Why Restaurants Are Empty AND Overpriced In 2026

You walk into a restaurant on a Friday night and it's half empty. You sit down, open the menu, and stare: $22 for a burger, $34 for pasta, $40 for chicken. Regular chicken. The Wall Street Journal literally ran the headline "Why Are Restaurants Now Charging $40 for Chicken?" And as you look around at the empty dining room and six idle servers, something doesn't add up — empty restaurants aren't supposed to be this expensive. This video performs a full autopsy on the restaurant industry and explains how both things are happening at once.