The forces reshaping restaurant M&A are relevant well beyond the restaurant sector. For hospitality and destination-driven business owners, the same dynamics apply: investors are more selective, expectations are higher, and the operators who come out ahead will be the ones who have done the foundational work. Here is what stood out to us.

As we embark on 2026, the hospitality investment landscape is beginning to shift; quietly, deliberately, and with greater intention than we have seen in recent years.

Birch Creek Advisors, a new Walla Walla-based advisory firm, will focus on assisting hotel, resort and restaurant owners with financial exchanges, according to the company's news release.