Jersey Mike’s reportedly considering a sale

The sandwich chain could reap a sale worth $8 billion, but talks with Blackstone, a potential suitor, have cooled, reports The Wall Street Journal. 

Chipotle levels up gaming efforts with Tekken 8 in-game perks, menu item

As an official partner of the fighting game, Chipotle will also make Tekken 8 the title game for the return of its Challenger Series esports competition. 

How 6 casual dining companies faced falling traffic

From First Watch to Olive Garden, major casual dining restaurants saw inflation-conscious consumers cut back on visits.

Checkers & Rally’s CEO resigns

Frances Allen, who has led the chain since 2020, oversaw the deployment of a modern image redesign and voice artificial intelligence at drive-thrus.

Florida c-store chain to test kitchen robots

Re-Up convenience stores is planning to use AI-driven machines to help fry its food, brew its coffee and squeeze fresh juice.

Bloomin’ promotes Michael Healy to CFO

Healy took the role when Christopher Meyer retired on April 1, as Bloomin’ faces uneven performance across its restaurant chains.

Subway is rolling out a new line of wraps

The addition of lavash flatbreads, just months after the debut of its Sidekick snacks, is the first time in three years the chain has launched a bread option.

Chipotle dishes out $1M in free burritos with Burrito Vault mobile game

Timed to National Burrito Day, the interactive web game tasked consumers to correctly guess two exact order combinations to score a promotional code.

Transgender Chick-fil-A worker’s sexual harassment case may go to trial

The franchise owner unsuccessfully argued the worker couldn’t be subjected to sexual harassment by her co-workers because she is heterosexual.

CKE names Hardee’s, Carl’s Jr. US brand presidents

Blake Devillier joined Carl’s Jr. as president, USA on April 1, after Chris Bode was appointed president of Hardee’s USA in the fall, signaling a growing divergence in brand identities.

DeSantis signs Florida delivery bill pre-empting local delivery regulations

The law, backed by Uber and DoorDash, requires delivery firms to delist restaurants that request to be removed and will prevent local governments from passing regulations impacting third-party delivery.

ASAP goes bust

ASAP, once known as Waitr, ceased its operations over the last few weeks and let go of its executives, prior to filing for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Tuesday.

Updated April 2, 2024

Uber Eats partners with Waymo for autonomous delivery in Phoenix

Uber Eats has been expanding its network of autonomous delivery partners since 2022 and works with Motional, Nuro, Cartken and Serve Robotics. 

Marco’s Pizza appoints COO as it aggressively franchises

John Meyers previously served as SVP of finance and analytics at the chain and will now oversee departments like technology, supply chain and operations.

Chester’s Chicken hires EVP of supply chain

Since Bill Rice joined the chain in January, the chicken brand has already launched a supply chain optimization study.

SEIU, allies say $20 fast food wage should have minimal impact on employment

Organized labor, workers and economists supporting the $20 wage say major brands can absorb increased costs without resorting to price shocks, and that the wage’s impacts are likely exaggerated.

Updated April 2, 2024

Delight Restaurant Group acquires 65 Wendy’s restaurants

The operator, which previously bought about 100 Wendy’s units in 2021, said it would continue to grow with new development and acquisitions. 

Dave’s Hot Chicken tests kiosks, bigger drinks in face of $20 CA wage

The fast-growing chain is raising prices 9% and testing tech that it says boosts check but doesn’t cut labor costs.

How Papa Johns’ new brand platform connects pizza to marketing transformation

CMO Mark Shambura delves into the “Better Get You Some” campaign, the evolution of the chief marketer role and the chain’s commitment to DEI.

Punch Bowl Social acquires 2 eatertainment concepts

The company is buying Sweet Tooth Hotel and Voicebox Karaoke to diversify its portfolio of concepts and appeal to a wider range of consumers.

Fast casuals outperform QSRs as pricing erodes fast food’s low-income advantage

Chains like Chipotle and Wingstop exceeded analyst expectations for sales and EBITDA last quarter, while QSR giants lagged, per a TD Cowen report.

Bob Evans rumored to be up for sale

The chain, which is owned by Golden Gate Capital, had over $800 million in systemwide sales in 2022 and reportedly mulled a sale that year, too. 

Gas N Wash debuts new restaurant partnership

The c-store retailer revealed the first of two adjacent Mickeys Greek-style restaurants last week as it builds on its history of working with local QSRs.

Restaurant sales rose 12% in 2023 compared to 2019: report

Consumer spending was up 7% year over year among the top 50 restaurant chains compared to 5% within the overall industry, per Circana data. 

Dine Brands wants to diversify franchising

The parent company of IHOP and Applebee’s is backing an IFA training program set to launch later this year, which intends to narrow the racial wealth gap through franchising.