Restaurant chains see dollar signs in downtown Indianapolis

• That's the former home of Sugarfire Smokehouse, which, like so many other retailers, closed during the pandemic, leaving downtown full of vacant storefronts.

Why it matters: The Washington Street store is an unmistakable vote of confidence in downtown by a massive chain that makes calculated decisions.

Between the lines: National restaurants operate with mountains of sophisticated data on traffic and demographics — and they use that information to make lots of money.

• Flynn Restaurant Group, the franchisee behind the Taco Bell Cantina, owns restaurants with a combined $4.5 billion in annual revenue, per the IBJ, citing Franchise Times.

Reality check: Closings aren't finished downtown.

• Starbucks vacated Monument Circle earlier this year (although it also has recently opened new coffee shops nearby).

• Green District in May closed its salad shop on the circle, too.

Be smart: What we know is Taco Bell, the fourth-largest U.S. restaurant chain, views downtown Indianapolis as a profitable place to open a restaurant, just like Chick-fil-A, the third-largest, did a year ago when it opened a store nearby on West Washington Street.

The bottom line: Big chains make mistakes, but they usually make smart, well-informed bets.

• Two of the top five restaurants in America think downtown Indianapolis is on the upswing.