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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Pizza Hut launches largest topping revamp in over a decade
The QSR also added Chicago Tavern-Style pizza to its menu and claims to be the first global pizza chain to offer this type of thin crust.
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Dave & Buster’s sees customer satisfaction growth despite higher game prices
Guest satisfaction scores are at historical highs, and CEO Chris Morris believes there is room to increase game prices without taking a hit.
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Subway dips into more snack items with latest menu addition
Three new Footlong Dippers will further enhance the company’s Sidekicks menu, which has sold nearly 30 million items since it launched in January.
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Qdoba offers $100K cash bonus to spur new franchisee commitments
The company aims to double its store count in seven years and will reward new and existing operators who open units by September 2026.
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Wawa’s Hoagiefest continues a run of foodservice value deals
With 62% of U.S. consumers eating less fast food due to inflation, c-stores and restaurants are leaning more into discounts and promotions.
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McDonald’s ends IBM drive-thru voice order test
The fast food chain still sees a future for automated order taking at the drive-thru and expects to make a decision about the tech by year’s end.
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Shake Shack hires Arby’s vet as COO
Stephanie Sentell, who has over two decades of restaurant experience, will oversee operations at company-owned restaurants.
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Dunkin’ readies celeb-heavy ‘intern’ class for summer of culture plays
The QSR has pivoted from Ben Affleck and friends to a group of celebrities and content creators that span music, fashion and gaming.
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Starbucks unionization efforts
Supreme Court backs Starbucks to impose stricter test on NLRB injunctions
The court ordered lower courts to use a four-factor test in place of the two-factor standard used by some circuits when determining whether to grant injunctions in labor disputes.
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Honolulu restaurant, HR company settle EEOC suit claiming co-owner targeted gay workers for harassment
The co-owner allegedly exposed his genitals at work, asked for oral sex and commented on male workers’ sexual orientation, EEOC said.
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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.