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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 -
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Sponsored by OloWhat’s blocking your direct orders? 5 guest experience gaps to fix
Maximize margins and guest loyalty by eliminating these five common friction points in direct ordering.
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NRA: Over 25% of restaurant operators use AI
Marketing is the top area where automation is being used, followed by administrative tasks, according to a National Restaurant Association report.
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Courtesy of Carl's Jr.
Deep DiveHow QSRs are building on value marketing with pop culture, nostalgia
Fast food marketers including McDonald’s, Burger King and Wendy’s will have to move beyond price-point value to drive sales and traffic.
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Courtesy of Habit Burger & Grill
Habit Burger launches core menu update
The menu additions and upgrades could help the fast casual chain grow same-store sales, which were down 1% in 2025.
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NRA: Restaurant, foodservice to surpass $1.5 trillion in sales
While challenges related to the economy and food and labor costs will persist, the National Restaurant Association said operators are cautiously optimistic.
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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.
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Courtesy of Wendy's
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.
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Courtesy of McDonald's
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Courtesy of Portillo's
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.
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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.
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Brett Dworski/Restaurant Dive
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.
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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.
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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 -
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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.
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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.
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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.
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Courtesy of Bambu
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.
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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.
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Courtesy of HTeaO
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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
