The Latest
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Adeline Kon/Restaurant Dive
Deep Dive1 year later: How the pandemic impacted 6 major restaurant cities
In this series, Restaurant Dive explores how Seattle, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami and Washington, D.C., were impacted by local dining room restrictions, COVID-19 cases, weather and restaurant support programs.
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Permission granted by Taco Bell
Restaurants could see up to 30% check boost from latest stimulus, Rabobank predicts
This forecast is double what the previous two rounds of stimulus checks provided restaurants. During the four weeks immediately after those payments were made, restaurant spending was up 10% to 15%.
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Permission granted by Yelp
Yelp adds new search filters for Asian-owned businesses
Anti-Asian hate crimes rose in 2020, but support for these businesses is increasing, with searches rising 130% in February on Yelp's platform.
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OpenTable launches restaurant restriction heat map for diners
The reservation platform will also roll out a hub for operators on Thursday called At Your Service, which includes flow controls to limit the number of covers or parties that can book a reservation.
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Courtesy of Taco Bell
Taco Bell expands PTO benefits for managers, eyes filling 5K positions
At 1,200 company-owned locations, general managers will receive up to four weeks of accrued vacation time annually and additional parental leave.
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Steak 'n Shake sued for $8.5M in unpaid fees
Fighting back against the restaurant chain's assertions that it is debt free, Wilmington Trust has filed a claim that it's owed millions in unpaid fees and interest dating back to 2018.
UPDATED: April 6, 2021 at 11:24 a.m. -
Retrieved from Starbucks on June 03, 2020
Starbucks will use analytics to track promotion decisions in diversity push
Other initiatives, including the hire of an independent labor economist, come after Starbucks resolved EEOC allegations of discriminatory practices against the chain.
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Kendall Davis/Restaurant Dive
Tracking restaurant industry priority for the COVID-19 vaccine
President Joe Biden announced a deadline of April 19 for all adults in every state to be eligible for the coronavirus vaccine.
UPDATED: April 7, 2021 at 8:46 a.m. -
Courtesy of Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut CMO exits amid larger overhaul to marketing operations
The second retooling of marketing leadership in barely over a year speaks to potential COVID-19 pressures, but also comes as Yum Brands is ramping up digital transformation.
UPDATED: April 5, 2021 at 4:05 p.m. -
Permission granted by DoorDash
Consumer advocacy groups urge FDA to require menu labeling on delivery apps
The FDA said that these companies likely do not meet the definition of covered establishments under the current requirements.
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Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile via Getty Images
Brand marketer Fernando Machado departs Burger King parent for Activision
Machado last year was promoted to global CMO at RBI after having the same role at Burger King, where he developed notable campaigns such as the Whopper Detour and Moldy Whopper.
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Permission granted by Flynn Restaurant Group
How Flynn Restaurant Group renovates underperforming Arby's units with little down time
The franchisee will go market by market and overhaul several restaurants, many of which haven't been updated in 20 years, within two weeks.
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Squarespace buys reservation platform Tock for $400M
The acquisition comes a year after Tock pivoted from offering pre-paid reservations to providing a resource for restaurants to add an online takeout and delivery menu.
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Retrieved from C3 on March 31, 2021
New deal looks to bring ghost kitchens to apartment communities
C3 is partnering with Akara Living to integrate ghost kitchens into one of its residential properties, offering dining options like Umami Burger and Krispy Rice.
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Courtesy of White Castle
White Castle cooks up brunch recipes, branded merch for Easter
The burger chain is running an email promotion with food and fashion influencers to engage consumers.
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Permission granted by DoorDash
DoorDash sues Olo for fraud and breach of contract
Claiming Olo overcharged it tens of millions of dollars worth of fees, DoorDash is asking for $7 million in damages. Olo said the claims are "baseless."
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Alabama Extension. (2020). "The image" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Report: 10% of all restaurants have closed during pandemic
Chain restaurants with less than 501 locations have closed at a higher rate than independent restaurants, with the largest permanent closure rate — 16.2% — among chains with 51 to 100 units.
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Biden signs PPP extension into law, pushes deadline to May 31
The law gives the Small Business Administration until June 30 to close pending Paycheck Protection Program applications.
UPDATED: March 31, 2021 at 10 a.m. -
Permission granted by TMRW
Shake Shack CFO to become CEO of life science company
Tara Comonte's responsibilities will be transitioned to other leadership team members until a new CFO is found.
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Thai Phi Le
Q&ANoodles & Company's new CFO talks how ghost kitchens, drive-thrus will shape the chain's future
Carl Lukach, who started at the chain in November, says 70% to 80% of the stores built this year will have a drive-thru pickup window.
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Courtesy of Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut adds drive-thru lanes to over 1,500 US restaurants
Nearly a year after it debuted contactless curbside pickup, the chain has added digital order pickup windows in a continued effort to modernize its system.
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Permission granted by Saladworks
Saladworks to open 90 ghost kitchen locations in US and Canada in 2021
Through a deal with Ghost Kitchens Brand, the company will open 60 units in the U.S. and 30 in Canada, with most located inside Walmart stores.
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Courtesy of Chipotle Mexican Grill
Chipotle gives away $100K in bitcoin for National Burrito Day
By asking people to register for a chance to win burritos or bitcoin, the restaurant can continue to build out its first-party data about consumers for future campaigns.
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Delight Restaurant Group adds 54 Wendy's from NPC International sale
With the acquisition, the franchisee will operate 111 Wendy's and Taco Bell locations across four states.
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Adeline Kon/Restaurant Dive
Deep DiveMiami 1 year later: Sunshine, loose restrictions spark restaurant real estate frenzy
The city's balmy climate and open space — combined with the local government's relatively loose COVID-19 limits — insulated its dining scene from the level of revenue disruption suffered by markets like New York City.
