Across America, from established restaurant chains to upstarts, bankruptcies are rising, locations are closings and profit margins are shrinking. Restaurant Chain CEOs blame it on everything from the deplorable election season dragging down the mood of the country to global geo-political tensions. “It’s the economy, stupid,” not the presidential elections or consumer uncertainty, that’s keeping people from eating out. More than a restaurant recession, it is a precursor of a national recession.