{"id":133112,"date":"2026-05-23T08:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112"},"modified":"2026-05-23T08:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-23T12:00:09","slug":"americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112","title":{"rendered":"America’s late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here’s why"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Late-night fast food<\/a> and 24-hour dining \u2014 once staples of American convenience \u2014 have shrunk dramatically in recent years, though some chains are beginning to expand overnight hours again.<\/p>\n

Across the country, fewer chains are keeping locations open overnight, a shift that began during the COVID-19 pandemic<\/a> and never fully reversed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Restaurant sales plunged 47% in April 2020 from a year earlier, forcing operators to cut hours and reduce costs, according to U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data cited by Tasting Table.<\/p>\n

Years later, many of those reduced schedules remain in place.<\/p>\n

MCDONALD’S $2.50 MCDOUBLE SPARKS BACKLASH AS AMERICANS SAY FAST FOOD IS NO LONGER CHEAP<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Between 2020 and 2024, the number of restaurants offering 24-hour service declined by 18%, according to Yelp data.<\/p>\n

“The underlying consumer demand just isn’t there the way it was pre-pandemic,” David Henkes, senior principal and head of strategic partnerships for Chicago-based Technomic, a food service consultancy firm, told Fox News Digital.<\/p>\n

“I’ve been saying for two or three years now \u2014 and I wish I could stop saying it \u2014 but it’s never been more challenging to profitably run a restaurant than it is today,” Henkes said.<\/p>\n

Rising food costs,<\/a> inflation and thin profit margins have made late-night service harder to justify, while keeping overnight shifts staffed continues to be a challenge.<\/p>\n

GEN Z STILL DRINKS, JUST EARLIER AS THE ‘DAYCAP’ TREND BEGINS UPENDING NIGHTLIFE<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Safety concerns and local regulations have also played a role, with some cities restricting late-night operations \u2014 including a Philadelphia measure requiring certain businesses to close by 11 p.m., according to local reports.<\/p>\n

Dining costs, or “Food Away from Home” prices, have surged nearly 30% since 2020 in U.S. cities, according to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data.<\/a><\/p>\n

Costs are up across the board for everyone, Henkes also said, and for restaurants<\/a>, that means steeper prices for labor, food, rent, insurance, energy and more.<\/p>\n

“When wages were lower, it was often cheaper to leave a store or restaurant open with a skeleton crew than to go through the processes associated with closing it and reopening it,” Bryan Gildenberg, managing director of New Jersey-based market research firm Retail Cities, told Fox News Digital. \u00a0<\/p>\n

WATCHING VIDEOS OF BURGERS AND CAKE COULD HELP DIETERS RESIST CRAVINGS, STUDY SUGGESTS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“Today, with wages orders of magnitude higher than they were 10 years ago, those economics no longer work,” he said.<\/p>\n

Labor has always been a challenge for food service operators, according to Henkes.<\/p>\n

“I looked at a study we did in 1970, and labor was the No. 1 issue then,” he said. “It’s still really the No. 1 issue today. It’s finding [the right people]. It’s recruiting. It’s retaining. Typically, you’re probably paying a premium for [those employees], and there are staffing nightmares that come along with staying open all night.”<\/p>\n

Consumers are also strapped and spending less at restaurants. Some 37% of Americans \u2014 and 44% of low-income diners \u2014 were eating out less frequently than they were the year before, according to a 2025 YouGov survey.<\/a><\/p>\n

“Of these, 69% cite a perceived rise in [costs] as a reason for them visiting restaurants less often,” the report said.<\/p>\n

People’s habits and priorities post-COVID have also changed. Statistics consistently show a growing interest in health and wellness<\/a> since the pandemic.<\/p>\n

There’s also been a sharp decline in the number of people who say they drink alcohol<\/a>.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

“Younger people are drinking less, and let’s be honest \u2014 most of the people looking for\u00a0fast\u00a0food\u00a0at 2:30 a.m. probably aren’t sober,” Gildenberg said.<\/p>\n

Still, restaurants aren’t going anywhere, Henkes said, and he expects limited-service chains to continue outpacing full-service and sit-down restaurants.<\/p>\n

There might be some hope for late-night dining with traffic ticking up since 2023, according to Nation’s Restaurant News; some chains are slowly expanding hours<\/a> again.<\/p>\n

Wendy’s, for example, has pushed to keep more locations open later, with about 90% of its restaurants operating until midnight or beyond, CEO Todd Penegor said on an earnings call.<\/p>\n

McDonald’s announced last year that it would be extending its hours and hiring over 300,000 employees, FOX Business reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Burger King also added more late-night operating hours last year, according to a Restaurant Dive report.<\/p>\n

Taco Bell announced its “Encore Hours” initiative in 2025 to provide food for music lovers at select locations.<\/p>\n

IHOP, Denny’s and Waffle House are other restaurant chains with more reliable late-night hours.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES<\/u><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Experts also note that demand for 24-hour dining remains strongest in high-traffic areas near highways, airports and<\/a> major cities \u2014 rather than in smaller towns.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Source – https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/food-drink\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-making-comeback-heres-why <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Late-night fast food and 24-hour dining \u2014 once staples of American convenience \u2014 have shrunk dramatically in recent years, though some chains are beginning to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"twitter_2902945987_2902945987":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[16563],"tags":[],"stock_ticker":[],"class_list":["post-133112","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-market-news","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nAmerica's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"America's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Late-night fast food and 24-hour dining \u2014 once staples of American convenience \u2014 have shrunk dramatically in recent years, though some chains are beginning to […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Wall Street PR\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"715\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"423\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\"},\"headline\":\"America’s late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here’s why\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\"},\"wordCount\":770,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"articleSection\":[\"Market News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\",\"name\":\"America's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"America’s late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here’s why\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"description\":\"Latest News From WallStreet\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Wall Street PR\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png\",\"width\":537,\"height\":70,\"caption\":\"Wall Street PR\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"America's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"America's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR","og_description":"Late-night fast food and 24-hour dining \u2014 once staples of American convenience \u2014 have shrunk dramatically in recent years, though some chains are beginning to […]","og_url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112","og_site_name":"Wall Street PR","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","article_published_time":"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00","og_image":[{"width":715,"height":423,"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/businessman-showing-business-evolution1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"admin","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36"},"headline":"America’s late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here’s why","datePublished":"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112"},"wordCount":770,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"articleSection":["Market News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112","name":"America's late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here's why - Wall Street PR","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-05-23T12:00:09+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/americas-late-night-fast-food-culture-may-be-making-a-comeback-heres-why-133112#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"America’s late-night fast-food culture may be making a comeback \u2014 here’s why"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","name":"Wall Street PR","description":"Latest News From WallStreet","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#organization","name":"Wall Street PR","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/brand-logo.png","width":537,"height":70,"caption":"Wall Street PR"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WallStreetPR\/","https:\/\/x.com\/WallstreetPRs"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/#\/schema\/person\/6e00efa2abc413bdc0bca51a90c54d36","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/360_F_336393115_5gCUfwn76x3MJaCJMYDKLoRebkC8QyrL-300x300.jpg","caption":"admin"},"url":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/author\/admin"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133112","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=133112"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/133112\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=133112"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=133112"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=133112"},{"taxonomy":"stock_ticker","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cablemanpro.com\/wallstreetpr\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/stock_ticker?post=133112"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}