Restaurant owners optimistic about year ahead 

For the first time in four months, restaurateurs reported a net positive outlook for the economy. Twenty-six percent of respondents to a National Restaurant Association survey said they expect economic conditions to improve in the next six months, up from 22 percent the previous month. Family-restaurant and fine-dining operators were the most optimistic, with one-third expecting the economy to improve in the next six months, which is a good sign for the industry in the state, Iowa Restaurant Association President and CEO Jessica Dunker said in a press release. “Family-dining and fine-dining restaurants are often the first places to feel the pinch of an economic downturn,” she said. 

For the first time in four months, restaurateurs reported a net positive outlook for the economy. Twenty-six percent of respondents to a National Restaurant Association survey said they expect economic conditions to improve in the next six months, up from 22 percent the previous month. Family-restaurant and fine-dining operators were the most optimistic, with one-third expecting the economy to improve in the next six months, which is a good sign for the industry in the state, Iowa Restaurant Association President and CEO Jessica Dunker said in a press release. “Family-dining and fine-dining restaurants are often the first places to feel the pinch of an economic downturn,” she said.