Running a restaurant in 2026 isn't exactly getting easier. Costs are up. Customers are thinking harder about where they spend their money. And restaurants still need to deliver great food, great service and a great experience every single time.
But there's good news for local food and beverage businesses. Square's 2026 Local Economy Report found that 81% of Canadians surveyed plan to shop in their local neighbourhoods just as much as they did last year or even more.
In fact, Square's data found that regular customers generate significantly more annual value than one-time visitors — nearly six times as much nationally — with the difference driven by consistency rather than spending more on each visit.
For restaurant operators, that means the real opportunity may not be chasing every new customer. It may be getting more people to come back.
Of course, creating regulars is easier said than done when you're also juggling staffing, inventory, orders, payments and approximately 47 other things before lunch.
Behind the scenes at Calgary's Big Buns Club.Courtesy of Square
That's part of the reason Square looked into what actually keeps customers coming back and why the company built tools for restaurants to spend less time managing operations and more time focused on the customer experience.
Square offers an integrated system that allows food and beverage businesses to manage orders, inventory, staff and payments in one place.
One example highlighted in the report is Hank Daddy's Barbecue in Vaughan, Ontario. As demand grew, the family-owned restaurant found itself dealing with longer waits, more pickup orders and customers looking to split its popular shared platters.
By introducing online ordering and tools that simplified everything from pre-orders to bill splitting, the restaurant was able to create a smoother experience for both guests and staff.
While restaurant owners can't control the economy, they can work on making it easier to be a customer by improving things like ordering and rewarding loyal customers.
Because at a time when every customer counts, the ones who come back may matter most.