New restaurant openings return to pre-pandemic levels, Yelp says

About 6,600 food establishments opened each in August and September, while 210,000 temporarily closed businesses reopened during Q3, according to the latest Yelp Economic Average report.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2020

Restaurant operating profits will rise 15% in 2021, Moody's predicts

Conditions are expected to continue to slowly improve in the next 12 to 18 months due to easing dine-in restrictions, but the ratings agency also cautioned that more closures are on the horizon. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 21, 2020

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

CMOs must decipher pandemic-related consumer behavior changes, Dentsu survey finds

Prepared CMOs were already shifting to digital and e-commerce channels, which are now table stakes for restaurants, evidenced by the dramatic growth of digital sales at chains like Chipotle.

By Chris Kelly • Oct. 21, 2020

Report: Winter weather could undo 2M in job gains from August, September

Restaurants, which added outdoor dining during the summer, will be among the most impacted, especially if they are in markets where average temperatures drop to below 50 degrees by November, Gusto research shows.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 20, 2020

Del Taco is planning a drive-thru-only restaurant model

With the Mexican QSR recouping lost dine-in sales through off-premise channels, the chain is in the final stages of a new prototype that removes the dining room and requires less real estate. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 19, 2020

Casual dining curbside pickup times beat QSR, report shows

Olive Garden, Applebee's and Panera — which earned high speed and customer satisfaction scores from Rakuten Ready — benefit from large real estate footprints with designated parking spots and strong technology infrastructure.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 13, 2020

Wendy's coupon gets more valuable with each retweet

The coupon on Twitter was retweeted 10.8K times, translating to customers receiving 30% off a breakfast order on the Uber Eats app through Friday morning.

By Robert Williams • Updated Oct. 14, 2020

7 months later: Where the restaurant industry stands

With sales down to 2016 levels, restaurants have a lot of ground to make up, but pent-up demand for dining in is still high and technological innovations can help bring consumers back.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 13, 2020

Famous Dave's expands ghost kitchens through Johnny Carino's partnership

Working within another restaurant decreases rent, doesn't add much labor costs and makes operations more efficient, Famous Dave's CEO Jeff Crivello said.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 12, 2020

3 attributes driving QSR customer satisfaction in 2020

How top restaurants are performing with order for pickup during the pandemic.

Oct. 12, 2020

New study: Eating 'clean' while dining out means better nutrition

Consumer behaviors around food have shifted during the pandemic, both at home and with meals eaten out of the house.

Oct. 12, 2020

McDonald's shaves down drive-thru times by almost 30 seconds, study shows

The chain's speed of service is likely helped by its Dynamic Yield technology and streamlined menus, including the elimination of all-day breakfast. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 6, 2020

How the pandemic accelerated the US ghost kitchen market '5 years in 3 months'

The COVID-19 crisis has restaurants "running to catch up" to delivery demand, but experts now see potential for permanent changes to business models as dark kitchens gain steam. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 5, 2020

McDonald's is running out of its Spicy Chicken McNuggets

The offering is the chain's second promotion in less than a month to experience shortages, following the popularity of the Travis Scott Meal in early September. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 1, 2020

Nearly half of consumers will try new brands if the ad is relevant, study shows

Before diverting marketing dollars to video-based social media — as Chipotle has done with its successful TikTok campaigns — marketers need to remember that context matters more than ever, according to a DoubleVerify study.

By Aaron Baar • Sept. 29, 2020

Using tech tools to cook up increased restaurant efficiency in the post-COVID era

Three ways restaurants can manage costs while prioritizing service.

Sept. 29, 2020

Dine-in traffic improves in August, but off-premise still preferred

Consumers are growing more comfortable going out to eat at restaurants per a study from the NPD Group, but drive-thru, takeout, pickup and delivery still generate stronger sales, Technomic data shows.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 24, 2020

DC launches $4M grant program to help restaurants winterize their outdoor dining spaces

Funds will be dispersed starting Oct. 1 and can be put toward expenses including tents, heaters, propane, furniture, advertising and operational costs.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Sept. 23, 2020

Resy, AmEx will bring a fine dining 'drive-thru' experience to Los Angeles

Diners can enter the Hollywood Palladium via car Oct. 15 and Oct. 16, where they will be assigned a designated waiter who will guide them from "restaurant" to "restaurant" to serve guests a 10-course meal through their car windows.

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 23, 2020

Grocery sales dip as restaurant sales pick up

While restaurant sales industrywide accelerated 3.7% in August, grocery chains saw a 7% drop in dollar growth, according to data from M Science.

By Rosie Bradbury • Sept. 23, 2020

Burger King puts Whopper recipe on wrappers as part of 'real food' push

Following efforts centered on moldy burgers and cow farts, the QSR is trying a simple and direct approach to market its "clean food" menu.

By Robert Williams • Sept. 18, 2020

Independent pizza sales boosted by COVID-19 pandemic, report shows

Operators on digital ordering platform Slice have doubled their weekly sales during the coronavirus, from $2,000 to $4,000 on average, according to BTIG. 

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 15, 2020

Reopening lessons the US can learn from Europe

Restaurants and governments need to formulate recovery strategies based on new consumer preferences, traffic patterns and revenue channels, says Chelsea van Hooven, global industry advisor at Choco.

By Chelsea van Hooven • Sept. 14, 2020

Starbucks traffic lifts following early Pumpkin Spice Latte launch

Foot traffic at the chain was just 7.7% and 6.2% below equivalent 2019 levels on the Saturday and Sunday following the return of the fall favorite, according to Placer.ai data. 

By Alicia Kelso • Sept. 14, 2020

Delivery by the numbers: What third-party platforms are offering restaurants to survive the pandemic

DoorDash introduced a cohort of 17 restaurateurs who will receive $20,000 grants and business coaching as part of its Main Street Strong Accelerator.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 18, 2022