The Indicator from Planet Money · Friday, October 30, 2026

Discount Limited-Time Offers on Restaurant Menus Rise to 27% Following 2024 Election

Alex Mayasi shared that the percentage of discount limited-time offers on restaurant menus has increased from 22% to 27% since Donald Trump was elected in 2024. Citing data from Technomic, Mayasi explained that this rise in promotions like happy hours and value deals often tracks the overall health of the economy and may signal that consumers are feeling shaky about their finances ahead of the midterms.

personAlex MayasipersonDonald TrumpcompanyTechnomiccompanyApplebee'scompanyCheesecake FactorycompanyShake Shack

The tape

2 quotes

“So my indicator is that since Donald Trump got elected in 2024, the percentage of discount LTOs on restaurant menus has increased from 22% to 27%.”

Alex Mayasi

“This data comes from a menu tracking company called Technomic.”

Alex Mayasi

Heard on The Indicator from Planet Money — “Corporate tax cheats, recession deal eats and costly Halloween treats!”, published Friday, October 30, 2026. Heardvine summarizes and quotes with attribution and timestamps, and links to the original everywhere.

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