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If you grew up in the 1980s or 1990s, the idea of a milkman was more folklore than lived experience. You saw it in cartoons or black-and-white sitcoms – a man in uniform carrying glass bottles to a doorstep. It felt like a relic of a bygone era. Surely it would never return.
Fast forward to today, and not only is milk back on the doorstep, but so is everything else in your refrigerator. Technology has made it seamless to order groceries, household essentials, and even ready-to-cook meals, delivered daily with a few taps on your phone. The milkman is back – he just drives an Instacart-branded Prius or an Amazon Fresh van.
This isn’t nostalgia. It’s a cycle. Technology often appears to propel us forward, but in reality, it bends us back to practices we once thought obsolete. The form changes, but the function remains strikingly familiar.
Take grocery delivery. In the 1950s, home delivery was a necessity – fewer households had multiple cars, and local dairies were tightly woven into community life. Today, we have more cars than ever, but also less time. Digital platforms fill that gap, mirroring the personal convenience of the past while scaling it through logistics and data.
Another example comes from the general store. In the 1820s, shopping meant telling an attendant what you wanted, who then gathered items from the back. It wasn’t until the early 1900s that “self-service” emerged, with baskets, aisles, and eventually barcodes.
We now find ourselves swinging back with Buy Online, Pick Up In-Store (BOPIS) and curbside services that mimic that early model: Customers order in advance, then pick up a neatly packed bag from the counter. The shopper no longer roams aisles – the retailer does it for them.
And this is borne out by data: Placer.ai data on Target, Walmart, and Kroger shows spikes in short-duration visits – customers spending less than 10 minutes inside. That is the digital general store in action: efficient, pre-bundled, and familiar in its service, though powered by algorithms instead of store clerks.
Urban planning, too, is entering a similar loop. America’s postwar suburbs were built for cars – seas of parking lots, wide arterials, and drive-through convenience. Yet when you walk in the old towns of Europe – San Sebastián, Florence, Prague – the scale is human, not automotive. Streets are narrow, plazas are alive, and walkability is the default.
Autonomous vehicles may bend us back toward that human-centric design. If fewer people need to own cars, or if vehicles can drop off passengers and then disappear into shared fleets, parking loses its primacy. The city grid can prioritize people again.
For retail, this shift is profound. Shopping centers that once maximized asphalt for parking may repurpose land for dining, green space, or entertainment. Placer.ai’s visitation metrics already show the power of “experience-first” environments: centers with strong dining and social elements draw visitors who stay longer and come more often.
Education is another domain where technology is looping us back. A century ago, one-room schoolhouses educated children ages 6 to 16 under a single teacher, with individualized pacing as much as possible. Then industrialized schooling standardized the process – grade levels, subject blocks, and centralized curricula.
Artificial Intelligence could return us to the one-room model, but at scale. A teacher might become less of a “lecturer” and more of a coach in learning. AI tutors can adapt to each child’s needs, while the teacher provides human guidance, empathy, and context. It’s both cutting-edge and old-fashioned: personal learning, locally grounded, supported by technology rather than limited by it.
Perhaps the most intriguing cycle will be around authenticity. Global commerce has delivered incredible convenience, but also a flattening of experience. Walk down a high street in London, São Paulo, or Bangkok, and you’ll find the same Starbucks, H&M, and McDonald’s.
Even shops that feel “local” often sell merchandise sourced from the same global factories. Authenticity has become scarce – and scarcity, as any economist will tell you, creates value.
Placer.ai’s data often highlights how unique, local experiences can outperform national chains. Look at the night markets in Asia, where a single fried chicken vendor with a 50-year tradition can attract lines that rival global QSR brands. Or U.S. examples like Franklin Barbecue in Austin, Joe’s Pizza in New York – or even entertainment-focused Casa Bonita in Lakewood, CO, where one location is enough to generate pilgrimage-level demand.
The lesson for retail landlords is clear: the future is not only about digital convenience but also about curating hyper-local authenticity. A shopping center that balances national anchors with unique regional tenants can capture both predictability and excitement.
Placer.ai location analytics underscore this trend. Centers with a strong mix of “only-here” brands often see stronger visitation and longer dwell times. Customers aren’t just coming for errands – they’re coming for identity and discovery.
Brands that cater to local tastes are also succeeding, driving loyalty and repeat visits. Barnes & Noble, for example, has made a remarkable comeback with a strategy focused on local curation and community connection, eschewing the cookie-cutter feel of many national chains. Store managers now have the freedom to shape selections around neighborhood interests from regional authors to niche genres – creating spaces that feel personal rather than programmed. In an age dominated by algorithms, this human touch has become a competitive advantage.
So, what does all this mean for the future of shopping centers? It means history is not linear. Technology doesn’t only push us forward; it often bends us back to models we once knew, reshaped to fit today’s context.
The milkman is now a grocery delivery app. The general store clerk is now BOPIS. The European plaza is reborn through autonomous vehicles. The one-room schoolhouse reappears through AI tutors. And authenticity – once assumed, now rare – is becoming the most valuable commodity in commerce.
As landlords and investors, the opportunity is to recognize these patterns early. Instead of asking, “What’s new?” we might ask, “What’s old that technology will make new again?”
Where are people choosing speed over browsing? Where are they trading scale for authenticity? Where are they staying longer because the environment is built for people, not cars?
These are not just data points. They are clues to the future – a future that looks surprisingly familiar.
For more data-driven retail insights, follow Placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Grocery stores aren’t usually top of mind when it comes to holiday retail. But as families prepare for their annual feasts, supermarkets gear up for their busiest stretch of the year – a season marked by crowded aisles, overflowing carts, and soaring sales.
How do grocery stores and other food-at-home purveyors, from superstores to dollar stores, experience the holidays? Is “Turkey Wednesday” – the day before Thanksgiving – the only key milestone that matters, or are there other moments that drive performance? And which segments and brands stand to benefit most this season?
Thanksgiving is about gratitude and family – but it’s also about good food. And as families prepare their feasts, grocery stores nationwide buzz with activity.
During Turkey Wednesday last year, grocery store visits soared 74.5% above the daily average, making it the busiest day of the past 12 months for the category – followed by December 23rd and Christmas Eve. Other food-at-home retailers, such as dollar stores and superstores, also experienced elevated traffic before Thanksgiving, but their largest surges came in the lead-up to Christmas, as shoppers stocked up on gifts, decorations, and non-food essentials alongside their groceries.
The contrast underscores how deeply Thanksgiving belongs to grocery retail. When the meal itself is the main event, consumers prioritize fresh ingredients, pantry staples, and those all-important last-minute items – areas where supermarkets lead the charge. But the data also shows there’s plenty of room for multiple formats to shine during the season, with each experiencing its own distinct holiday peak.
Within the grocery industry, Black Friday and December 23rd stand out as the two busiest shopping days of the year across segments, though the intensity of the surges varies.
Traditional supermarkets – think Kroger, Safeway, and H-E-B – dominate the pre-thanksgiving rush, as shoppers on the hunt for holiday-specific items gravitate towards their broader assortments. In 2024, visits to this segment jumped 77.9% above a 12-month daily average on Turkey Wednesday, with a smaller uptick on the day before Christmas Eve. Value grocers followed a similar trajectory, though with more modest boosts.
Meanwhile, specialty and fresh-format grocers reached their traffic peak on December 23rd, reflecting their focus on premium, seasonal, and gift-oriented products that align more with December entertaining and gifting than with Thanksgiving meal prep.
Still, within grocery segments there remains significant variation between brands. ShopRite saw one of the biggest Turkey Wednesday spikes last year, with visits nearly doubling compared to the daily average. Kroger and Food Lion also outperformed the traditional grocery average.
Meijer, by contrast, followed a different rhythm. As a supercenter hybrid that straddles grocery and general merchandise, its biggest surge came not before Thanksgiving but in the days before Christmas, mirroring broader patterns for stores that serve “everything under one roof” missions.
Trader Joe’s also peaked closer to Christmas, though its busiest day of the past year was May 10th 2025, when the chain’s seasonal line-up of flowers, sweets, and small gift items helped drive an 82.1% jump in visits ahead of Mother’s Day. The pattern reflects Trader Joe’s focus on curated staples and seasonal specialties rather than the wide selections typical of larger supermarkets.
As Thanksgiving approaches, traditional grocers once again look poised to dominate Turkey Wednesday, while value, specialty, superstore, and dollar store formats each find their own seasonal spotlights. How will shopping patterns play out across these segments this year?
Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
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After a relatively subdued summer performance, malls rebounded sharply in October 2025, with foot traffic to indoor malls, open-air shopping centers, and outlet malls rising significantly both year over year (YoY) and month over month (MoM). What does this mean for the upcoming holiday season? Read on to find out.
All mall formats saw clear YoY visit gains in October 2025, potentially signaling renewed consumer enthusiasm heading into the holiday season. And although indoor malls led the growth – continuing their strong performance throughout 2025 – open-air shopping centers and outlet malls also returned to positive territory after four consecutive months of declines, underscoring the breadth and strength of the October recovery.
The MoM data underscores the scale of this recovery. In October 2025, visits rose sharply compared to September 2025 – up 6.1% for Indoor Malls, 5.5% for Open-Air Shopping Centers, and 7.9% for Outlet Malls. In comparison, October 2024 saw only slight MoM increases of 0.5%, 2.1%, and 1.4%, respectively, compared to September 2024.
While the YoY data shows steady improvement in overall mall traffic, this month-over-month jump reveals a meaningful change in consumer behavior. Rather than waiting for November’s traditional start to the holiday season, shoppers appear to be hitting stores earlier and in greater numbers, making October a much more significant month for retail activity than it was last year.
The standout performance of outlet malls in particular reinforces consumer interest in value and discounts. As households remain price-sensitive, outlet centers continue to benefit from their combination of recognizable brands and lower price points.
October’s surge suggests that the 2025 holiday shopping season may be starting earlier and spreading out more evenly than in previous years. Recent research shows that many U.S. consumers plan to start their holiday shopping sooner, driven by concerns over rising prices and a desire for better product selection. Retailers are responding with expanded October promotions that pull forward demand.
At the same time, shoppers remain highly value-driven, with most saying inflation has made them more price-conscious. That dynamic likely helped fuel outlet malls’ nearly 8% MoM increase, as consumers sought recognizable brands at lower prices.
Together, these trends suggest that consumers are approaching the 2025 holiday season with more intention – shopping earlier, seeking value, and spreading spending over a longer period. For malls, that could mean a steadier flow of visits throughout Q4, rather than the sharp peaks of prior years.
For more data-driven consumer insights, visit placer.ai/anchor.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Each year, Starbucks drives excitement with its seasonal launches – from PSL Day, marking the return of the popular Pumpkin Spice Latte, to Red Cup Day in November, when customers can snag a free reusable cup with any beverage purchase.
But this year, Starbucks kicked off the holiday season with an even bigger event – the launch of a $29.95 bear-shaped glass that broke the internet and sent fans into a frenzy. How did the Bearista craze impact Starbucks visitation trends – and what can we learn from its standout success?
On November 6th, the day of the Bearista launch, visits to Starbucks jumped 37.8% above the last 12 months' daily average, outpacing even the brand’s successful August PSL debut. (The Friday following the PSL launch drove a 23.1% spike in visits compared to the daily visit average over the last 12 months.) Even after the initial rush, traffic remained elevated for several days as fans hunted for remaining inventory and social media buzzed with stories of sellouts. The buzz wasn’t just big; it was lasting.
And despite its hefty price tag, the Bearista Cup drop drove a traffic boost similar to last year’s Red Cup Day boost, when the promise of a free cup drove a 40.7% surge in visits compared to an average Thursday. While the Bearista spike was slightly smaller, its momentum endured for days as excitement – and anxiety over scarcity – continued to build.
People lining up to pay $30 for a bear-shaped glass – albeit a super cute one – wasn’t on anyone’s bingo card this year. So what can we learn from the event’s smashing success?
For one thing, even in an era of trading down, consumers are still willing to splurge on items that feel special – especially those that offer a sense of belonging to a cultural moment. Value matters, but it isn’t everything.
For another, not everything needs to be free or deeply discounted to draw major crowds. The Bearista proved that creativity and emotion can rival even the most generous giveaways.
And finally, scarcity (still) sells. The hype was so intense that fights broke out at some stores and eBay resales topped $1,000 – prompting Starbucks to apologize to disappointed fans and promise more holiday merch on the way.
With Red Cup Day just around the corner, will the Bearista momentum help drive an even bigger visit spike this year?
Follow Placer.ai/anchor to find out.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
As the 2025 holiday season approaches, several retail categories are showing surprising resilience – from luxury home goods to consumer electronics and grocery. Despite a challenging economic backdrop, a few standout brands are not only holding steady but gaining meaningful traction through smart expansion, effective online-offline integration, and compelling value offerings.
Framebridge, Best Buy, and ALDI each represent a distinct facet of the retail landscape, but they have one thing in common: strong visitation trends heading into the year’s most critical shopping period.
Framebridge has emerged as one of 2025’s standout retail success stories. Over the past 12 months, visits to the brand have climbed 108.8% year over year (YoY) as it rapidly expanded its footprint and deepened its connection with customers.
This momentum stems from Framebridge’s ability to deliver an in-store experience that online competitors simply can’t replicate. Shoppers are invited to see and feel materials firsthand, while design experts offer personalized guidance and creative inspiration to craft meaningful, high-quality pieces. The result is a shopping experience that feels personal, tactile, and memorable – transforming framing from a routine purchase into something experiential and human.
In 2025, Framebridge brought this approach to new audiences with its first stores in California, marking its West Coast debut. And as the chain has expanded, its customer base has grown more affluent: the median household income in Framebridge’s captured market rose from $127.7K in early 2024 to $141.8K by mid-2025, while average household size also increased. Together, these shifts reflect rising resonance among higher-income, family-oriented consumers who value personalization, design, and craftsmanship – leaving the brand well positioned for a strong season of meaningful gift giving.
Not long ago, many analysts were skeptical about Best Buy’s prospects. The electronics retailer was viewed as vulnerable in a tightening consumer environment, with lingering doubts about its ability to stay relevant amid e-commerce dominance and fast-changing tech trends. But recent data suggests that Best Buy is regaining momentum – and that its strategy to blend digital convenience with in-store expertise is beginning to deliver results.
Between November 2024 and October 2025, foot traffic to Best Buy declined just 1.7% YoY, an impressive result given ongoing store closures and the continued expansion of its online business. At the same time, a steady rise in short in-store visits highlights the success of Best Buy’s online-to-offline integration. And though tariff uncertainty continues to loom, Best Buy’s balanced approach leaves it poised to enjoy a successful Q4 – traditionally Best Buy’s strongest period of the year.
In the grocery sector, few brands are gaining momentum like ALDI – the no-frills discount grocer that continues to attract shoppers with its focus on simplicity, savings, and quality. Over the past several years, ALDI has sustained consistent visit growth while expanding its store network. And during the same period, the brand’s share of total industry visits has risen from 4.3% in 2022 to 5.7% in 2025 to date, underscoring its growing influence as a leading value-driven grocery chain.
As “Turkey Wednesday” and the pre-Christmas grocery rush approach, ALDI appears set to capture an even greater share of holiday traffic. With strong visitation trends, expanding market reach, and a clear value proposition, the retailer stands out as one of 2025’s most resilient performers.
Framebridge, Best Buy, and ALDI demonstrate that experience, convenience, and value remain key drivers of retail performance. By focusing on what draws shoppers into stores, these brands are paving the way for a robust holiday season.
For the most up-to-date retail data, check out Placer.ai’s free tools.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
After decades as America’s quintessential diner, Denny’s is entering a new era under the ownership of TriArtisan Capital Advisors, Treville Capital, and Yadav Enterprises. The move to take the company private comes at a time when the brand faces headwinds from store closures and evolving consumer habits – but also holds opportunities to reenergize its position in the family dining space.
We dove into the data to see where Denny’s stands today and what might be next for this legacy chain.
Visits to Denny’s fell 6.2% year over year (YoY) between November 2024 and October 2025, following a smaller 1.7% decline the prior year. This downturn partly reflects store closures, as Denny’s has been shuttering underperforming locations over the past two years to reposition the brand for sustainable growth.
The decline also reflects heightened competition from upscale breakfast chains such as First Watch – a challenge shared by peers like IHOP and Waffle House. Against this backdrop, Denny’s ability to limit traffic losses to single digits highlights its underlying brand resilience. And together with traffic gains at Keke’s Breakfast Café – the fast-growing concept Denny’s acquired in 2022 – this resilience provides a strong foundation for Denny’s and its new ownership group to reinvigorate the company’s success.
Visitor loyalty at Denny’s remains another bright spot. Between November 2024 and October 2025, roughly one in six Denny’s visitors returned within the same month, giving it a 17.3% average monthly loyal visitor share – the second highest among major breakfast chains after Waffle House (24.0%). This depth of loyalty shows that even with fewer restaurants, Denny’s retains a solid base of habitual diners who see it as their go-to comfort food spot. That connection also gives Denny’s – and other traditional diner concepts – a meaningful point of differentiation from more upscale competitors as the brand’s new ownership works to reenergize its business.
The data tells a clear story: Denny’s is in transition, not decline. Its loyal customer base provides stability, and its ability to limit traffic losses amid strategic rightsizing underscores real resilience. Now, as a privately held company, Denny’s has the flexibility to plan for the long term, positioning itself to evolve thoughtfully and make a comeback, one Grand Slam at a time.
For more data-driven dining analyses check out Placer.ai’s free industry trends tool.
Placer.ai leverages a panel of tens of millions of devices and utilizes machine learning to make estimations for visits to locations across the US. The data is trusted by thousands of industry leaders who leverage Placer.ai for insights into foot traffic, demographic breakdowns, retail sale predictions, migration trends, site selection, and more.
Placer.ai observes a panel of mobile devices in order to extrapolate and generate visitation insights for a variety of locations across the U.S. This panel covers only visitors from within the United States and does not represent or take into account international visitors.
Downtown districts in the nation’s major cities attract domestic travelers all year long with their iconic sights, lively entertainment, and diverse dining offerings. But each hub follows its own rhythm, shaped by distinct seasonal peaks and dips in visitor flow.
This white paper examines downtown hotel visitation patterns in four of the nation’s most popular destinations for domestic tourists: Miami, Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles. Focusing on 20 downtown hotels in each city, the analysis explores seasonal variations in domestic travel, city-specific dynamics, and differentiating factors.
Domestic tourism has rebounded strongly in recent years, and hotels in Miami and Chicago have been the biggest beneficiaries. In 2024, visits to analyzed hotels in each of these cities’ downtown areas grew by 8.9% and 7.4%, respectively, compared to 2023. Meanwhile, hotels in downtown and midtown Manhattan saw a more modest 2.0% increase, while Los Angeles experienced a slight year-over-year (YoY) decline in downtown hotel visits.
One factor that may be driving Miami and Chicago’s stronger performance is their higher proportion of long-distance visitors, defined as those visiting from over 250 miles away. Miami remains a top destination for snowbirds and spring breakers, while Chicago serves as a cultural and entertainment hub for the sprawling Midwest. These long-distance leisure travelers may be more likely to splurge on downtown hotel stays during their trips, helping drive hotel visit growth in the two cities.
By contrast, hotels in the Los Angeles and Manhattan city centers drew lower shares of domestic travelers coming from less than 250 miles away. These shorter-haul domestic tourists may be less likely to splurge on downtown hotels than those taking longer vacations. Both cities are also surrounded by numerous regional getaway options that can draw long-haul leisure travelers away from their downtown cores.
Each of the four analyzed cities has its own unique ebbs and flows – and city center hotel visits reflect these patterns. Miami, with its warm, sunny climate, experiences influxes of tourists during the winter and spring, with March seeing the biggest jump in downtown hotel visits last year (13.0% above the monthly visit average). Chicago, which thrives in the summer with its many festivals and events, saw its biggest downtown hotel visit bump in August. Meanwhile, Manhattan experienced a major uptick in December, likely fueled by holiday tourism and New Year celebrations, and Los Angeles visits were highest in the summertime.
What drives these seasonal visit peaks? Miami has long been a top tourism destination, especially in early spring, when snowbirds and spring breakers flock to the city for sun and relaxation. In recent years, the city has seen a rise in short-term domestic tourism, suggesting that the city is becoming increasingly popular for weekend getaways. According to the Placer.ai Tourism Dashboard, the share of domestic tourists staying just one or two nights grew from 71.7% in March 2022 to 78.3% in March 2024.
This shift aligns with an impressive increase in the magnitude of downtown Miami’s springtime hotel visit peak: In March 2022, visits to downtown hotels were 5.0% above the monthly average for the year, a share that more than doubled by 2024 to 12.9%.
These numbers may mean that more people are choosing to head to Miami for a quick break from the cold – and staying in downtown hotels to make the most of their short getaway.
Chicago’s major August visit spike was likely driven by the Windy City’s impressive lineup of major summer festivals, from Lollapalooza to the Chicago Air and Water Show, which draw thousands of attendees from across the country.
Lollapalooza fueled the largest visit spike to the city – between Thursday, August 1st and Sunday, August 4th, visits to downtown Chicago hotels surged between 51.1% and 63.8% above 2024 daily averages for those days of the week. The Air and Water Show and the Chicago Jazz Festival also generated significant hotel visit increases – highlighting the boost these events bring to the city’s tourism and hospitality sector.
The Big Apple draws a diverse mix of visitors throughout the year. But in December – the city’s peak tourist season – visitors pour in from all over the country to skate in Rockefeller Center, browse Fifth Avenue’s festive window displays and experience the city’s unique holiday magic.
And analyzing data from hotels in midtown and downtown Manhattan reveals a striking shift in the types of visitors who stay in the heart of NYC during the holiday season. While visitors from other urban centers dominated downtown hotel stays throughout most of the year – accounting for 47.9% of visits from January to November 2024 – their share dropped to 42.0% in December 2024. Meanwhile, the share of guests from suburban areas and small towns rose from 37.3% to 41.0%, and the share of guests from rural and semi-rural areas nearly doubled, from 3.5% to 6.1%.
These patterns suggest that, though Manhattan typically attracts a wide range of visitors, the holiday season is uniquely appealing to tourists from smaller towns and suburban areas. Understanding these trends can provide crucial context for hotels and civic stakeholders alike as they work to maximize the opportunities presented by the city’s December visit surge.
Los Angeles hotels also experience significant demographic shifts during peak season. In July, visits to downtown LA hotels surged by 15.3% relative to the 2024 monthly visit average. And a closer look at audience segmentation data suggests a corresponding surge in the share of "Flourishing Families" – an Experian: Mosaic segment consisting of affluent, middle-aged households with children. Throughout the year, "Flourishing Families" comprised between 7.7% and 8.7% of the census block groups (CBGs) driving visits to downtown LA hotels. But in July, this share jumped to 9.9%.
These families may be taking advantage of summer vacations to enjoy Los Angeles’ cultural attractions and entertainment. Hotels and city stakeholders who understand the appeal the city holds for this demographic can better cater to them through family-friendly promotions and strategic marketing efforts to target these households.
Downtowns are making a comeback – and hotels in the heart of the nation’s major tourist hubs are reaping the benefits. By understanding who frequents these downtown hotels and when, local businesses and civic leaders can optimize their resource management and strategic planning to make the most of these opportunities.
The New York office scene is buzzing once again, as companies from JPMorgan to Meta double down on return-to-office (RTO) mandates. But just how did New York office foot traffic fare in 2024? How did Big Apple office foot traffic compare to that of other major business hubs nationwide? And how is New York’s office recovery impacting post-COVID trends like the TGIF work week? Are office visits still concentrated mid-week, or are people coming in more on Fridays and Mondays? And how has Manhattan’s RTO affected local commuting patterns?
We dove into the data to find out.
In 2024, New York City cemented its position as the nationwide leader in office recovery. Thanks in part to remote work crackdowns by banking behemoths like Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley, and JPMorgan, visits to NYC office buildings in 2024 were just 13.1% below pre-pandemic (2019) levels.
For comparison, Miami’s office foot traffic remained 16.2% below pre-pandemic levels, while Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Boston saw significantly larger gaps at 28.6%, 37.8%, and 43.9%, respectively.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the Big Apple’s robust year-over-five-year (Yo5Y) recovery, the pace of year-over-year (YoY) visit growth to NYC office buildings was somewhat slower in 2024 than in other major East Coast business centers. Still, New York’s YoY office recovery rate of 12.4% outpaced the nationwide baseline, and came in just slightly below Washington, D.C.’s 15.2% and Atlanta’s 14.6%.
Interestingly, New York’s return to office has not led to a significant retreat from the TGIF work week that emerged during COVID. In 2024, just 11.9% of weekday (Monday to Friday) visits to NYC offices took place on Fridays – only slightly more than the 11.5% recorded in 2023 and significantly below the pre-pandemic baseline of 17.2%.
Meanwhile, Monday has quietly regained its footing as the dreaded start of the New York work week. After dropping significantly in 2022 and 2023, the share of weekday office visits taking place on Mondays rebounded to 18.2% in 2024 – just slightly below 2019’s 19.5%. Still, Tuesday remained the Big Apple’s busiest in-office day of the week last year, accounting for nearly a quarter (24.6%) of weekday NYC office foot traffic.
And diving into Yo5Y data for each day of the work week shows just how much New York’s overall recovery is driven by mid-week visits – and especially Tuesday ones. In 2024, Friday visits to NYC office buildings were down 40.2% compared to 2019. But on Tuesdays, visits were essentially on par with pre-pandemic levels (-0.3%), even as nationwide office visits remained 24.6% below 2019.
Another post-COVID trend that has shown staying power in New York is the growing share of office visits coming from employees who live nearby. As hybrid schedules become the norm, it seems that those commuting more frequently are often just a short subway ride -or even a stroll- away.
The share of NYC office workers coming from less than five miles away, for example, has risen steadily since COVID, reaching 46.0% in 2024. Over the same period, the share of workers coming from 5-10 miles, 10-15 miles, or 25+ miles away has declined.
Looking at commuting trends across the East Coast helps put New York City’s shift into perspective. In 2019, NYC’s share of nearby commuters was on par with Washington, D.C. and slightly below Boston. But while both cities experienced moderate increases in local commuters between 2019 and 2024, New York pulled ahead, outpacing all other analyzed cities in its share of nearby office workers last year.
Miami and Atlanta – two other standout cities in office recovery – also saw significant growth in the percentage of short-distance commuters over the past five years. This trend underscores a broader shift: As hybrid work reshapes commuting habits, employees across multiple markets are more likely to go into the office if they live nearby, reducing reliance on long-haul commutes.
As the nation’s office recovery leader, New York offers a glimpse into what other cities can expect as office visitation rates continue to improve. Even at just 13.1% below pre-pandemic levels, NYC office visit levels continue to rise. And as recovery nears completion, trends that took hold during COVID remain firmly entrenched.
The full-service dining segment has experienced its fair share of challenges over the past few years, with pandemic-era closures, rising food and labor costs, and cutbacks in discretionary spending contributing to visit lags. In 2024, visits were down 0.2% year over year (YoY) and remained 8.4% below 2019 levels – a reflection of the significant number of venues that permanently closed over COVID and a testament to the industry's ongoing struggle to regain its pre-pandemic footing.
Yet, even in a difficult environment, some full-service restaurant (FSR) chains are thriving. These brands aren’t waiting for the industry to rebound – they're becoming trendsetters in their own right, proving that stand-out strategy is everything in a challenging market.
This white paper explores brands that are harnessing three key differentiators – fixed-price value offerings, elevated social experiences, and a laser focus on product – to drive full-service dining success in 2025.
One of the most defining trends over the past few years has been the unrelenting march of price increases. And as consumers continue to seek out ways to save, some chains are staying ahead of the pack with fixed-price value offerings that help diners squeeze out the very best bang for their buck.
Golden Corral, the all-you-can-eat buffet chain that lets kids under three eat for free, is one FSR that is benefiting from consumers’ current value orientation. Despite closing several locations in 2024, overall visits to the chain still tracked closely with 2023 levels, declining by just 0.5% – while the average number visits to each Golden Corral restaurant grew 3.8% YoY.
Golden Corral’s value proposition is resonating strongly with budget-conscious Americans eager to enjoy a wide variety of comfort foods at an affordable price. The chain’s visitors tend to come from trade areas with lower median household incomes (HHIs) than traditional full-service restaurant (FSR) diners. And these patrons are willing to travel to enjoy the chain’s value buffet offerings, many of which are situated in rural areas and may require a longer drive. In 2024, 25.2% of Golden Corral’s diners came from over 30 miles away – compared to just 19.2% for the wider FSR segment.
Golden Corral’s continued flourishing proves that in an era of rising costs, diners are willing to go the extra mile (literally) for a restaurant that delivers both quality and affordability.
Children’s party space and eatertainment destination Chuck E. Cheese has had a transformative few years. Following the retirement of its iconic animatronic band, the chain shifted its focus to a new membership model, announcing a revamped Summer of Fun pass in May 2024 – including unlimited visits over a two-month period, steep discounts on food, and up to 250 games per day. The pass proved incredibly popular, with YoY visits surging by 15.6% in May 2024, when the offer launched – a sharp turnaround from the YoY visit declines of the previous months. Recognizing the strong demand, Chuck E. Cheese extended the program year-round – and the strategy has paid off as YoY visits remained positive through the end of 2024.
A closer look at the data suggests that parents are making full use of their unlimited passes: The share of weekday visits was higher in H2 2024 than in H2 2023, likely due to families using their passes for weekday entertainment rather than reserving visits for weekends and special occasions.
At the same time, the share of repeat visitors – those frequenting the chain at least twice a month – also grew. Although these repeat visitors may not purchase additional gameplay beyond the flat fee, their more frequent on-site presence likely translates into increased sales of pizza and other menu items.
While value has been a major motivator for restaurant-goers in recent years, low prices aren’t the only drivers of FSR success. Brands offering unique experiences aimed at maximizing social interaction are also seeing outsized gains.
Though many of these more innovative venues tend to be on the more expensive side, they draw enthusiastic crowds willing to pony up for concepts that combine good food with fun social occasions. And some of the more successful ones bolster perceived value through offerings like fixed-price menus or club memberships.
Korean cuisine has been on the rise in recent years, with restaurants like Bonchon Chicken and GEN Korean BBQ House making significant waves in the dining space. Another chain drawing attention is KPOT Korean BBQ and Hot Pot, which began modestly in 2018 and has since expanded to over 150 locations nationwide.
Diners at KPOT can customize their meals by selecting from a variety of proteins, broths, sauces, and side dishes, known as banchan, while barbecuing or cooking in a hotpot at their table and sipping on the drinks from the menu’s extensive selection. And though pricier than Golden Corral, KPOT also offers an all-you-can-eat experience that lets customers squeeze the most value out of their indulgence.
Location intelligence shows that KPOT’s experiential dining model is resonating with customers: Since Q4 2019, the average number of visits to each KPOT location has risen steadily – even as the chain has grown its footprint – while the average dwell time has also increased. Indeed, rather than a quick dining stop, KPOT has become a destination for guests to linger, enjoying both food and drinks – and an interactive and social experience.
By positioning themselves as gathering places for fine wine aficionados, wine-club-focused concepts such as Postino WineCafe and Cooper’s Hawk Winery are also benefiting from today’s consumers’ emphasis on social experiences. The two upscale dining destinations offer club memberships that combine periodic wine releases with a variety of perks.
And the data suggests that the model is strongly resonating with diners. Both Postino and Cooper’s Hawk have grown their footprints over the past year, driving substantial YoY chain-wide visit increases while average visits per location grew as well – showing that the expansions and experiential offerings are meeting robust demand.
And analyzing the two chains’ captured markets shows that the wine club model enjoys broad appeal across a variety of audience segments.
Unsurprisingly, both wine clubs’ visitor bases include higher-than-average shares of affluent consumers with money to spend, including Experian: Mosaic’s “Power Elite”, “Booming with Confidence”, and “Flourishing Families” segments (the nation’s wealthiest families, as well as affluent suburban and middle-aged households). But the two chains also attract younger, more budget-conscious consumers – Postino, which has many downtown locations, is popular among “Singles and Starters”, while Cooper’s Hawk is popular among “Promising Families” - i.e. young couples with children.
The success of the two brands across various segments underscores the impact of a distinctive experience – especially when paired with a loyalty-boosting membership – in attracting today’s consumers.
Value offerings and unique experiences have the power to drive restaurant visits – but ultimately, a good meal in an inviting atmosphere is a draw in and of itself, as is shown by the success of First Watch and Firebirds Wood Fired Grill.
Breakfast-only restaurant First Watch excels at ambiance and menu innovation, changing up its offerings five times a year and striving to maintain a neighborhood feel at each of its locations.
First Watch has made a point of leaning into its strengths, eschewing discounts in favor of a consistently elevated dining experience and doubling down its strongest day part (weekend brunch), rather than trying to artificially drive up interest at other times.
And the strategy appears to be working: In 2024, visits to First Watch increased 6.6% YoY – with Saturdays and Sundays between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. remaining its busiest dayparts by far. Visitors to First Watch also tend to linger over their meals more than at other breakfast chains – in 2024, the restaurant experienced an average dwell time of 54.9 minutes, significantly longer than the 48.7-minute average at other breakfast-focused restaurants.
By focusing on what matters most to its diners – innovative and exciting food and a welcoming atmosphere that allows patrons to enjoy their meals at a leisurely pace – First Watch is continuing to flourish.
Another chain that is growing its footprint and its audience on the strength of a menu and ambiance-focused approach is Firebirds Wood Fired Grill. The chain, known for its “polished casual” vibe and bold, unique flavors, added several new restaurants last year, leading to a 6.5% increase in overall visits. Over the same period, the average number of visits to each Firebirds location held steady – showing that the new restaurants aren’t cannibalizing existing business.
The chain’s success may rest, in part, on its locating its venues in areas rife with enthusiastic foodies. Data from Spatial.ai’s FollowGraph shows that in 2024, Firebird’s trade areas had significantly higher shares of “BBQ Lovers”, “Gourmet Burger Lovers,” and “Foodies” than the nationwide average. This suggests that Firebirds is attracting diners who prioritize the experience of eating – key for a chain that prides itself on putting good food first. The chain is also known for its welcoming decor and design – another aspect that may lead to its strong visit success.
Necessity often serves as the mother of invention, and challenging economic periods continue to spark new trends and innovations in the dining scene. From a heightened focus on value – drawing families and lower-HHI consumers willing to travel for a good deal – to the growing appeal of social dining and the timeless draw of good food – new trends are emerging to meet changing consumer expectations.
