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  • Three fast food beverages stand in line.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    McDonald’s will wind down CosMc’s, test drinks

     The Golden Arches will start shuttering its beverage innovation spinoff’s units in late June, just 18 months after its first location opened. 

  • A corporate headquarters in a flat landscape dotted with lakes.
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    TW Farlow via Getty Images
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    Darden closes one-third of Bahama Breeze restaurants

    The company closed 15 Bahama Breeze locations across eight states in May, as part of a push for its smaller brands to focus on high-performing units. 

  • A photo of a parking lot with a number of EV chargers set up alongside the parking spaces.
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    Courtesy of BP Pulse
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    BP Pulse is bringing EV chargers to Waffle House

    Chosen sites in the Southeast and the Sunbelt will get six electric vehicle charging bays, with the first locations coming online next year.

  • Chili's Big Smasher cheeseburger accompanied by sides of chips, fries and cola on a wooden dining table
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    Permission granted by Chili's Grill & Bar
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    The restaurant industry’s Q1 2025 winners and losers

    Consumer price sensitivity led to declines at Chipotle, McDonald’s and other QSRs, while Chili’s and Cava were among a handful of companies to see traffic and sales gains.

  • Contactless payment made a restaurant dinner table.
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    Southworks

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    Why dashboard dining and weekend restaurant visits are on the rise

    Consumer trends are contradictory, according to a Technomic presentation at the National Restaurant Association Show. Both on-premise group dining and solo car dining are growing.

  • An image of a person wearing a black polo shirt smiling in front of a wood paneled background.
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    Permission granted by Smoothie King
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    Smoothie King appoints CFO as president

    In his expanded role, Gavin Felder will oversee day-to-day management and retain his financial responsibilities at the fast-growing smoothie chain.

  • El Pollo Loco logo and tagline
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    Courtesy of El Pollo Loco
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    Why El Pollo Loco’s rebrand invites diners to ‘Get Loco’

    CMO Jill Adams shares how a new tagline serves as a “call to action” and a play to engage with consumers around their passions.

  • A photograph of various burgers, chicken sandwich, chicken nuggets and fries in cardboard packaging.
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    Ant DM via Getty Images
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    Shake Shack bets on 10 casino locations with PENN Entertainment

    The fast casual chain, which already operates in three casinos, will open its first restaurants with the entertainment company in 2026.

  • A person wearing black hat and black clothes stands in front of a big sink and is washing a large pan.
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    Juanmonino via Getty Images
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    Independent restaurants urge Congress to exempt service charges from taxes, not just tips

    The “No Tax on Tips” provision in a proposed budget reconciliation package only benefits customer-facing staff, not dishwashers or other back-of-house workers, the IRC said.

  • Burger King’s Maple Bourbon BBQ Whopper
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    LTOs and value are key to solving restaurant traffic downturn: Technomic

    With consumers bracing for tariff impacts, limited-time offerings will likely grow in importance alongside budget-focused menu items.

  • Tiffani Thiessen in a Chili's ad
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    Retrieved from Chili's on May 15, 2025
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    Q&A

    Chili’s CMO on how ‘culture pops’ supercharge the chain’s sales

    The casual dining chain’s executives have cited marketing as a key factor behind two straight quarters of same-store sales growth of more than 31%.

  • Am image of a sign on a window that says "Meal Deal" and shows a chicken sandwich and burger with nuggest, fries and a Coca-Cola.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Analysts at NRA Show: Tariffs could make H2 gloomier for restaurants

    As costs rise, fast food chains are losing pricing advantages relative to fast casual and even full-service chains.

  • An image of three Krispy Kreme doughnuts and six in a box.
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    Permission granted by McDonald's/Krispy Kreme
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    Krispy Kreme sued by investors over McDonald’s rollout pause

    The lawsuit claims the chain failed to disclose profitability issues it was having with the QSR partnership, which subsequently led to a steep decline in stock prices after Q1 2025 earnings.

  • A white sign that says Cava in front of a glassed facade building.
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava has big plans for its loyalty program

    Loyalty is bringing consumers into the restaurant’s ecosystem, while its emphasis on hospitality builds relationships, according to CEO Brett Schulman.

  • The interior of SeoulSpice's first restaurant in Chicago.
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    Permission granted by SeoulSpice
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    SeoulSpice heads to Chicago, plots national expansion

    With trouble brewing in its home market, the Korean fast casual chain plants its first flag outside of Washington, D.C.

  • An image of a customer entering a Cava restaurant.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    How Cava beat traffic gravity in Q1

    The brand’s 10.8% comparable sales growth outperformed rival fast casuals, with Chipotle and Sweetgreen posting flat-to-negative sales.

  • Kent Companies
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    Retrieved from Kent Companies.
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    Kent Companies rolling out food-focused c-store format

    Locations feature a made-to-order kitchen, a drive-thru, a beer and ice cave, two-bay car washes and a dog wash.

  • A Chuck E. Cheese sign.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Chuck E. Cheese sued by West Virginia workers over sexual harassment, retaliation

     A manager at the family eatertainment brand allegedly retaliated against an assistant manager for reporting sexual harassment of women employees.

  • A Jack in the Box sign looms ominously from behind a hedge.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box deploys kiosks at 1,500 restaurants

    The chain, which posted negative same-store sales for the quarter, boasted a 18% digital sales mix, just shy of its 20% goal.

  • An image of a Twin Peaks restaurant in the daytime.
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    Permission granted by Twin Peaks
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    Twin Hospitality Group hires CPK vet as CEO

    Kim Boerema, who has over 30 years of restaurant experience, succeeds Joe Hummel, who resigned in April after Fat Brands spun off Twin Hospitality in a January IPO.

    Updated May 15, 2025
  • A Wing drone used by DoorDash delivers a Wendy's package.
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    Courtesy of DoorDash
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    DoorDash, Wing bring drone delivery to Charlotte

    Panera is among a handful of restaurants now offering drone delivery from a shopping center in the North Carolina city.

  • Three images of a smart phone showing ways to reserve through the application.
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    Permission granted by Uber Eats
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    Uber Eats, OpenTable reservation integration will launch this fall

    Users will be able to book a reservation from the Uber Eats app through a “Dine Out” tab, which will feature various local dine-in restaurants.

  • A stock image of a consumer examining a receipt.
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    Patpitchaya via Getty Images
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    Tariffs, immigration policy put US restaurants at ‘significant risk’: Fitch

    High consumer price sensitivity leaves brands with little room to offset the costs of tariffs and labor market disruptions.

  • A Starbucks worker in a green apron and a black shirt.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks union workers strike over dress code changes

    Baristas at more than 50 cafes have walked off the job over new clothing policies, which they say deviate from agreements made at the bargaining table.

  • An exterior shot of a beige restaurant on a rainy day.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    Vegan full-service chain Planta goes bankrupt

    Rising costs, falling consumer demand and structural changes in the restaurant industry left the brand with insufficient cash flow.