Businesses bringing back recession specials could be the latest sign of deteriorating consumer sentiment

As fears of a slowing economy lurk in the background, some businesses are taking notice and bringing back so-called recession specials

As fears of a slowing economy lurk in the background, some businesses are taking notice and bringing back so-called recession specials.

Look up the term “recession specials” through Google’s search engine, and the list of results will include entries from the Great Recession nearly 20 years ago.

Consider this Grub Street article from 2008 slugged “Recession Specials: Your Definitive Guide.” Or this 2009 story from The New York Times, which details the mealtime recession specials restaurants across New York offered as an act of survival.

Fast-forward to 2025 and a crop of establishments are once more hinting at a looming economic downturn.

Recession fears were heating up this spring as President Donald Trump rolled out a slate of tariffs in early April. The term “recession indicator” entered the vernacular of social media users as a tongue-in-cheek way of gauging a potential economic slowdown.