Food Trends News 12 October 2025 - 26 October 2025

In summary, a squeeze on mid-tier Mexican chains is underway: beloved sit-down restaurants are shuttering locations or reorganizing under bankruptcy, even as fast-casual Mexican concepts (like Chipotle) remain popular. Oversupply of similar full-service concepts, plus inflation and labor costs, have forced chains like Abuelo’s to downsize dramatically ibtimes.co.uk calcoasttimes.com. Experts say the fallout is a wake-up call – legacy diners must adapt or consolidate. On the bright side, overall demand for dining out is not collapsing (Sysco reports only a ~1% dip in traffic industry-wide ts2.tech), and consumer surveys show that most people still enjoy eating at restaurants restaurant.org. If