The Latest

  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Tracking the same-store sales of 24 major restaurant chains

    Q3 2025 saw more evidence of a casual dining resurgence, as fast casual sales continued to slow and QSRs posted divergent results.

    Updated Dec. 1, 2025
  • A woman smiles while holding her phone over a payment terminal held by a man in a cafe. The setting is bright and welcoming with a brick wall backdrop.
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    Shutterstock.com/PeopleImages

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    Sponsored by Affinity Solutions

    What last year’s receipts say about the year ahead

    Think consumers pulled back in 2025? Not exactly. Shoppers didn’t stop spending, they got pickier. Dive into trends shaping retail behavior and what they signal for 2026.

  • People stand in front of kiosks by a McDonald's
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    Getty Images
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    McDonald’s positions loyalty app at the center of its tech ambitions

    Active loyalty members are the “single most important digital metric” for McDonald’s, EVP and CFO Ian Borden said.

  • A promotional image for Wendy's 2-for-$3 breakfast bundles.
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    Courtesy of Wendy's
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    Wendy’s pulls back on breakfast hours

    The chain is allowing franchisees to focus more on lunch and late-night hours as same-store sales logs its steepest decline in roughly six years.

  • Five fancy drinks at McDonald's against a dark blue background.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s is adding energy drinks, craft sodas to McCafe line

    The beverages, inspired by the chain’s defunct CosMc’s spinoff, were “highly successful” in a 500-store test and will be deployed nationwide this year. 

  • People walking in front of a Sweetgreen on Aug.8, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Sweetgreen names Wpromote paid media AOR as brand looks to reignite growth

    Wpromote is tasked with balancing a cohesive national strategy with more market-specific opportunities as Sweetgreen combats a sales slump. 

  • A daytime photogrpah of a white building that has an orange sign that says Popeyes Louisina Kitchen
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    Walter Cicchetti via Getty Images
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    Popeyes hopes restaurant-level reliability will turn sales around

    The chain, which saw comp sales decline by 4.9% in Q4, has already improved field engagement and targeted support for underperforming restaurants.

  • An image of a McDonald's with a sign in the forefront and a gray building in the background.
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    Ceri Breeze via Getty Images
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    How McDonald’s won back low-income diners

    Over a year after it began rolling out various value options, the chain is seeing improved scores on affordability and notched 6.8% comparable sales growth in the fourth quarter.

  • A photograph of a person wearing black glasses and a shirt and navy blazer.
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    Courtesy of Portillo's
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    Portillo’s hires Outback Steakhouse vet as CEO

    Brett Patterson, who most recently served as CEO of Miller’s Ale House, joins the chain as it slows down its unit growth.

  • Outside view of the Illinois State Capitol Building
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    Getty Images
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    Restaurant lobby celebrates Illinois court win on swipe fees

    A judge ruled the state can prohibit financial firms from charging interchange fees on tips and sales taxes.

  • 7-Eleven
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    Brett Dworski/Restaurant Dive
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    C-store foodservice innovation is off to a hot start in 2026

    Casey’s, 7-Eleven, Rutter’s and other players have bolted out of the gate this year with new sandwiches, pizzas and more, increasing competition against QSRs. 

  • An exterior image of a Wonder food Hall
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    Permission granted by Wonder
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    Wonder buys a brand, deploys two more

    Grubhub’s owner is betting on elevated fried chicken and bowl-based concepts at a moment when fast casual’s core consumers are ailing.

  • Overly busy restaurant
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    Getty Images
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    The restaurant labor market in 6 key statistics

    Turnover has fluctuated over the last year, while total jobs and wage growth are relatively slow and unemployment has returned to pre-pandemic rates.

    Updated Feb. 11, 2026
  • a closeup of a restaurant worker using a tablet
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    Getty Images
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    3 restaurant brands tap tech chiefs to scale operations

    Chuck E. Cheese’s parent company and Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers added IT chiefs to their ranks in recent weeks.

  • An image of three protein bowls from Sweetgreen
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Limited-service restaurants are losing traffic to grocers and casual chains

    QSR and fast casual chains will need to improve holistic value and on-premise experiences to bring people back, Placer.ai’s R.J. Hottovy says.

  • A close up image of a red sign that says Fatburger
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    Wirestock via Getty Images
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    ‘Personal attack’: Fat Brands cries foul over plan to oust CEO

    The Fatburger owner admitted to making a mistake in selling shares of Twin Hospitality without court approval, but argued the call for Andrew Wiederhorn’s removal should be denied.

  • Bambu drink counter inside Walmart's Batavia, Illinois store.
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    Courtesy of Bambu
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    Walmart links up with Vietnamese beverage restaurant

    The retailer continues to grow its roster of in-store quick-service restaurant offerings with the opening of a drink station inside an Illinois store. 

  • The Instacart logo is displayed on a computer monitor.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Toast, Instacart launch just-in-time supply tool

    Restaurants will be able to place Instacart Business orders through Toast’s platforms, offering a stopgap option when unexpected supply chain issues hit.

  • A photograph of a person with a blue suit
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    Courtesy of HTeaO
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    HTeaO appoints Darden vet as CFO

    Chris Phillips, who also worked at Popeyes, will oversee finance and strategic planning as the Texas-based drive-thru chain grows past 150 units.

  • An image of TGI Fridays signage with red and white stripes
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Inside TGI Fridays’ ambitious path to 1K units by 2030

    CEO Ray Blanchette said the chain has signed 150 agreements within the past six months, and franchisees are excited to grow again. 

  • An image of a person wearing a suit with arms crossed and smiling. The person is in front of a wall with news clips in the background.
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    Permission granted by Fat Brands
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    Fat Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn faces ouster by lenders

    The chief executive’s on-again-off-again tenure at Fat is under threat after a sale of Twin Hospitality stock, which creditors allege was irregular.

  • A photogrph of a bricked building with a white sign that says Bob Evans.
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    jetcityimage via Getty Images
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    Golden Gate Capital sells Bob Evans Restaurants

    Unit count declined over the past six years at the family dining chain, but new owner 4x4 Capital plans to maximize the brand’s long-term growth potential.

  • Starbucks logo on building exterior
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    Starbucks beats Missouri AG’s lawsuit targeting DEI programs

    The state said it will continue to “aggressively” pursue the case, however.

  • Sweetgreen's catering bar set out on a table over a green carpet.
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen launches ‘Build Your Own’ catering bar

    The brand is the latest fast casual to see large-format catering as a lifeline, but operational problems could undercut the bid to secure big ticket orders.

  • A view of a Taco Bell restaurant on February 06, 2025 in Dublin, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Taco Bell operators settle claims that harasser’s conduct went unchecked for months

    Restaurant industry employers have a particular duty to protect young workers, a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission regional attorney said.

  • An image of several specialty drinks from Taco Bell's Live Mas Cafe lined up on a white counter top.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell/Diversified Restaurant Group
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    How Yum is adapting Taco Bell’s playbook for KFC

    The parent company has worked to align the strategies between the two QSR brands to bring some of Taco Bell’s success to the chicken chain.