The Latest
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Permission granted by Shake Shack
Shake Shack to open first drive-thru location
The fast casual chain plans to open 10 drive-thrus in 2022 as part of its shifting development strategy to expand further into suburban markets.
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Permission granted by Ghirardelli
Sponsored by GhirardelliBeyond hot chocolate: Sweeten your customers' cups with Ghirardelli year-round
Hot cocoa isn't just for cold, snowy days anymore. Customers look for different ways to get their chocolate fix year-round.
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McDonald's wins in court amid plans to invest in 'diverse-owned' media
A judge dismissed a $10 billion lawsuit brought by media mogul Byron Allen's Allen Media Group that alleged racial stereotyping and refusals to contract.
Updated Dec. 1, 2021 -
Permission granted by Starbucks
Ahead of Starbucks Union election, a look back at the campaign
On Dec. 9, the National Labor Relations Board will count ballots from three Buffalo-area stores voting on unionization, and Restaurant Dive will be on the ground to cover the outcome.
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Permission granted by Miso Robotics
The restaurant robotics invasion is just beginning
From frying wings to delivering food, robots are being used to shore up labor gaps in the restaurant industry.
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Wennington, Jay. (2014). "Gourmet meal and white wine" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Unsplash.
Survey: 38% of operators expect holiday sales to top pre-pandemic levels
Eighty-three percent of Americans plan to dine out this holiday season, and 46% of restaurant operators expect sales to return to pre-COVID-19 levels.
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SDI Productions via Getty Images
3 ways tipping laws have changed in 2021
From tipping pools to the 80/20 rule, the U.S. Department of Labor has made major revisions to how tips are calculated, which may pressure operators.
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Win McNamee via Getty Images
SCOTUS to hear Taco Bell employee's arbitration case
A key point of contention concerns whether, as the employee claimed, her employer waived its right to arbitration by acting inconsistently with that right.
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Retrieved from Target on November 23, 2021
Deep DiveHow brands are turning inclusive holiday campaigns into more than 'inspiration porn'
Starbucks and Target lead the way for marketers trying to authentically embrace diversity and inclusion during a busy yet reflective season.
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Permission granted by MOD Pizza
Mod Pizza plans to go public
An entrance into the public market caps off a year of recovery in which the fast casual chain opened its 500th store, despite posting a 5% decline in systemwide sales in 2020.
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Spencer Platt via Getty Images
Study: 28% of unvaccinated consumers would consider lying about their status in order to dine out
While 59% of U.S. consumers support businesses requiring vaccination, 21% do not, according to research from Qualtrics.
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Rawf8/Getty Images Plus via Getty Images
DoorDash to pay $5.3M to settle San Francisco misclassification suit
This ends an investigation that began in 2019 following accusations the aggregator intentionally misclassified its delivery drivers as independent contractors so it could withhold sick leave.
Updated Nov. 23, 2021 -
Retrieved from Native Grill & Wings on November 22, 2021
Fat Brands acquires Native Grill & Wings for $20M
In its fourth acquisition of the year, the company adds a 23-unit restaurant chain to bulk up its existing chicken wing platform.
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Courtesy of Deliverect
Grubhub teams with Deliverect, integrates delivery orders into POS systems
More than 12,000 restaurants will be able to receive Grubhub orders through their point-of-sale systems, enabling operators to sync and manage menus directly.
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Joe Raedle via Getty Images
Starbucks workers in Arizona petition for a union election
The growth of Starbucks' union drive may reflect increased labor power in the restaurant industry, visible in one-day strikes in non-union restaurant locations.
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Courtesy of PR Newswire
62% of consumers want restaurant gift card for holidays, NRA finds
Of those consumers, most want a gift card to their favorite restaurant but many would like to try a new eatery, a National Restaurant Association survey shows.
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Courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks, Amazon Go open cashierless store concept in NYC
The two plan to open additional stores in 2022, as more retailers experiment with grab-and-go technology.
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Permission granted by Sweetgreen
Sweetgreen goes public with $364M IPO
The fast casual company, which isn't yet profitable, plans to use technology to increase restaurant-level margins and average unit volumes.
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Jack Taylor via Getty Images
Uber's new membership bundles rides, delivery services
Uber One offers 5% off some rides and delivery orders and an unlimited $0 delivery fee on $15-plus food orders, along with other perks, for $9.99 a month or $99.99 annually.
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Permission granted by Fogo de Chao
Fogo de Chao plots return to the public markets
The Brazilian steakhouse chain went private in 2018 through a sale to Rhone Capital, but hopes an initial public offering will help it pay down debts and open 300 units over 20 years.
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Permission granted by Kitchen United
Kitchen United helped pioneer ghost kitchens. Here's what's next.
The innovative operator is entering new markets, expanding its warehouse-like network and adding partnerships with retailers, all based on low-capital outlay for brands.
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Courtesy of PR Newswire
C3 founder leads $20M funding round to establish robotic kitchen startup
The investment includes a partnership with C3, which will initially test Nommi's automated cooking system for "Iron Chef" Masaharu Morimoto's Sa'Moto restaurant brand.
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Courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle supports young farmers with Kacey Musgraves, Carhartt collaborations
As part of a new campaign that includes a short film, the chain is also teaming with the National Young Farmers Coalition to advocate for changes to the 2023 Farm Bill.
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Courtesy of Toast
Toast's new restaurant products suite aims to alleviate labor pressure
Based on customer feedback, the POS platform developed features that will help operators manage operations and pay, Co-founder and President Aman Narang said.
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dapiki moto. (2020). "New Normal" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Unsplash.
The restaurant labor crisis in 5 stats
Data shows how the COVID-19 delta variant erased much of the recovery for operators and drove restaurant worker quit rates to a historic high.
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Retrieved from McDonald's on October 22, 2020
McDonald's makes new white label deals with DoorDash, Uber Eats
The chain, which gleans over 20% of sales in its top six markets from digital channels, announced new global partnerships with the aggregators on Monday.
