Page 2

Taco Bell is opening a hotel in brand's biggest lifestyle play

The "tacoasis" in Palm Springs, California, will include a pool, on-site salon and gift shop offering exclusive merchandise.

Chick-fil-A tests restaurant-run delivery

While the fast food chain plans to maintain its relationship with DoorDash, this pilot could make it one of the first major QSRs to shift from third-party delivery to a proprietary program. 

Jack in the Box is no longer exploring sale

The company is instead planning to implement a new capital structure that is expected to drive shareholder value. 

Potbelly aims to more than double franchisee footprint

The sandwich chain, which currently has 50 franchised locations out of its 480 stores, doesn't plan to refranchise to meet its 2024 goal. 

Judge doubles Steak 'n Shake's misclassification bill to $7.7M

The restaurant owes overtime back pay and liquidated damages under the Fair Labor Standards Act and Missouri law for allegedly misclassifying managers.

Foodservice accounts for 23% of convenience store sales, report finds

Over half of Americans order a meal at least once a month at gas station stores, revealing that diners often choose ready-to-eat items over QSRs.

Resy acquired by American Express

The credit card company's acquisition is part of an ongoing strategy to expand its digital-first benefits and services to its more than 100 million card members, and could help Resy better compete with OpenTable. 

Burger King parent aims for more than 40K stores by 2029

This would expand Restaurant Business International's global portfolio beyond McDonald's current store footprint, but the company didn't disclose how the locations would be spread across Burger King, Tim Hortons and Popeyes. 

McDonald's gives franchisees control of all-day breakfast

Local operators will be allowed to pick which all-breakfast items to serve and when, a move that could improve drive-thru times and efficiency.

Deliveroo offers free skills training to its drivers

The company's Deliveroo Academy provides access to 300 online professional development courses, from learning a new language to web design. 

McDonald's meets Happy Meal nutrition benchmark ahead of deadline

The QSR boosted the number of its iconic meals served with water, milk or juice by 15% between 2013 and 2018, and the majority of its 20 major markets have hit all five of its health commitments two years early.

Starbucks secures $1B sustainability bond

The coffee chain's third and largest sustainability fund will support its efforts to ethically source coffee as well as build 10,000 green stores globally by 2025.

KFC's Spotify playlist curates hip-hop songs that mention the brand

Underscoring the brand's role in pop culture, the playlist is being promoted via street-based marketing in Paris.

59% of consumers support a $15 minimum wage, survey says

It's unclear how operators could support hefty pay increases with razor-thin margins, or if diners will shell out extra cash to make wage hikes possible. 

Deep Dive

Impossible shortage burning restaurants that put it on the map

Independents are accusing the company of overpromising production capacity and hanging them out to dry following major corporate partnerships. Will $300 million in new funding be enough to restore both supply and its reputation?

Uber, Nuro reportedly in discussions for driverless food delivery

A partnership could help decrease driver costs and improve efficiencies by allowing couriers to pickup multiple food orders from a central hub.

Chick-fil-A is researching plant-based chicken substitutes

While there are several meatless burger options, the company could be the first major fast food chain to offer a plant-based chicken item in the U.S.

Uber Eats still cheapest delivery service, MarketWatch reports

Despite recent changes to its fee structure and its IPO, a hamburger and fries on Uber Eats costs less than Grubhub, DoorDash and Postmates. 

Burger King looks to bring roadside delivery stateside

After seeing a 63% jump in daily sales during a Mexico City pilot, the burger chain wants to try its Traffic Jam Whopper service in congested cities like Los Angeles. 

Postmates teams up with Square, Bringg

The partnership with Square opens the door for delivery for smaller businesses while its integration with Bringg will help restaurants manage in-house and external delivery fleets.

Famous Dave's enters fast casual space

The barbecue restaurant will nearly halve the size of its typical location as it joins brands like The Cheesecake Factory, Hooters and Outback looking to expand off-premise capabilities. 

Eataly to enter Texas with new Dallas location

The beloved Italian marketplace, which includes both a restaurant and grocery store, will open its seventh location inside one of the country's most popular malls in 2020.

Column

Shift Change: McDonald's taps new CMO, Wendy's creates new exec roles

This week's Shift Change highlights executive changes at McDonald's, Wendy's, Dave & Buster's, Marco's Pizza and Mooyah. 

Noodles & Company launches personalized nutrition calculator

The tool is available on the restaurant's website and mobile app, and allows diners to create dishes that are in line with keto, paleo, vegetarian and other lifestyle diets.

Chick-fil-A has the strongest QSR brand personality, study says

A Zion & Zion report ranked major fast food chains on five personality dimensions, placing Sonic and Dairy Queen close behind the chicken chain while Papa John's and Burger King earned low marks.