Bain Says Restaurants Must Rebuild Their Value to Win Back Diners
Restaurant value proposition erodes as prices rose 13.5% since 2023, says a Bain report, pushing chains toward deals and personalization. Read more.
Prajakta Sanjay Warwadkar 
NEW YORK, June 12, 2026 — Restaurants must rebuild their value proposition to win back customers who have steadily stopped visiting, according to a report released June 12 by consulting firm Bain & Company. The firm found that the average restaurant location now serves fewer customers than it did in 2019, largely erasing post-pandemic gains.
The finding matters because it points to a structural problem rather than a temporary dip. Operators raised prices faster than grocers over three years, weakening the price-value equation that keeps diners coming back.
Restaurant Value Proposition Weakens on Steep Price Hikes
Restaurants increased prices by 13.5% between January 2023 and March 2026, while grocery inflation rose 5.5% over the same period, according to Bain & Company. That gap widened the cost difference between eating out and cooking at home for a large share of US consumers.
The shift has pushed more people to stay home, a pattern Bain expects to persist. Restoring perceived value has therefore become central to reversing the loss of traffic across the industry.
Disruptive Deals Bring Lapsed Diners Back
Bain pointed to what it calls "disruptive value" as one effective response. The firm highlighted Domino's Best Deal Ever, a limited-time promotion offering any pizza for $9.99 that drove a traffic surge last July.
Transactions among low-income consumers rose 12 percentage points during the promotion, while higher-income diner transactions climbed seven points, according to data cited from Pyxis. A Bain representative described the offer as a social-media-driven event capable of pulling in lapsed and infrequent customers.
Other chains have leaned on steadier everyday pricing. Bain noted that Chili's and Taco Bell built recurring value offers, with customers ordering Taco Bell's Luxe Cravings boxes spending twice as much with the brand over the past year.
Personalization Marks the Next Frontier
The report identifies personalization as the next stage for chains seeking to improve value perception. Most of the industry is pursuing this through mobile apps and loyalty programs that tailor offers to individual diners.
The approach aims to match the right deal to the right customer rather than discounting across the board, protecting margins while rebuilding value. Industry data continues to show diners weighing quality, price and experience together when deciding where to eat.
Further detail on the findings is available from Bain & Company.
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