The Latest
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Restaurant trend outlook for 2024
Slow traffic, growing interest in afternoon snacking and trends toward value menus, digital and in-store personalization will shape the restaurant landscape.
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Traffic at QSR chains in California declines following minimum wage increase
Price increases meant to offset the cost of the sector’s $20 minimum wage in the state have significantly dented customer visits, data from Placer.ai shows.
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CKE appoints Papa Johns vet as chief technology and growth officer
Justin Falciola will oversee information technology, digital strategy and operations and help deploy new technologies as the company invests in digital channels.
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McDonald’s names next chief supply chain officer for North America
Cesar Piña, a 10-year veteran of the company, will succeed Bob Stewart and focus on supply chain resiliency and sustainability.
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Noodles & Company appoints chief concept officer
Scott Davis, who joins the troubled chain after serving as president and chief concept officer at CoreLife, was also concept chief at Panera for nearly three decades.
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What drove Rubio’s to declare bankruptcy again
Despite completing a restructuring in 2020, the chain struggled to overcome macroeconomic headwinds that led to three years of negative EBITDA.
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Q&A
Portillo’s CFO Michelle Hook shares secret sauce for restaurant growth
Hook talks about her job switch from Domino’s after 17 years, what creates passion for the work and how Portillo’s is viewing growth.
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Jack in the Box to enter Georgia with 15-store deal
The fast food chain’s move into the the Peach State is a major boost to its expansion strategy in the Southeast, which has also focused on Florida.
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Uber loses gig worker court decision
The battle over whether gig workers are independent contractors continues. A separate court case will decide the legality of a Lyft- and Uber-backed ballot measure in California that would define them as such.
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Corner Bakery promotes COO to president
Erin Hasselgren, who returned to the chain as COO in 2023, has become the company’s fifth president and first under new owner SSCP.
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What operators can learn from Red Lobster’s downfall
While the full-service chain’s food options have remained relatively unchanged during the past few decades, restaurants like Angry Crab Shack have found success by constantly innovating.
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Waffle House workers claim organizing prompted companywide wage bumps
While CEO Joe Rogers III said wage increases were five years in the making, they also come months after organized workers went on strike at several stores calling for higher pay.
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Red Lobster says it’s ‘here to stay’ with Flavor Flav-led campaign
To combat doomsaying around its Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing, the seafood chain is going full steam ahead on its Crabfest promotion.
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Tijuana Flats appoints turnaround expert as CEO
James Greco, who has helped revitalize brands like Sbarro and Bruegger’s, joins the fast casual brand two months after it declared bankruptcy.
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EG America to debut $5 meal deal
The convenience retailer is beefing up its foodservice program with the new promotion, which will be available from mid-June through early September.
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Wedstraunt
How a bad real estate deal sunk Red Lobster
Trouble began in 2014 when the chain’s owner sold its real estate in a sale-leaseback, putting the seafood brand on the hook for millions in rent.
Updated June 10, 2024 -
Q&A // Meet the exec
How &pizza’s CEO brought the cool back into the brand
Mike Burns, now seven months into his tenure at the pizza chain, turned the music up in stores and told employees to be who they are as part of reviving the brand’s culture.
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Bojangles launches catering through ezCater partnership
The channel is expected to provide a sales boost, especially with average catering orders about 10 times larger on average than digital transactions.
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Foxtrot is returning — but with plenty of questions about its future
Founder Mike LaVitola plans to reopen several locations this summer, yet it’s unclear how he’s been involved with the retailer amid its bankruptcy process.
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Retrieved from Taco Bell.
Taco Bell brings Kellanova’s Cheez-It to the menu
The Big Cheez-It Crunchwrap Supreme and Big Cheez-It Tostada feature a cheesy cracker that is 16 times larger than its typical snacking size.
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Why TGI Fridays expects hotels to be a growth channel
The full-service chain, which opened a unit inside Hilton Garden Inn in Hollywood, California, says converting generic restaurants inside hotels decreases time and cost to develop.
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Starbucks partners with Grubhub for delivery
The new partnership will allow the coffee chain to continue building a channel that grew by double-digits last quarter.
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Rubio’s files for bankruptcy protection
The company, which has been under financial pressures due to diminishing traffic and rising costs, said a Chapter 11 filing is part of facilitating a sale.
Updated June 5, 2024 -
Blaze Pizza to move HQ to Atlanta
Its East Coast headquarters will help the chain during the next phase of growth, CEO Beto Guajardo said.
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Restaurant openings up 6%, but momentum slowing
Sweets and snack concepts had the most openings with new dessert stores up 52%, followed by shaved ice outlets up 22%, according to a Yelp report.