The Latest
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9 restaurant industry trade shows to attend in 2025
The coming year is brimming with restaurant conferences and trade shows covering key issues for the business sector, from franchising strategy to economic forecasts.
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‘Not just the beef’: How Chipotle’s supply chain helped bring back smoked brisket
The return of the popular menu item required what CEO Scott Boatwright called “a huge cross-muscle effort.”
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The restaurant industry’s Q3 winners and losers
2024 has hammered many chains with closures, declining sales and problems of brand perception. But some, like Cava and Chili’s, have managed to rise above the fray.
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Starbucks scheduling tools crippled by Blue Yonder outage
A ransomware attack against the software vendor has pushed the coffee chain to temporarily rely on manual scheduling to ensure workers are paid for hours.
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Over a third of consumers plan to order takeout, delivery for Thanksgiving
Of the consumers planning to order out, a majority said it was easier and a third said it’s cheaper or equal to the cost of buying groceries and cooking, according to Popmenu.
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Subway CEO John Chidsey to retire
Chidsey will leave the company after five years, and Carrie Walsh, current president of Europe, Middle East and Africa, will serve as interim CEO.
Updated Nov. 26, 2024 -
Are customers tipping more? Here’s what the data says.
While customers feel more pressure to tip across industries, they still tip a relatively stable 18% at restaurants.
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Waffle House claims NLRB process is unconstitutional
The casual chain has faced union organizing activity for over a year, and now wants the court to weaken the agency tasked with regulating labor law.
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Portillo’s CMO named CEO at Giordano’s pizza chain
Nick Scarpino, who has worked in various marketing roles at Portillo’s since 2015, will succeed Yorgo Koutsogiorgas in December.
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McDonald’s to launch value platform in January
The platform will include the $5 Meal Deal, exclusive in-app offers, local food and drink deals and Buy One, Add One for $1.
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Flynn Group buys 32 more Wendy’s
The large multi-unit operator now owns about 5% of Wendy’s U.S. store system, plus its Australian and New Zealand master franchises.
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Maggiano’s is just getting started with menu updates, remodels
In his first months as the chain’s VP of innovation and growth, Anthony Amoroso helped create new menu items like Rigatoni al la Vodka and updated the Caesar salad, both of which are already driving sales.
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Starbucks appoints former Mars sustainability exec as CSO
Marika McCauley Sine, who previously served as Mars’ global vice president of sustainability and chief sustainability officer, will oversee the coffee chain’s net-zero transition.
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Jack in the Box sales continue to lag, but unit count grows
Comparable sales headwinds haven’t slowed Jack in the Box’s growth, with the brand opening more stores than it closed for the second year in a row.
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Perkins signs 10-unit agreement for fast casual concept
In its largest deal since the concept was introduced in September, Griddle & Go will open in New Jersey in October 2025.
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Paytronix upgrades its software weeks after being acquired
Additions include an AI tool that answers operators’ questions and a group of features meant to help manage and process online orders.
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Chipotle reaches 1K Chipotlane milestone
The fast casual chain is also on track to open a record number of restaurants this year in the range of 285 to 315 units.
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Deep Dive
How do coffee chains design, market and analyze their seasonal LTOs?
While flexibility is important, many brands plan coffee LTOs more than a year in advance, meaning next year’s holiday drinks are already in the works at places like Peet’s and Dutch Bros.
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Smoothie King hires Red Robin exec as CIO
Jyoti Lynch is tasked with creating a comprehensive technology strategy to enhance the guest experience and improve franchise profitability.
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Jersey Mike’s sells majority stake to Blackstone
The transaction, which is expected to close early next year, will allow the sandwich chain to accelerate its growth and invest further in technology.
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Wendy’s hires Ken Cook to succeed Gunther Plosch as CFO
Cook, a former UPS financial exec, joins the company as it closes some weak stores but sees overall sales strength relative to other QSR burger chains.
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GoTo Foods names former IHOP exec as chief commercial officer
Kieran Donahue will oversee various aspects of the commercial division, including marketing, branding and consumer insights and analytics.
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Craveworthy buys emerging pizza brand
The multi-brand platform has been on an acquisition spree in 2024, buying Sigri Indian BBQ and Untamed Brands, among others.
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Chains struggle to stand out amid ‘noise’ of value wars
Papa Johns, Popeyes and Burger King’s value messages did not break through, while Portillo’s sought to sidestep deep discounting.
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McDonald’s invests $100M to help franchisees recover from E. coli outbreak
About $35 million will go toward marketing programs that will help drive traffic and rebuild consumer trust.