The Latest

  • A chef cooking in the kitchen with pots, pans, and a restaurant stove in the background
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    Miodrag Ignjatovic via Getty Images
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    The restaurant labor market in 6 key statistics

    Slowing turnover, steady unemployment and flat real wage growth point to growing restaurant employer power over workers compared to 2022 and 2021.

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    Permission granted by Esper
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    Sponsored by Esper

    New data: How restaurant companies manage device technology

    Four ways restaurants are using modern solutions to manage their devices and one way they are way behind.

  • Starbucks Workers United members picket outside a Starbucks in Watertown, Ma., on August 1, 2022.
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    Permission granted by Kylah Clay, Starbucks Workers United
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    Starbucks to fight NLRB ruling that its benefits violated labor law

    A National Labor Relations Board judge found the coffee chain implemented wage and benefits changes to discourage workers from backing Starbucks Workers United.

  • An image of a refreshed Subway.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Subway operators ordered to pay nearly $1M in back wages, shutter operations

    The U.S. Department of Labor found the franchisees told children as young as 14 and 15 to use dangerous equipment, had minors work illegal hours and issued bad checks for payroll. 

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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom signs $20 fast food minimum wage into law

    The deal, AB 1228, establishes a council with limited power to set the pace of wage increases until 2029, in what the SEIU calls a “historic” turn for labor.

  • A bank of windows below a red sign that says "Chipotle." A man stands in the background inside the restaurant.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    EEOC alleges Chipotle supervisor pulled on, removed Muslim worker’s hijab

    The case may point to the need for anti-harassment training for managers.

  • Bicycle gig workers congregate on the street with their packs.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    New York Judge denies DoorDash, Uber Eats, Grubhub injunction against delivery minimum wage

    DoorDash confirmed, barring other legal developments, that it will have to pay its New York City delivery workers $17.96 an hour starting on Monday.

  • People line up for their rides in front of a sign that reads "Uber Pickup Zone."
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Uber taps decades-long finance veteran for CFO seat

    Semiconductor executive Prashanth Mahendra-Rajah is taking the finance reins at the ride-sharing company as it focuses on post-COVID-19 pandemic growth.

  • Burger King gets a fresh look
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King buys 32 franchisee units at bankruptcy auction

    The chain bought the units, which are in Montana, Utah and Wyoming, from a sale of Meridian Restaurants Unlimited locations.

  • Wow Bao
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    Permission granted by Wow Bao
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    Q&A

    Wow Bao’s CEO discusses how the chain went from a small Chicago storefront to a CPG contender

    Geoff Alexander, a restaurant industry veteran, started as a fry cook at his local university watering hole and now runs a bao bun CPG giant. 

  • A woman sits at a coffee table looking at a tablet.
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    andresr via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Cafes and bakeries are only scratching the surface for additional revenue

    Offering an alcoholic or “evening” beverages menu can grow end-of-day foot traffic and deepen regulars’ relationships with their favorite “third place,” writes Toast VP of Product Marketing Teddy Tsang. 

  • A Starbucks union member speaks into a megaphone
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    NLRB dings Starbucks for cracking down on union T-shirts

    Employees also were illegally barred from writing customer-provided, pro-union monikers on cups, among other violations, the NLRB found. 

  • A promotional image of some Panera items offered through catering.
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    Courtesy of Panera Bread
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    Panera doubles down on catering with ezCater partnership

    About half of the fast casual’s 2,100 restaurants will appear on the catering platform initially, with hundreds more to be added in the coming months. 

  • Walk-On's CFO Chris Porcelli and Chief Development Officer Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling
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    Courtesy of Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
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    Walk-On’s adds CFO, CDO to its leadership

    Chris Porcelli and Jennifer Pecoraro-Striepling join the chain as CFO and chief development officer, respectively, as Walk-On’s builds up its c-suite.   

  • An image of Pinstripes
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    Courtesy of Pinstripes
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    Pinstripes hires CFO, CMO as it prepares public debut

    Tony Querciagrossa and Shannon Keller join the brand as CFO and CMO, respectively, as the 14-unit chain gears up for significant growth.

  • Rendering of Sleep Inn's new hotel prototype
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    Retrieved from Choice Hotels International on May 01, 2023
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    Choice, Grubhub partner to bring food delivery to 500 hotels

    Guests at participating hotels will be able to order from off-premise restaurants as third-party food delivery becomes increasingly popular at hotels.

  • Promotional images of phone screens showing Sweetgreen's app.
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen adds in-store loyalty offer

    This rewards expansion could grow frequency among Sweetgreen customers, 50% of whom order on-premise.

  • A picture of ribs on a cutting board
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    Permission granted by Smokey Bones
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    Fat Brands buys Smokey Bones for $30M

    Smokey Bones is Fat Brands’ first barbecue chain and could benefit from Fat’s aggressive franchising strategy.

    M&A
  • Eataly at Park MGM in Las Vegas
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    Courtesy of Francisco Lupini/Eataly USA
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    Eataly names North American CEO, shares expansion plans

    The upscale retail and restaurant chain has tapped Tommaso Brusò for the top post as it looks to open 20 stores in the region over the next five years.

  • An image of Krispy Kreme future CEO Josh Charlesworth
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    Courtesy of Krispy Kreme
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    Krispy Kreme promotes Josh Charlesworth to CEO

    Michael Tattersfield, who has served as CEO since 2017, will step down on Jan. 1, but remain on the company's board.

  • A Panera store.
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    Panera Brands shuffles board as it preps for IPO

    Michael Tattersfield, who is resigning as CEO of Krispy Kreme in January, oversaw the doughnut chain as it went public in 2021.

  • An image of a brick building with red Chick-fil-A signage
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Chick-fil-A expands supply chain footprint with North Carolina distribution center

    The 120,000-square-foot facility, owned by the restaurant chain’s distribution subsidiary, is slated to open in Q3 2024.

  • A stack of uncooked Impossible Burger patties separated by wax paper on a yellow background
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    Courtesy of Impossible Foods
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    Slumping demand forces 2 California plant-based startups to close

    Hooray Foods and Nowadays, which both had restaurant clients, join a growing list of companies in the category that have gone out of business or scaled back their growth plans.

  • A remodeled McDonald's.
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    garett_mosher via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s will raise royalty rate on new US restaurants by 25%

    The fee change increases operator royalty rates from 4% to 5%, but most of the Golden Arches’ franchising revenue will still come from rent, CNBC reports. 

  • Horace Dawson, CEO of Red Lobster, wearing a dark gray suit
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    Courtesy of Red Lobster
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    Red Lobster names Horace Dawson as CEO

    Dawson’s promotion comes more than a year after the seafood chain began searching for a CEO following Kelli Valade’s resignation. 

  • A beige restaurant with Portillo's signage in Allen, Texas
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    Courtesy of Portillo's
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    Portillo’s targets 920 future units, up from 600

    The hot dog chain said it has the ability to grow to 800 full-sized restaurants and 120 smaller pickup, walk-up and other alternative formats.