Highlights From 3 Restaurant CEO Chats With CNBC

Denny Marie Post, CEO of Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc. RRGB; Stephen "Steve" Sater, the CEO of El Pollo LoCo Holdings Inc LOCO; and Habit Restaurants Inc HABT's CEO Russell "Russ" Bendel sat down with CNBC's Sara Eisen to talk about the health of the consumer, a close ally in President-elect Donald Trump's administration.

Post started off the conversation by noting that the restaurant industry can no longer relies on traditional measures of industry health, such as consumer confidence in their outlook.

Post noted that while consumer confidence remains strong consumers may be opting to save money for healthcare costs or car renovations. Nevertheless, all of the signs do point to a strong year ahead in 2017.

Ally In Trump Administration

Sather agrees and said he is cautiously optimistic for 2017, especially since Andrew Puzder, a fellow restaurateur CEO, was nominated to serve as the U.S. Secretary of Labor. He added that Puzder is familiar with all of the regulatory hurdles the restaurant industry faces.

Bendel jumped in and argued that Puzder would not only be an advocate for the restaurant industry but for all small businesses across America. Bendel also noted that one of his main concerns from the government is the sheer cost of the Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare"), which has risen at a rate that exceeds inflation.