---
title: "How long will the fast-food market be weak?"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/6bc6c46a-93bc-42a7-abd3-7121bef6947e
source: "Restaurant Business"
original_url: https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/how-long-will-fast-food-market-be-weak
author: "Jonathan Maze"
category: "QSR"
industry: "Restaurants"
segment: "QSR"
topics: ["Finance & M&A","Regulation & legal"]
published: 2026-11-11T20:58:21.000Z
modified: 2026-11-12T06:01:54.358Z
image: https://cdn.informaconnect.com/platform/files/public/2026-11/background/ADD-%2011-11-26.jpg?VersionId=V2WbRYvnITQZCSIG1A8BZLs3CrSRzmxP
---

# How long will the fast-food market be weak?

**TL;DR:** Fast-food traffic has been down for years, with little sign of improvement, according to Placer.ai's RJ Hottovy.

*By Jonathan Maze, originally published in Restaurant Business on 2026-11-11. [Read the original](https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/how-long-will-fast-food-market-be-weak).*

## Story

What is the state of the fast-food market?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features RJ Hottovy, the head of analytical research with the traffic tracking firm Placer.ai.

Hottovy is a regular guest on the podcast and we wanted to talk about the fast-food market and how long it’s expected to remain weak. Traffic in the industry has been down for years now, and it shows little sign of improvement.

We also talk about Burger King, and why the company has outperformed even though it did not jump head-first into the value game. We talk about Wendy’s and the state of that brand. And we talk about the surprising performance of some full-service chains like Chili’s and the Cheesecake Factory.

This is a packed podcast so please check it out.

*Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.*

## Entities

- Restaurants (sector)
- fast food (topic)
- market weakness (topic)
- duration (topic)

---
Originally reported by Jonathan Maze, Restaurant Business (https://restaurantbusinessonline.com/financing/how-long-will-fast-food-market-be-weak). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/6bc6c46a-93bc-42a7-abd3-7121bef6947e).