I think this phenomena shows us more about how much we've changed in terms of internet culture rather than how much fast food stores have changed due to neoliberalism/woke/etc. They did this in the 70s too. They got rid of bright colors and went for something more grown up. Then the 80s and 90s clawed it back because bright primary colors came back into style. The difference is we didn't have social media discourse that rewards this kind of narrative building and commentary machinery where everything needs a hot take or deep explanation. So of course there is the neoliberal explanation of cutting costs or some kind of real estate scheme for the left. It's woke dei design trying to snuff out Western civ for the right. It comes to everyone's attention because people arguing about it pushes in the social media algos. Now everyone has an opinion about fast food interior design because it's important (as deemed by the algo) and they have all these sources of commentary explaining why it's happening to choose from.

Of course, materialism is materialism and there is an economic explanation. But I think too much importance is being applied to this mundane phenomena and it's not a sign of imperial decline nor the end of Western beauty. It's just a business doing what a business has done since before most of us were born. Being able to look at something mundane and spin a huge narrative about how it ties in to social malaise is a hot commodity these days thanks to social media. We're all guilty of it because we're trained to do it as part of socializing online. Every person is a podcaster.