Restaurants were hit hard by the one-two punch of high inflation and interest rates. The former caused chains to raise their prices, deterring customers from visiting. And the latter raised their borrowing costs, making it more expensive to operate. According to the market researchers at Circana, although restaurant traffic grew 1% last year from 2022, it remains down 8% from pre-pandemic levels. However, total dollars spent is up 12% from then, suggesting rising prices are playing a role in rising sales. T ...