The Latest

  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Getty Images
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    Tracking the same-store sales of 23 major restaurant chains

    Q1 2026 saw more evidence of a casual dining resurgence, as fast casual sales continued to slow and QSRs posted mixed results.

    Updated May 26, 2026
  • The exterior of a Panera Bread restaurant.
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    Justin Sullivan / Staff via Getty Images
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    Panera overhauls rewards program

    The shift to points-based loyalty with premium tiers offers consumers more consistent value and greater control of redemption.

  • A cart at a Wendy's drive-thru window.
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    Getty Images
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    Wendy’s revives COO position

    The burger chain is seeking an operations chief for its turnaround under CEO Robert Wright, after hundreds of closures and six quarters of tumbling traffic.

  • A screenshot of a virtual event with one person in the center and two people in boxes on the side.
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    Julie Littman/Restaurant Dive/Restaurant Dive
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    Why restaurant loyalty programs need to go beyond the points-based game

    Guests don’t just want freebies, they want recognition, personalization and an overall great experience as part of their rewards membership.

  • A triptych collage of images show teen creator Salish Matter enjoying Chipotle
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    Permission granted by Chipotle
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    Chipotle broadens Gen Alpha marketing with Salish Matter collab

    A partnership with the 16-year-old YouTube and TikTok star marks the first time the brand has brought a custom creator order to its Kid’s Meal.

  • A photograph of two boxes on a table with various breakfast food items in aluminum pans.
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    Permission granted by Denny's
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    Denny’s launches catering

    Catering is the first initiative to go live under turnaround plan Project Grand Slam, which is meant to improve restaurant performance and the guest experience.

  • A promotional image for Whataburger's $4 sandwiches
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    Courtesy of Whataburger
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    Whataburger adds $4 value menu

    Low-priced options could attract diners in new markets and sustain sales in core trade areas.

  • Shell
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    Retrieved from Shell.
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    Shell taps McDonald’s loyalty base to drive fuel trips, rewards sign-ups

    A new promotion gives the QSR chain’s loyalty members discounts at Shell-branded gas stations through mid-September.

  • Pizza Hut new store concept retrieved by Marketing Dive on April 5, 2021
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut’s Global CEO resigns

    Aaron Powell, who has been at the pizza chain since 2021, will leave his post following the close of its sale to LongRange Capital.

  • A close up image of yellow orange menus in a holder.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    Cracker Barrel’s business recovered. The marketing story never did.

    CEO Julie Masino’s exit following a rebrand blunder provides an important lesson: don’t assume good results will overwrite a bad narrative on their own, writes marketing executive Steve Schonberg.

  • An iamge of a stoneworked building with a white logo that says Olive Garden. A woman wearing a white shirt and red bandana is at the door about to enter the restaurant.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Loyalty lessons learned from Olive Garden’s pasta pass

    Exclusive promotions and loyalty rewards can keep diners engaged. But Olive Garden must execute on experience to win brand loyalty, experts say.

  • A photograph of the outside of a Bonchon restaurant.
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    Permission granted by Bonchon
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    Bonchon’s American division sold to PE firm

    The deal with Serruya Private Equity could help speed up the brand’s U.S. development and follows a busy period for restaurant M&A.

  • Three flatbreads
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    Courtesy of Smoothie King
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    Smoothie King sales soar after flatbread launch

    Chicken Flatbreads helped increase July same-store sales by 9%, marking the brand’s best month this year to date.

  • An interior of a restaurant with signs that say Applebee's and IHOP
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    Permission granted by Dine Brands
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    How Dine’s dual-brands can stave off closures

    Conversions to dual branding could generate sales lifts at struggling stores, helping IHOP and Applebee's avoid closures.

  • A zoomed in image of a smartphone with a on orange app square that says "Grubhub" in white.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    FTC to disburse $23.8M from Grubhub settlement

    Grubhub originally settled with the Federal Trade Commission in 2024 for allegedly unfairly blocking consumers and deceiving drivers in pay messaging.

  • A photogrpah of a beige and green corner building wih several cars parked in front. The facade has a white sign that says Panera Bread.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Panera Bread hires CMO from Cava as transformation work continues

    Andrew Rebhun will lead all aspects of marketing at the fast-casual chain. He previously was the chief marketer at Cava and El Pollo Loco.

  • A photo of a Cava location in a brick endcap retail space.
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava’s investment in value and wages pays off

    The fast casual brand’s longstanding effort to underprice inflation has helped it drive sales growth in lower-income trade areas.

  • 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 Aug. 13, 2026
  • An image of Buffalo Wild Wings with its to-go branded section
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    Courtesy of Inspire Brands
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    Inspire Brands debuts first Buffalo Wild Wings Go, Jimmy John’s co-branded restaurant

    The Florida restaurant could generate higher average-unit volumes with two brands in one location offering a full menu of products.

  • Cava event
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Q&A

    How Cava outperforms in fast casual despite frugal marketing budget

    The chain is in the process of bringing on a new CMO. Previous marketing exec Andrew Rebhun joined Panera as CMO last week.

  • A daytime photograph of a small gray and orange building with "Salad and Go" signage.
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    The image by Salad and Go is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    7 Brew vies for piece of Salad and Go portfolio

    7 Brew said it is a competing bidder for the salad chain’s closed stores, and its lawyers are crying foul over Dutch Bros’ exclusive agreement for 64 sites.

    M&A
  • A view of a Wendy's restaurant on May 12, 2021 in Pinole, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s new CEO pushes for experience consistency as part of turnaround

    The company hasn’t “consistently delivered the experience customers expect from Wendy's,” CEO Bob Wright said. To fix that problem, he is looking at operations.

  • A close up photograph of a plastic cup with a green-blue liquid under pink liquid. The cup sits between two aluminum cans with Red Bull branding.
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    Courtesy of McDonald's
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    McDonald’s rolls out Red Bull energy drinks

    The addition could help boost traffic, particularly during the afternoon daypart. 

  • Three rectangular pizzas with Domino's brand packaging.
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    Courtesy of Domino's Pizza
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    Domino’s adds rectangular personal pizza

    The Detroit-style pizza, dubbed the Domino, will help the brand capture meal occasions ranging from afternoon snacks to midnight meals. 

  • An image of a red, turquoise and white restaurant with Moe's signage
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    Courtesy of Moe's Southwest Grill
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    Why a major Moe’s operator filed for bankruptcy

    Quality Fresca spent years stabilizing its business post-COVID, but inflation and consumer shifts in 2025 undid the 38-store franchisee’s work.