The Latest
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Courtesy of On the Border
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
Ghost restaurant calculator
Thinking about developing a ghost kitchen business plan? Use this calculator to crunch the numbers and determine profitability.
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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.
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ljubaphoto via Getty Images
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
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.
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Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
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.
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Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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.
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Permission granted by Panera Bread
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.
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Permission granted by Bonchon
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.
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Courtesy of Panera
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.
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Permission granted by Biscuitville
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.
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Mario Tama via Getty Images
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.
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Courtesy of Grubhub
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.
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Permission granted by Nextbite
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.
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Permission granted by Toppers Pizza
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.
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Permission granted by Restaurant365
Restaurant365 raises $135M
The restaurant tech firm said the money from L Catterton, KKR and previous investors would support further product development.
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Courtesy of TGI Friday's
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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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.
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Courtesy of Noodles & Company
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.
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Permission granted by Fat Brands
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.
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Courtesy of Wendy's
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 -
Permission granted by Wetzel's Pretzels
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.
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Retrieved from Incentivio on May 17, 2023
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.
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Permission granted by Focus Brands
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.
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Permission granted by Shipley Do-Nuts
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.
