In 2025, food consumption outside the home grew by 4.2% to reach €128.3 billion, without serving a single additional meal: 11.97 billion meals, with stable customer traffic (Gira, May 2026). Chain restaurants attempted to regain customer traffic: a 1% increase in meals led to a 3.3% increase in revenue, at the expense of their margins. Meanwhile, the average profit margin for a restaurant fell from 11% to 3% of revenue.
