Pricing is a powerful marketing tool. Experiment to set it right and you can bring more people to buy, making up in volume what you give up in margin.

Casual dining and quick-serve restaurants know this as well as any industry that uses the technique. It seems to have made a difference, according to Placer.ai. Limited-time offers (LTOs) are boosting consumer response. Dropping prices can also be an admission that something is wrong. That may be the case there.

Dining took heavy blows during the pandemic, and when people felt they could safely go to restaurants, they did. Early this year, Citizens projected that restaurant sales would rise 6% year over year. Just over a third of people visited casual dining restaurants at least once a week. As macroeconomic forces continue to ease, their projection is for another 6% increase in 2024.