple published reports including this one from the Transport Times. This is part of the chain’s turnaround plan. Starbucks sees an opportunity to add 5,000 locations across the central, south, and northeast regions of the U.S. By its 2028 fiscal year, Starbucks anticipates being able to open 400 units annually. The Nashville location will support an expanded food offering by more regular, daily deliveries.
• Wendy’s in the market for a CTO and, no, that does not stand for a chief technology officer. Instead, the fast-food chain wants to hire a chief tasting officer, which will carry a salary of $100,000 per year, according to a USA Today story. Wendy’s CTO will get paid to eat the chain’s menu items, create promotional videos, and might appear in some of the company’s ads.
• An emphasis on the fundamentals sits at the center of Del Taco’s 18-month turnaround plan. Known as Project Sunrise, the plan seeks to rebuild “trust in core menu execution and ingredient standards” and simplify operations “where it matters,” per a company release. Doing so will help Del Taco become more innovative, unlock incremental growth via “smarter” check-building platforms and by expanding catering.

Economic News

• The U.S. economy shed 92,000 jobs in February as the unemployment rate came in at 4.4%, per data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Economists had projected non-farm payrolls would decline by 50,000 for the month, per a CNBC story. Eating and drinking places lost a net 29,700 jobs in February, which represents the industry’s largest decline since the same month in 2025, per an analysis from the National Restaurant Association.
• Private employers added 62,000 jobs in February, per the ADP National Employment Report. This was more than the 48,000 jobs that Dow Jones economists had projected, per a story from United Press International. The leisure and hospitality sector added a net of 1,000 new jobs.
• Retail and foodservice sales declined 0.2% in January 2026 compared to the previous month, per data from the U.S. Census Bureau. This does, however, represent a 3.2% increase compared to January of 2025. This was the biggest decline since May of 2025, per a CNN analysis. Total sales for the November 2025 through January 2026 period were up 2.9% from the same period a year ago. Sales at eating and drinking places registered total sales of $99.8 billion in January 2026, which is down slightly from December’s sales volume of $100.0 billion, per an analysis from the National Restaurant Association.
• Small businesses report feeling more certain about the coming months, per data from the NFIB. The organization’s Small Business Optimism Index fell 0.5 points in February but remained above the long-term average of 98. Specifically, the study’s Uncertainty Index decreased three points from January for a reading of 88. A net 1% of all owners reported higher nominal sales in the past three months, up 7 points from January.
• Mexico and the U.S. plan to begin reviewing their free-trade agreement, per an Associated Press story. The bilateral trade talks are ahead of a scheduled review later this year of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA. The USMCA has allowed Mexico to avoid many of the tariffs implemented as part of U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade policy because many Mexican goods are covered by the free trade agreement. A number of products are not covered, though. A 50% tariff on steel, aluminum and copper remains in effect, as does a 17% tariff on Mexican tomatoes, the story notes.
• Sales of existing homes increased 1.7% in February compared to the previous month, per data from the National Association of Realtors. The news was not all good, though, as February’s sales were 1.4% less than the same month in 2025, per a CNBC analysis. Compared to 2019, home sales per year are down by 1 million, the NAR, which adds that housing demand remains muted.