A microcosm of development in the United States, a suburban strip near Chicago has seen a proliferation of restaurant development in recent years, fueled by Wall Street.
Experts say there is an oversaturation of restaurants across the country. Rachel Abrams and Robert Gebeloff, writing for The New York Times, featured a stretch of Highway 59 in suburban Chicago, Illinois, as a prime example of the type of sprawling development attracting the overbuilding of restaurants in the United States.
Driven by Wall Street investment, restaurants are now opening at twice the rate of population growth, according to the Bureau of Labor Services (BLS). Americans spend 44 cents of every food dollar on restaurants, a figure that is increasing. While restaurant spending is still increasing, its overall growth rate is slowing, creating a glut of restaurants.
Investors such as private equity firms and large banks receive a steady stream of franchise fees and royalty payments while franchisees shoulder much of the risk by having to a actually run the restaurants. There is increased pressure to open more restaurants, as buying a single restaurant may come with a development agreement to open several more.
FULL STORY: Thanks to Wall St., There May Be Too Many Restaurants
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Santa Barbara Renews Parklet Program
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Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
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Accessibility-based planning minimizes the distance that people must travel to reach desired services and activities. Measured this way, increased density can provide more total benefits than increased speeds.
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LA Metro Board Approves New 710 Freeway Plan
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Austin’s Proposed EV Charging Rules Regulate Station Locations, Size
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Making California State Parks More Climate-Resilient
A recently released report offers recommendations for keeping state parks healthy and robust, including acquiring additional land for conservation and recreation.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Tufts University, Department of Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
