The Latest

  • A hand holds a phone with an image of On the Border's loyalty rewards program on the screen. Behind is a large bowl of queso.
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    Courtesy of On the Border
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    On the Border shifts toward tiered loyalty

    The chain joins the likes of El Pollo Loco and Sweetgreen, which now offer different rewards levels, as pressure on brands to differentiate offerings grows.

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    Kendall Davis/Restaurant Dive
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    Ghost restaurant calculator

    Thinking about developing a ghost kitchen business plan? Use this calculator to crunch the numbers and determine profitability.

  • An exterior of a beige building with the words "Smoothie King" in red next to a red crown logo on the outside.
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    Smoothie King hires Starbucks exec as COO

    Camille Hymes, whose past work experience also includes roles at Jack in the Box and ExxonMobile, joins the chain effective June 5. 

  • A female worker leans against the counter looking frustrated at a coffee bar with her head on her hand.
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    ljubaphoto via Getty Images
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    Young female employees harassed at multiple San Diego restaurant locations, EEOC alleges

    A suit filed on May 17 involves nine locations of Swami’s Café and Honey’s Bistro.

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    Brandon Bell/ via Getty Images
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    Chipotle prepares national rollout of RFID for food traceability

    The restaurant chain is expanding its use of the technology to track ingredients from suppliers in real-time.

  • Corner Bakery storefront
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    Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
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    Private investor seeks $12M buyout of bankrupt Corner Bakery

    The stalking horse bidder, an affiliate of Wexford Capital, has proposed to buy the company during an auction expected to occur next week. 

  • Employees of the online review site Yelp watch as former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks at the East Coast headquarters of the tech company on October 26, 2011 in New York City.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Activist investor may pressure Yelp to sell, reports say

    TCS Capital Management wants Yelp to explore strategic alternatives, such as selling itself, as a way to boost shareholder value, per The Wall Street Journal. 

  • Panera Bread storefront
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    Permission granted by Panera Bread
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    Panera Brands shuffles execs as it prepares to go public

    The company appointed Niren Chaudhary, current Panera Brands CEO, as chairman of the board and José Alberto Dueñas, current CEO at Einstein Bros. Bagels, as Panera Brands’ chief executive. 

  • An image of Bonchon CEO Bryan Shin
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    Permission granted by Bonchon
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    Bonchon US appoints CEO

    Bryan Shin, who previously served as the chain’s global CFO for over four years, will oversee initiatives related to menu innovation, store development and improving guest touch points. 

  • A customer scans his palm with an Amazon One device at a Panera cafe.
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    NFTs, personalization and biometric pay are shaping restaurant loyalty

    At the National Restaurant Association Show, experts and operators discussed how restaurants are innovating their rewards to stay competitive as inflation erodes diner spend. 

  • A rendering of a Biscuitville drive-thru-only unit.
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    Permission granted by Biscuitville
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    Biscuitville to open first drive-thru-only unit in North Carolina

    The restaurant, which will open on May 30, will offer a walk-up window and a single-lane drive-thru. 

  • An image of a customer entering a Cava restaurant.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    4 takeaways from Cava’s IPO filing

    The restaurant has been operating at a loss for several years, but has an aggressive growth plan to reach 1,000 units by 2032.

  • An image of Grubhub's restaurant portal.
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    Grubhub adds customer insights, other features to restaurant portal

    The Grubhub for Restaurants portal now includes customer insights, self-serve refund requests and an easier way to handle photo shoot access. 

  • A photograph of chicken sliders from IHOP's virtual brand TenderFix
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    Permission granted by Nextbite
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    Nextbite cuts more jobs, some staff say it will restructure

    The virtual restaurant brand platform, which made staff cuts twice last year, terminated an unknown number of workers this week, according to LinkedIn posts from 20 former employees. 

  • An image of Adam Oldenburg, CEO of Toppers Pizza
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    Permission granted by Toppers Pizza
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    Toppers founder and CEO resigns

    Scott Gittrich, who has led the brand for over 30 years, will become chairman of the board, and VP of operations Adam Oldenburg will take over as CEO. 

  • A photo of Restaurant365 staff.
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    Permission granted by Restaurant365
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    Restaurant365 raises $135M

    The restaurant tech firm said the money from L Catterton, KKR and previous investors would support further product development. 

  • TGI Friday's logo
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    Courtesy of TGI Friday's
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    TGI Fridays CEO Ray Blanchette resigns

    Rohit Manocha, co-founder of TriArtisan Capital, the primary shareholder of the brand, will fill the role on an interim basis.

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    "The image" by Mike Mozart is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Texas Roadhouse appoints Southwest Airlines vet as CFO

    Chris Monroe will lead Texas Roadhouse’s financial operations after a 30-year career at Southwest Airlines.

  • Noodles & Company CFO Carl Lukach
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    Courtesy of Noodles & Company
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    Noodles & Company CFO departs

    After over two years at the fast casual chain, CFO Carl Lukach will resign June 9 to take a similar position at a retail company.

  • An image of a menu board inside Fat Brand's first tri-branded location
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    Permission granted by Fat Brands
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    Fat Brands promotes QSR divison president to CMO

    Fat Brands’ leadership changes continue with the appointment of Jenn Johnston as CMO and the hire of two brand presidents to fill her duties at several brands. 

  • A rendering of a Wendy's restaurant with Pipedream's underground delivery system
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    Courtesy of Wendy's
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    Wendy’s tests underground robots for mobile order pickup

    The QSR chain said it is the first to partner with hyperlogistics company Pipedream to create the system, which uses robot couriers to deliver orders from the kitchen to designated parking spots. 

    Updated May 18, 2023
  • A photo of a Wetzel's Pretzels inside a convenience store
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    Permission granted by Wetzel's Pretzels
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    Wetzel’s Pretzels CEO steps down, COO will lead chain

    Vincent Montanelli takes the helm of the company several months after it was acquired by MTY Food Group.

  • An image of Incentivio's online ordering platform
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    Retrieved from Incentivio on May 17, 2023
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    Incentivio lands $10M in funding to grow restaurant AI capabilities

    The guest engagement platform will use the funding to accelerate growth and invest in product, engineering and innovation for small- and mid-size eateries. 

  • A photograph of Nathan Louer, chief brand officer at Jamba.
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    Permission granted by Focus Brands
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    Focus Brands hires Jimmy John’s vet as Jamba chief brand officer

    Nathan Louer, who has held marketing positions at the chain for nearly 17 years, brings knowledge of brand strategy, digital, marketing, product development and operations to his new position. 

  • A photograph of Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Permission granted by Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Shipley Do-Nuts hires Bonchon CEO as top exec

    Flynn Dekker, who has over 30 years of retail and restaurant experience, will oversee the chain’s rapid growth, including a pipeline of 200-plus units.