2026 Virginia Restaurant Operator Survey

Virginia is home to over 17,000 restaurants supporting over 385,000 jobs and delivering a total of $6.2 billion in total taxes annually. The restaurant industry is one of the largest private employers in the Commonwealth. Our work is tremendously consequential for our communities, for our teams, and for our customers. As mounting economic headwinds have increased fixed costs for restaurants like electricity, gas, food, labor, rent, and credit card swipe fees, maintaining profitability has become an increasingly complex task. In fact, according to the National Restaurant Association’s annual 2026 State of the Industry Report, 42% of restaurant operators reported that their restaurants were not profitable in 2025.

In an attempt to get a clearer picture of how these obstacles are specifically affecting Virginia restaurants, VRLTA has prepared this operational survey. We hope that you’ll take just a few minutes to help us better understand the conditions that face you every day so that we can better advocate on your behalf to our elected leaders in the General Assembly and the Governor’s administration. Your responses are anonymous, and we will not use or disseminate any personal information.

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Restaurant Information
Please share with us some general information about your establishment.

2026 vs 2025
Taking a look at your business performance in 2026 against the previous year.

Please check all that apply.

Shop around for other suppliers
Negotiate with existing suppliers
Increase tracking of food waste
Adjust portion sizes
Cut costs in other areas of the operation
Purchase more items from local sources
Substitute lower-cost items on the menu
Remove items from the menu
Increase menu prices

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Restaurant Challenges
Score on a scale of 1-5: 1 - No challenge | 2 - Not much of a challenge | 3 - Neutral issue | 4 - Fairly significant challenge | 5 - Very significant challenge

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Restaurant Challenges (cont.)
Current challenges facing your business and the restaurant community

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Workforce Development
How have your staffing procedures and conerns evolved?

Please check all that apply.

Front-of-the-house or customer service positions
Chef/cook positions
Kitchen support positions
Manager positions

Please check all that apply.

Word of mouth (from family, friends or customers)
Referrals from current employees
Help wanted sign
Online job posting
Industry-specific platform
Social media
Customers who applied for a job

Please check all that apply.

Applicant support and experience
Applicant tracking
Initial qualification screening
Interview scheduling
Candidate assessments
Interviewing
Hiring decisions
Making a job offer
Pre-start onboarding
None

Number of days from when a job becomes open to the new hire’s first day.

Number of days from when a job becomes open to the new hire’s first day.

Please check all that apply.

Improves retention and reduces turnover
Builds team culture and morale
Enhances guest experience
Boosts productivity and performance
Improves onboarding and training
Controls costs and increases profitability
Ensures compliance with standards
Drives sales and revenue

Please check all that apply.

Close on days that it would normally be open
Reduce hours of operation on days that it is open
Not operate at full capacity
Postpone plans for expansion
Incorporate more technology or automation
Make changes to your menu

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Future Investment Opportunities
Score on a scale of 1-4 how likely you are to pursue: 1 - Very Unlikely | 2 - Somewhat Unlikely | 3 - Somewhat Likely | 4 - Very Likely

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Looking Ahead
Looking ahead at what's to come for the restaurant industry.

Positive impact
Negative impact
No impact

Please think about the community in which your business operates and what/if any lasting impact from the pandemic is seen in the restuarant community.