Can Restaurants Survive Rising Costs?

Rising food prices, labor shortages, and (sometimes) unruly diners: What does it take to keep a restaurant alive in 2026? Kara sits down with renowned chef Susan Feniger, restaurateur and Shake Shack founder, Danny Meyer, and Washington Post food critic Elazar Sontag to discuss the business of restaurants and how to be “essential” to diners. Kara and her favorite food experts talk about how restaurants are adapting to changing dining habits, the power of social media and why food critics still matter. From the economics of hospitality to the resilience of the people behind your favorite meal, it’s a conversation about how to not just survive, but thrive in one of the toughest businesses around. Chapters 0:00 Intro 01:30 How is restaurant culture evolving? 07:46 What’s the difference between hospitality and restaurant ownership? 12:55 Food critics vs. influencers 16:03 Why reviews still matter 21:35 Restaurant rankings 26:26 What is “essentiality” in the restaurant business? 33:35 Why are restaurants closing? 38:10 How to stand out 44:15 Expert question from the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten: What to do about unruly customers 52:25 Why are restaurants struggling? 57:36 Tipping: a broken system (you should still tip) 1:02:30 How are restaurants using social media and AI? 1:06:06 A $60 loaf of bread? 1:08:00 Where are you seeing success today? 1:12:32 What is your “essential” restaurant? __ Subscribe: https://goo.gl/FRleYo Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/on-with-kara-swisher/id1643307527 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/42ntT7XnfdbbYetUQu0vu5?si=ddbc94321e3948af FOLLOW US Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/onwithkaraswisher/?hl=en TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@onwithkaraswisher?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kara-swisher-b7213 Threads: https://www.threads.com/@onwithkaraswisher Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/onwithkaraswisher.bsky.social