The Latest
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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 -
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.
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Retrieved from Zaxbys on March 24, 2025
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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 -
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Retrieved from Casey's.
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%.
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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 -
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.
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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.