Not to be overly optimistic, and perhaps it’s just the inevitable emergence from a lengthy and brutal period of rationalisation and consolidation, but things appear to be looking up. Admittedly the upticks predicted for 2020 are tiny, like 1% growth for casual dining and a 0.3% acceleration for food to go. But after the carnage of the last couple of years, positive news, however slight, will come as welcome news for the operators that skilfully navigated their way through it.