Rubio’s Coastal Grill introduces a new rewards program

Rubio’s Rewards allows customers to cash in points in exchange for free menu items, with diners earning 10 points for every dollar spent. 

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 31, 2022

Burger King’s original chicken sandwich goes plant based

The brand’s Impossible Original Chick’n Sandwich pilot follows two Impossible Whopper launches and last year’s Impossible Nuggets test.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 22, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Loyalty & Rewards Strategy

Capturing — and keeping — loyal customers is more crucial than ever as diner price sensitivity puts pressure on restaurants.

By Restaurant Dive staff

IHOP’s new menu serves up customization

The Choice menu, which includes made-to-order griddle combos, steakburgers and chicken sandwiches, will be available any time of day.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 22, 2022

McDonald’s will test a Chicken Big Mac in Miami

The Chicken Big Mac received positive diner reviews when it launched for a limited time in the U.K. earlier this year, according to McDonald’s. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 18, 2022

Study: A quarter of low-income households have stopped eating out

Frequency among families with household income under $45,000 declined 6% during the second quarter, data from The NPD Group shows.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 17, 2022

Whole Foods co-founder plans to launch vegetarian restaurant chain

John Mackey’s past success scaling a business promoting healthy lifestyles could attract more investor attention as plant-based diets grow in popularity.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 9, 2022

Study: Over 66% of independent restaurants seeing sales declines from inflation

Seventy-six percent of operators surveyed by Seated said they have increased menu prices to deal with current economic conditions.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 5, 2022

Despite menu price increases, Starbucks Rewards members keep coming back

Guest counts reached an all-time high during the quarter, with loyalty customer growth outpacing non-members. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 3, 2022

Study: Consumers spending 40% of food budget on restaurants despite inflation

As inflation squeezes budgets, consumers say they would more likely cut spending on clothes and gym memberships before decreasing going out to eat, Popmenu finds.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 1, 2022

Jamba by Blendid expands to UCLA

The University of California Los Angeles marks the third college campus to open a Jamba by Blendid kiosk this year, and fifth overall for Blendid. 

By Alicia Kelso • July 26, 2022

Why Auntie Anne's wants to become a drive-thru destination

The soft pretzel chain opened its first co-branded drive-thru with Jamba in 2021. It now plans to have 15 such units by spring 2023.

By Julie Littman • July 20, 2022

Study: Dine-in tips have increased despite inflation

Tip percentage growth has slowed, however, and tips on online orders have shrunk even as the number of online orders has risen, Lightspeed data finds. 

By Alicia Kelso • July 12, 2022

Report: 38% of consumers interested in metaverse would add restaurant purchases to experience

Twenty percent of consumers are familiar with the metaverse and 18% have participated in the virtual environment, Paytronix and PYMNTS research finds. 

By Alicia Kelso • July 7, 2022

Study: Gen Z diners visit restaurants less often than older demographics

Pandemic pressure and higher menu prices driven by inflation have discouraged Gen Z from dining out, NPD Group finds.

By Alicia Kelso • July 6, 2022

McDonald’s franchisees ditch Dollar Drinks as inflation stings

Some stores have dropped the long-standing beverage promotion and are marketing value meals instead, The Wall Street Journal reports.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 5, 2022

Subway launches biggest menu update in its history

A year after its Eat Fresh Refresh menu debut, the chain unveiled 12 signature subs that customers can order by name or number instead of customizing.

By Julie Littman • July 5, 2022

Survey: Most restaurants are still short-staffed even as demand recovers

Thirty percent of restaurant owners said business has returned to pre-pandemic levels while 25% said it has surpassed them, per Popmenu. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • June 30, 2022

BurgerFi and Anthony's launch co-branded Visa rewards card

The card offers customers 3% cashback on all purchases at any of the brands’ 185 locations.

By Alicia Kelso • June 28, 2022

Are c-stores the next QSR? One survey says it's 'entirely possible.'

Fifty-nine percent of U.S. consumers consider buying a meal at a convenience store when stopping for fast food, per Bluedot data. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 28, 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.

By Julie Littman • June 22, 2022

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.

By Alicia Kelso • June 22, 2022

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. 

By Julie Littman • June 21, 2022

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.

By Julie Littman • June 16, 2022

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.

By Grace Noto • June 13, 2022

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. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 13, 2022