The Pulse

The Pulse Survey Topline Results

The PULSE Wisconsin Hospitality Surveys are quick, focused, anonymous surveys conducted by the Wisconsin Restaurant Association to guide efforts to support and strengthen our industry.

NOTE: The Pulse Surveys were not conducted using random sampling methods necessary for statistical inference to a broader population.

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Penny Shortage - December, 2025

Top line results from last month's PULSE Survey on the penny shortage:

23% of respondents indicated that it's not a big deal because most folks pay with cards or their phones
62% of respondents indicated that they have been able to get pennies, so it is not a problem yet
9% indicated of respondents indicated that it has had a huge impact and they are rounding to the nearest nickel
89% of respondents indicated that they have not yet had to communicate with consumers about the penny shortage

Tariffs & Holiday Outlook - November, 2025

70% of respondents indicated that they are experiencing higher prices due to tariffs
Respondents indicated that meat, produce, equipment, packaging, seafood & oils represent the most significant wholesale price increases due to tariffs
62% of respondents indicated that they have experienced supply chain delays or increased uncertainty in delivery scheduled as a result of new trade barriers or customs processes related to tariffs
47% of respondents indicated that they expect holiday traffic at their restaurant to be about the same as last year with 30% indicating that they expect holiday traffic to be lower and 23% indicating that they expect holiday traffic to be better
67% of respondents who host private parties/events indicated that they expect private parties/events to trend about the same as last year with 20% indicating that they expect private parties/events to trend lower than last year and 13% indicating that they expect private parties/events to trend better than last year

Credit Card Processing - October, 2025

99% of respondents indicated that their business accepts credit and/or debit cards
46% of respondents indicated that customer payments have shifted heavily toward credit/debit cards (30% indicated a slight shift toward credit/debit cards and 15% indicated this has remained the same, 8% indicated a slight shift toward cash and 2% indicated a heavy shift toward cash)
78% of respondents indicated that credit card fees (the percentage paid per transaction) have increased over the past five years

MAHA's Impact on Restaurant Menus/Operations - September, 2025

58% of respondents indicated that customers have asked about certain ingredients or foods served in their restaurant
According to those respondents, the types of foods that customers ask about included: 75% Seed oils (such as soybean, corn, canola or grapeseed); 50% Artificial dyes; 35% Preseratives/additives; 45% Highly processed grains, sugars and fats; 25% Other (including gluten, MSG, organic, GMO and organic)

Mid-Year Outlook - August, 2025

Overall Sales

16% of respondents indicated that overall sales are up, but mostly due to menu price increases
29% of respondents indicated that overall sales are up, even after taking into account menu price increases
19% of respondents indicated that overall sales are about the same
36% of respondents indicated that overall sales are down

Staffing

33% of respondents indicated that they are fully staffed
67% of respondents indicated that they are still looking to fill positions

Wages

80% of respondents indicated that they have increased wages in the past 12 months
20% of respondents indicated that they have not increased wages in the past 12 months

Optimism

30% of respondents indicated that they believe that they will have better sales for the next six months compared to last year
37% of respondents indicated that they believe that sales will be the same for the next six months compared to last year
34% of respondents indicated that they believe that sales will be lower for the next six months compared to last year

Alcohol Delivery - July, 2025

91.67% of businesses who completed the survey who currently have an alcohol license and currently offer delivery indicated that if delivery of alcohol were legal in Wisconsin they would add alcohol to their delivery menu
50% of businesses who completed the survey who currently offer delivery but do not have an alcohol license indicated that they would consider getting an alcohol license in order to add alcohol to their delivery menu

Road Construction - June, 2025

83% of respondents indicated that their business has been impacted by road construction in the past five years
83% of those impacted by road construction saw a sales decrease due to the road construction
Of those impacted by road constructions, 20% indicated that local or state government tried to mitigate the negative impact on their business

Cash & Credit Practices - May, 2025

Only 4% of respondents indicated that their business accepts only cash
Only 2% of respondents indicated that their business accepts only credit/debit
An overwhelming majority of respondents (94%) indicated that their business accepts cash and credit/debit
71% of respondents indicated that they accept mobile payments like Google Pay and/or Apple Pay
51% of respondents indicated that they accept checks from retail customers for payment

Hiring Challenges Pulse Survey - April, 2025
Difficulties hiring needed staff:

44% indicated that they are having difficulties hiring needed staff but it's getting better
28% indicated that they are having difficulties and it's as bad as it's ever been
17% indicated that they are able to find the people they need
11% indicated that they are fully staffed and not hiring

Spring/Summer staffing:
77% indicated that they plan to hire additional staff for Spring/Summer

For the respondents who indicated that they plan to hire additional staff this Spring/Summer, they indicated needing to fill the following positions (Note: multiple answers were allowed):

Server 66%
Chef/cook 51%
Bartender 40%
Dishwasher 31%
Host 23%
Busser 20%
Front of House Manager 14%
Back of House Manager 8%

Tariffs Pulse Survey - March, 2025
If food prices increase due to tariffs:

45.83% indicated that they would remove some menu items/ingredients and raise prices on others
31.25% indicated that they would raise prices only
14.5% indicated that they don't use a lot of products from the effected countries
6.25% indicated that they would reformulate menu items or remove items completely
2% specified an "other" response

Types of products most concerned about relating to tariffs:

Produce was by far the category mentioned the most
Others mentioned included: equipment, alcohol, disposables, grain, glassware, cheese, seafood & coffee beans

Bar Sales & Offerings Pulse Survey - February, 2025
Bar Sales

16% indicated that that they saw an increase in total bar sales over the last 12 months
9% said they saw an increase but it was due to the fact that they raised menu prices
36% indicated that sales were about the same
12% did not answer the question because they do not sell alcoholic beverages

Beverage Offerings

The majority of respondents (69%) indicated that they don't sell hemp derived THC canned drinks and don't intend to
Twelve percent indicated that they are selling hemp derived THC canned drinks and they are selling well
Thirty three percent of respondents indicated that they sell non-alcoholic beverages like craft mocktails, N/A wine or N/A beer and sales are increasing
Forty seven percent indicated that they sell non-alcoholic beverages like craft mocktails, N/A wine or N/A beer, but sales are flat

Biggest Challenges in 2025 Pulse Survey - January, 2025
The issues that our survey respondents identified as the top three challenges for their business in 2025 were:

Wholesale food costs
Labor costs
Credit card processing fees