The Latest

  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Tracking the same-store sales of 21 major restaurant chains

    Sales at pizza and casual dining brands have struggled, while QSR giants like McDonald’s and Starbucks saw anemic changes and fast casuals Cava and Chipotle made big gains. 

    Updated March 20, 2025
  • An image of a black building with windows and The Cheesecake Factory signage.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    The Cheesecake Factory overhauls menu

    The chain, which typically updates its menu every year, rolled out an extensive list of starters, entrees and beverages and removed 13 items.

  • An image of a white building with blue logo that says Zaxbys
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    Retrieved from Zaxbys on March 24, 2025
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    Zaxbys adds AI cameras to drive-thru

    The technology from Berry AI measures speed of service and line abandonment, which could help boost drive-thru times by identifying bottlenecks.

  • An evening photo of a beige brick building with brown letters that say "Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen."
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    Courtesy of Darden
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    Darden pilots Uber Eats delivery at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen

    The channel is in pilot at 10 restaurants with plans to deploy it across the 182-restaurant system in the near future.

  • A Chili's Burger framed by fries and a drink.
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    Courtesy of Brinker
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    The restaurant industry’s Q4 2024 winners and losers

    Consumer price sensitivity has hit brands unevenly, with Applebee’s and Starbucks suffering extended traffic declines while Chili’s pumped its traffic up with a strong value offer. 

  • A "Market Plate" from Just Salad
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad serves up dinner plates

    Following in Sweetgreen’s footsteps, the fast casual chain wants to boost its dinner daypart with heartier meals.

  • Pizza Hut Hutty
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut introduces second-screen mobile companion for March Madness

    The digital experience can be accessed via Instagram and leverages Meta AI to dish out real-time game reactions, hot takes and exclusive offers.

  • An image of a gray building with a black sign that says "&pizza"
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    Permission granted by &pizza
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    &pizza pivots to franchising

    Pizzas formulated for off-premise dining could help &pizza escape the problems of the fast casual pizza sector as it grows beyond the East Coast.

  • Sandwiches sit on a counter as workers as ingredients.
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    Restaurants focus on tech, retention as labor market cools

    Speeding up hiring with applicant tracking systems, mobile applications and automated interview scheduling could save time and money, the National Restaurant Association said.

  • A close up look at a digital beverage menu and kiosks at Taco Bell's Live Mas Cafe
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell/Diversified Restaurant Group
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    Yum Brands, Nvidia will deploy new AI at 500 restaurants

    The restaurant giant is working with the tech company to develop proprietary tech systems including back-of-house computer vision.

  • An image of a man in a suite smiling in front of a red backround with beigh spoons.
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    Courtesy of International Dairy Queen
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    International Dairy Queen taps former Domino’s exec as COO

    Art D’Elia will oversee operations, training and marketing in his new role at the chain, which is actively growing its system around the world.

  • A Walmart storefront showcases its refreshed brand identity, with a new typeface and the spark logo set apart as a standalone asset.
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    Permission granted by Walmart
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    Walmart links with chain to open made-to-order pizza restaurants

    Nozzleman Pizza plans to debut locations inside more than a dozen of the retailer’s stores this year.

  • Grubbrr's kiosks on display at the National Restaurant Association Show in 2024.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    8 restaurant industry trade shows to attend in 2025

    This year is brimming with restaurant conferences and trade shows covering key issues for the sector, from franchising strategy to economic forecasts.

    Updated Jan. 31, 2025
  • An exterior image of a white restaurant with a yellow decoration and signs that say Church's Chicken
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    Courtesy of Church's Chicken
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    Q&A

    Church’s Texas Chicken CEO: Chain’s future is defined by franchising, unit growth

    Roland Gonzalez, who took the top exec role in February, said Church’s will sustain its momentum by deploying more technology to boost operations and attract more operator commitments.

  • A photograph of the inside of a Corner Bakery with chairs and booths in the foreground and ordering counter in the background.
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    Courtesy of Corner Bakery
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    Corner Bakery invests over $6M in cafe remodels, other brand improvements

    Two years after emerging from bankruptcy, the chain has completed seven remodels and plans to invest another $500,000 in additional renovations.

  • Maverik
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    Brett Dworski/Restaurant Dive
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    Deep Dive

    Inside Maverik’s decision to cut Kum & Go’s foodservice program

    The move, which coincided with nixing the Iowa retailer's mobile ordering platform, underscores the culturally dissonant integration between the companies, several former corporate staffers say.

  • The exterior of a Cava in Chicago
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    Permission granted by Cava
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    Cava opens first Indiana unit

    The growing Mediterranean brand is looking at cities like Indianapolis, Detroit and Pittsburgh as fresh markets for development in 2025.

  • Little General
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    Permission granted by Little General Stores
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    Little General debuts small-format Buffalo Wild Wings in West Virginia

    The c-store retailer plans to bring at least five more Buffalo Wild Wings “Go” locations to West Virginia, with the next one set to open within 30 days.

  • An image of a brown building with red logo that says Tony Roma's
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    Permission granted by Tony Roma's
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    Tony Roma’s future will be embedded with AI, robotics

    CEO Mohaimina Haque said these technologies can help inform operator decisions such as real estate selection and back-of-house workflows.

  • A Nathan's Famous restaurant.
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    Courtesy of Nathan's Famous
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    Nathan’s Famous debuts standalone restaurant design in South Carolina

    The restaurant showcases a modernized point-of-sales system and double drive-thru, elements that could attract franchisees and boost domestic growth.

  • A Qdoba store around dusk.
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    Permission granted by Qdoba
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    Qdoba’s development pipeline surpasses 500 units

    The chain is well on its way to reaching its 1,500-unit goal with commitments for 33 new restaurants.

  • Casey's
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    Retrieved from Casey's.
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    Casey’s sees strong growth from food innovation

    Recent coffee and chicken wing launches plus strength in areas like bakery and hot sandwiches helped grow the company’s inside margins to over 34%.

  • Coffee drips into a white ceramic mug emblazoned with the Starbucks logo
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Brian Niccol’s 6-month update on Starbucks turnaround plan

    The coffee chain’s CEO said investments in store experience are ramping up, but union members say the brand isn’t spending enough on hourly workers.

    Updated March 13, 2025
  • A sign with a lobster on it that says "This location is closed."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    The 6 biggest casual chain bankruptcies since the COVID-19 pandemic

    CEC Entertainment and CPK have long since recovered from Chapter 11, while others like Red Lobster filed for bankruptcy last year after failing to grow sales.

  • A rendering of the interior of a convenience store. There are tables and chairs, a fireplace, benches and TV screens on oen wall showing a variety of sports.
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    Permission granted by Rutter's
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    Rutter’s announces new stores with bar and lounge

    This design is the latest in a series of updates the Pennsylvania-based retailer has rolled out over the past few years.