The Latest
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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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Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
McDonald's latest franchisee guidelines emphasize performance
Changes include a new process to renew 20-year franchisee agreements, as well as assessing franchisee heirs alongside new owner/operators.
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Permission granted by Kura Sushi
Kura Sushi deploys server robots systemwide
Kur-B the KuraBot will deliver drinks and condiments to customers tableside at all 37 restaurant locations.
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Courtesy of McDonald's
McDonald's AI voice ordering tests underperforming on accuracy, survey says
Accuracy rates for the drive-thru tech are in the low 80% range, which puts it below the 95%-plus level the company wants before broader adoption, BTIG reports.
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KFC US appoints new president
Tarun Lal, currently managing director for KFC Middle East, Pakistan, Turkey, Africa and India, will fill the role vacated by Kevin Hocham, effective July 15.
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The image by Cbraccialini is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Red Robin CEO to retire
Paul Murphy was instrumental in navigating the company through dining room lockdowns and oversaw growth in its off-premise segment and the rollout of its Donatos partnership.
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Retrieved from Chick-fil-A on June 22, 2022
Chick-fil-A pilots express drive-thru lanes
The fast food chain, which clocks some of the slowest wait times in the QSR space, is testing the lanes in 60 restaurants and could expand to other locations in 2023.
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Chicken Salad Chick
Chicken Salad Chick inks franchise deals as it targets 500 units by 2025
The fast casual chain signed two agreements that will bring 16 more locations to Texas, with plans to open about 50 restaurants nationwide this year.
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Courtesy of NYC Hospitality Alliance
Full-service traffic takes a hit as inflation lingers, report says
QSR visits have outpaced full-service since the middle of March, indicating that consumers are trading down as gas prices and other costs rise, according to Placer.ai.
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Courtesy of Smokey Bones
Smokey Bones is opening its first traditional drive-thru
The restaurant in Bowling Green, Kentucky, will offer an express menu with food that can be prepared quickly, as well as a curbside menu for items that take a little longer.
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Courtesy of Krispy Kreme
Krispy Kreme adds soft serve ice cream to menu
The new frozen treats, which launched Tuesday, will appear initially in 10 U.S. markets with additional locations to come later in the summer.
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Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
Starbucks' head of North America to leave company
Rossann Williams, who was the face of Starbucks’ union response alongside interim CEO Howard Schultz, declined another position within the company before resigning.
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Courtesy of Wendy's
Wendy's streamlines national-to-local social advertising with Tiger Pistol
The QSR chain has teamed with the largest third-party publisher of collaborative social ads to transform its local ad strategy.
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Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
10 ways restaurants are embracing automation
Robots are quickly becoming the new face of labor across the restaurant industry. Here’s a look at how automation technology is shaping the segment.
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David Tran via Getty Images
Yelp: Complaints over short-staffed restaurants up 229% in Q1
Reviews mentioning long wait times were also up 23% during Q1,Yelp’s State of the Restaurant Industry Report shows.
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Courtesy of McDonald's
BTIG: Nationwide McPlant rollout highly unlikely this year
A recent check-in with franchisees revealed sales of McDonald’s plant-based burger in its California and Texas test markets are coming in at or below low-end sales projections.
Updated June 16, 2022 -
Sean Gallup/Getty Images via Getty Images
Massachusetts court tosses gig work ballot initiatives backed by Uber, DoorDash
The proposals, which are similar to Prop 22, would have classified food delivery drivers as independent contractors but granted them some benefits.
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Courtesy of Grubhub
Grubhub adds instant pay option for delivery drivers
Instant Cashout via Direct to Debit will be available this month and allows Grubhub’s couriers to deposit earnings to an eligible bank debit card.
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Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
Inside the restaurant: How a fry cook robot holds the line for White Castle
At a Mokena, Illinois, White Castle, Miso Robotics’ Flippy 2 allows one worker to shift roles to man the hospitality door.
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Retrieved from Wonder on June 14, 2022
Food delivery startup Wonder raises $350M
The platform, in which chefs cook meals curbside from mobile food vans, currently services 130,000 households in New Jersey.
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Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
May inflation spike likely to prod Fed to more aggressive action
May CPI data shows inflation rose 8.6% in the latest 12 months, its fastest in 40 years, extinguishing hopes inflation had reached its peak.
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Courtesy of DoorDash
DoorDash launches in-app reviews
The platform also features dish recommendations from local customers and curated lists that feature popular, trending and top-rated restaurants nearby.
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Permission granted by Panera
Panera opens first digital-only restaurant
While the unit will initially offer only delivery and pickup service, the company said it may consider adding in-store kiosks and catering in the future.
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Courtesy of Little Caesars
Little Caesars on track to double US franchise agreements this year
The pizza chain is growing its footprint by pursuing partnerships with larger operators, military veterans and first responders.
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Courtesy of Toast
Toast heats up restaurant payments competition
As Toast adds services, the Boston startup is taking business from larger rivals and fintech peers, analysts say.
