How restaurants are faring this spring

How restaurants are faring this spring

June 17, 2026 · 31 min

About this episode

This episode discusses the challenges restaurants are facing this spring with insights from RJ Hottovy of Placer.ai.

Why are restaurants having another tough year? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RJ Hottovy, the head of analytical research for the traffic tracking firm Placer.ai. This is the last in a series of episodes from the National Restaurant Association Show in May. Hottovy is a regular guest on the podcast and we talk with him about the current state of restaurant traffic, something that Placer.ai tracks extensively. We talk with him about the impact gas prices have had and why some consumers are spending but others are not. We also talk about what really is driving weak traffic at many restaurants and how companies can break out of it.

People in this episode

Host: Restaurant Business Magazine

Guest: RJ Hottovy

Topics covered

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Placer.ai, National Restaurant Association, Restaurant Business

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