Americas

For the past few decades, fast food consumption has had a reliable recession indicator: when budgets tighten, Americans head for the drive-thru.However, in today’s K-shaped economy, analysts say that the old playbook is breaking — and some of the biggest chains are finding that even price cuts aren’t bringing customers…

David Deal’s 2026 outlook is what he describes as a “whack-a-mole of worry.” While he’s 62 and presumably approaching retirement, 65 is “just a number” for him, not a milestone marker for throwing in the towel on his career like his parents’ generation. The thing that really has him wound…