Start Date
26-5-2026 11:30 AM
End Date
26-5-2026 11:45 AM
Description
Restaurants in the United States operate amid political and economic disruptions and mounting crises threatening their viability. These disruptions include changes in immigration enforcement, tariffs, labor laws, inflation, COVID-19 aftereffects, ongoing labor shortages, rising operating costs, and household living expenses, all of which reduce consumer demand. These forces disrupt staffing, increase input costs, strain supplier reliability, and alter service models. This ongoing study explores how restaurant managers interpret and respond to these pressures to maintain operations. The project considers the current operating environment as a source of disruption and crisis within modern food systems, linking these shocks to specific managerial decisions. The study employs a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews of restaurant managers in the U.S. Two theoretical frameworks guide the analysis. Organizational Resilience Theory will be used to explore how restaurants respond to disruptions, cope, and adapt to sustain core functions, stabilize operations, and redesign processes for the long term. Resource Dependence Theory provides a lens on power dynamics and reliance on external resources. This combination of external factors, mainly outside the control of businesses, creates a distinctive historical moment that makes this investigation significant. Engaging with decision-makers reveals viable strategies, real-time tactics, and industry impacts in practice. By focusing on volatility in the business operating environment as a key factor influencing restaurant performance, the project aims to provide practical guidance for operators on staffing, sourcing, pricing, and service design. It also intends to inform policy debates on immigration, labor, and trade that significantly impact the sector.
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Included in
The Restaurant Pressure Cooker: Surviving Volatile External Threats
Restaurants in the United States operate amid political and economic disruptions and mounting crises threatening their viability. These disruptions include changes in immigration enforcement, tariffs, labor laws, inflation, COVID-19 aftereffects, ongoing labor shortages, rising operating costs, and household living expenses, all of which reduce consumer demand. These forces disrupt staffing, increase input costs, strain supplier reliability, and alter service models. This ongoing study explores how restaurant managers interpret and respond to these pressures to maintain operations. The project considers the current operating environment as a source of disruption and crisis within modern food systems, linking these shocks to specific managerial decisions. The study employs a qualitative approach with semi-structured interviews of restaurant managers in the U.S. Two theoretical frameworks guide the analysis. Organizational Resilience Theory will be used to explore how restaurants respond to disruptions, cope, and adapt to sustain core functions, stabilize operations, and redesign processes for the long term. Resource Dependence Theory provides a lens on power dynamics and reliance on external resources. This combination of external factors, mainly outside the control of businesses, creates a distinctive historical moment that makes this investigation significant. Engaging with decision-makers reveals viable strategies, real-time tactics, and industry impacts in practice. By focusing on volatility in the business operating environment as a key factor influencing restaurant performance, the project aims to provide practical guidance for operators on staffing, sourcing, pricing, and service design. It also intends to inform policy debates on immigration, labor, and trade that significantly impact the sector.