Commercial Equipment Wholesalers NAICS 423440

Sep 20, 2025 - Restaurants Expanding Despite Uncertainty

• A new survey of 300-plus multi-unit restaurant operators finds they plan to open, on average, 20% more new locations in the next two years than the last two, despite recent economic headwinds, the AP reported in September. The study titled The 2025 Restaurant Growth Insights Report was conducted by Crunchtime Information Systems and foodservice industry data provider Technomic. It found that growth will depend on strong vendor support: Although 83% of operators strive to partner with vendors who can support their growth, 79% said they faced challenges during periods of expansion, ranging from rising costs to poor integration, which all become amplified as brands scale. The report's findings demonstrate that the tools used by commercial equipment wholesalers fail to deliver the consistent real-time guidance or accuracy restaurants need when expanding.
• As restaurants look to optimize the front-of-house experience for customers, they’re purchasing kitchen equipment with smaller footprints to reduce back-of-house space requirements. Driving on-premise traffic will be a higher priority for restaurant operators than capturing off-premise visits this year, according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the Industry Report 2025. During the pandemic and recent aftermath, restaurants – by necessity – focused on their take-out and delivery services. Now, according to the report, 81% of consumers say they would eat at full-service restaurants more frequently if they had more money to spend. Across segments, restaurants are prioritizing on-premise service with 90% of fine dining operators saying on-premise visits would be more important in 2025 than off-premise. Major brands – notably Starbucks and Subway – are focusing their efforts on improving the dine-in experience and make their eateries more appealing places to linger.

• Trends in the food service industry impact purchasing decisions and demand for commercial equipment and supplies, according to Foodservice Equipment & Supplies (FE&S) magazine. Trends with equipment implications for 2025 include the restaurant industry’s ongoing focus on value to draw in cash-strapped customers. Value menus, like McDonald's $5 meal deal, come at a cost to operators who must reduce their own costs to keep prices low for consumers, leading to an increased emphasis on multiuse, programmable, automated, and robotic equipment to save on labor costs, according to FE&S. Innovation in beverages and the launch of beverage-focused concepts like McDonald’s spinoff CosMc’s require cold brewing equipment and supplies, higher-end soda and water taps and dispensers, blenders, and syrup dispensers, notes FE&S. Baked goods are also trending creating increasing demand for commercial baking proofers and ovens. Equipment wholesalers that track trends are better prepared to meet customers’ evolving requirements.
• Producer prices for professional and commercial equipment and supplies merchant wholesalers rose 4.3% in August compared to a year ago, after rising 3% in the previous August-versus-August annual comparison, according to the latest US Bureau of Labor Statistics data. Industry producer prices are near record high levels, having eased slightly from their peak in July. Employment by commercial equipment wholesalers dipped 0.6% year over year in July, while the average industry wage rose 5.2% over the same period to $39.21 per hour, down from its peak in June, BLS data show. According to the Census Bureau’s July 2025 Monthly Wholesale Trade Report, wholesale sales of professional equipment rose 2.9% in July versus June and were up 10.5% year over year.