The plight of restaurants in the UK and US in 2026 Lela LondonI am no longer reassured by full restaurants. What makes business rates so corrosive is their indifference. And, according to data from Black Box Intelligence and the National Restaurant Association , independent restaurants are the ones feeling it most. Because, for all the structural pressure, restaurants remain one of the few places where people still choose to be together. In fact, the restaurants I worry about least now are not necessarily the biggest or the flashiest, but the clearest.