The Latest

  • Grubbrr's kiosks on display at the National Restaurant Association Show in 2024.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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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.

  • Masters of Scale Live series speaker
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    Permission granted by Slava Blazer Photography
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    Sponsored by Masters of Scale

    Masters of Scale Live series offers the key to restaurant success

    Masters of Scale Live launches their inaugural event in New York City with restaurateur Danny Meyer.

  • A hand holds a smartphone with Sweetgreen's loyalty program on the screen
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen to launch points-based loyalty program

    The chain is shifting its approach after customers found its tiered program, which includes a free and paid subscription, was too complicated.

  • Exterior of a Potbelly restaurant
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    Permission granted by Potbelly
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    Potbelly signs 15-store Georgia deal

    The sandwich brand’s latest move will expand its presence in the Southeast as it targets a nationwide goal of 2,000 units. 

  • Krispy Kreme doughnuts are displayed in a box.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Krispy Kreme will serve doughnuts in 2K McDonald’s by year’s end

    To support this rapid expansion, Krispy Kreme will boost production at its existing facilities and may work with third-party logistics firms.

  • A group of people around a dining room table in a Taco Bell ad
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Column

    Campaign Trail: Taco Bell takes on ‘Big Chicken’ through family debates

    Fans of the chain’s Cantina Chicken menu are pitted against “trachickenalists” in ads that pitch the QSR as a chicken destination like KFC and Chick-fil-A.

  • A red emergency pizza box from Domino's
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    Courtesy of Domino's
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    How QSR pizza chains are competing on value

    Domino’s focus on promotions and discounts helped increase sales, while Papa Johns and Pizza Hut struggled with similar offerings.

  • A worker takes a bowl of processed avocados from a prototype of Vebu's Autocado.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Serve Robotics buys Autocado maker Vebu

    The acquisition of the Chipotle-backed equipment developer signals Serve’s interests are growing from the sidewalk to the kitchen.

  • An image of Papa Johns sign on a store
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    Courtesy of Papa Johns
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    Papa Johns names new CMO to elevate data-driven creativity

    Jenna Bromberg, previously director of core marketing at Pizza Hut, joins Papa Johns as it works to improve perceptions around value and loyalty experiences.

  • An image of serveral food items from Taco Bell's Craving's Value Menu
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Here’s what restaurants need to consider when crafting a value menu

    Companies have to stay competitive and drive traffic with value-priced items. But they have to be careful not to go too low, experts say.

  • Country fried turkey sits on a table in a Cracker Barrel ad
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    Permission granted by Cracker Barrel
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    Q&A

    Cracker Barrel’s new CMO on reconnecting a heritage brand to culture

    Sarah Moore discussed changing Cracker Barrel’s approach to partnerships and prioritizing apps like TikTok to keep a finger on the consumer pulse.

  • A rendering of a bar and tables with televisions hanging from the center and on the brick walls.
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    Permission granted by Walk-On's
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    Walk-On’s to open first corporate stores since 2016

    The chain will open multiple corporate-owned locations next year that feature a new interior and exterior in addition to updated kitchen equipment.

  • A rendering of a restaurant that is both an Applebee's and an IHOP
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    Courtesy of Dine Brands
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    Dine Brands wants to open a dozen IHOP-Applebee’s units in the US next year

    While the eye-catching new units promise greater profits, they can’t solve the sales pressure that both brands currently face.

  • An image of a beige brick building with a large sign that says "Buca di Beppo."
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    Clayton Chase via Getty Images
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    Buca di Beppo to be sold to stalking horse bidder for $27M

    Main Street Capital Corporation originally provided the chain a loan of $47 million in 2015 and will buy it out of bankruptcy. 

  • Popeyes signage
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    Courtesy of Popeyes
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    Popeyes didn’t focus on value in Q3 and paid for it

    The chain lacked enough compelling promotions to attract price-sensitive customers during the summer, contributing to negative comparable sales.

  • Pedestrians walk by a KFC and a Taco Bell restaurant on July 2, 2014 in San Rafael, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Taco Bell is a winner and KFC a loser in Yum Brands’ Q3

    KFC’s value meal did not turn its same-store sales declines around, but Taco Bell’s mix of menu innovation and value messaging drove growth for the company.

  • An image of various food items from Burger King's Fiery menu
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King’s LTOs met with stiff competition in Q3

    The chain’s summer promotions, including its Fiery menu, had trouble cutting through QSR value messages, resulting in softer than expected sales in Q3.

  • A TGI Fridays in Miami Beach open during the Coronavirus Pandemic.
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    Boogich via Getty Images
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    Why TGI Fridays filed for bankruptcy

    The casual chain’s fortunes soured this year as scores of stores shut and bondholders took control of its assets, ending a proposed merger.

  • An image of CKE Restaurants CEO Max Wetzel
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    Courtesy of CKE Restaurants
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    Tropical Smoothie Cafe appoints new CEO

    Max Wetzel, who previously served as CEO at CKE Restaurants for over a year, joins the smoothie chain months after it was acquired by Blackstone.

  • A smiling white man in a blue shirt and a gray jacket with notch lapels.
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    Courtesy of Red Lobster
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    Red Lobster hires Brinker exec as COO

    Larry Konecny joins the seafood chain, which recently emerged from Chapter 11, after a 17-year tenure at Maggiano’s Little Italy.

  • A rendering if a red and orange building with El Pollo Loco signage.
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    Courtesy of El Pollo Loco
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    El Pollo Loco ramps up remodel efforts with low-cost design

    A new prototype, which includes furniture upgrades and energy-efficient hoods and HVAC, will help reduce buildout costs from $2.2 million to $1.8 million.

  • Culver's restaurant exterior
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    Courtesy of Culver's
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    EEOC alleges Culver’s operators fired a transgender worker who complained about deadnaming

    Four workers, including the transgender worker who was the subject of the harassment, were fired a day after reporting the behavior to the general manager, EEOC alleged.

  • A man takes orders at a Starbucks counter.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    How Starbucks plans to get back to being a coffeehouse

    The coffee giant thinks ceramic mugs, a coffee condiments bar and comfy chairs are a good start toward improving its in-store vibe.

  • Overly busy restaurant
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    JazzIRT via Getty Images
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    The restaurant labor market in 6 key statistics

    Turnover has fallen in H1 2024, while unemployment and total jobs in restaurants remained steady, indicating a return to pre-pandemic labor market dynamics.

    Updated Nov. 4, 2024
  • A photo of a phone showing a Paytronix app.
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    Courtesy of Paytronix
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    Paytronix acquired by The Access Group

    The deal will expand the offerings available through Paytronix’s platform and help accelerate its growth, executives said.

    M&A
  • A photo of a whole pepperoni pizza in a box and several other slices of pizza either on a while background or in a triangle-shaped box. The boxes say "7-Eleven."
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    Courtesy of 7-Eleven
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    7-Eleven crashes the $5 value meal party

    Customers can get two of the chain’s “new, bigger” pizza slices and a 20-ounce Coke or Sprite in the latest cost-conscious c-store deal.