Corporate Operations

  • Two men in suits sign papers.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle is coming to Asia in 2026

    The brand has signed an agreement with operator SPC Group to open stores in South Korea and Singapore starting next year.

    By • Sept. 11, 2025
  • An image of a breakfast sandwich, coffee and hashbrowns on a table
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    Permission granted by Portillo's
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    Portillo’s cuts projected openings, breakfast pilot

    The fast casual chain will focus on core markets and simplify operations as pricing and promotional problems weigh on same-store sales.

    By • Sept. 10, 2025
  • An image of several people eating hamburgers and french fries from a generic fast food restaurant. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Diamond Dogs via Getty Images
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    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
  • A smiling white man in a suit. He's wearing a jacket with peaked lapels and no tie, for what it's worth.
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    Permission granted by Starbucks
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    By the numbers: Starbucks’ first year under CEO Brian Niccol

    What’s changed 12 months after the chain’s dramatic restaurant leadership shakeup? The numbers reveal a mix of store growth, declining comp sales and continued labor strife. 

    By • Sept. 9, 2025
  • An empty Starbucks redesigned with lots of green and open space.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    An inside look at Starbucks’ coffeehouse redesign

    With 1,000 renovations and new builds set to incorporate warmer colors, more seating and experiential changes, Starbucks may be on its way to physically restoring its coffeehouse-vibe.

    By • Sept. 5, 2025
  • A bunch of chicken fingers, fries, toast slices, lemonade and iced tea on a picnic blanket.
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    Courtesy of Raising Cane's
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    Raising Cane’s heads to the UK

    The chicken finger brand will develop company-operated units in London and plans to open urban stores and suburban drive-thrus.

    By • Sept. 4, 2025
  • A hand holds a smartphone with the screen showing different rewards available from Sweetgreen's rewards program.
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen hires former Taco Bell exec as chief commercial officer

    Zipporah Allen, a major architect of Taco Bell’s digital transformation, has joined the embattled salad brand as it looks to rebuild traffic and sales.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
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    SEASTOCK via Getty Images
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    Uber Eats settles Seattle labor claims for $15M

    The delivery aggregator denied allegations by city authorities that it misled workers about potential earnings and paid them less than required.

    By • Updated Aug. 27, 2025
  • Five flat pizzas.
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut’s new menu category targets solo diners

    Crafted Flatzz, which include flatbread-style pies, marks Pizza Hut’s largest global launch of a menu item and will be available in over 20 countries.

    By • Aug. 20, 2025
  • Taco Bell is testing a new design for its Go Mobile stores, pictured here.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    KFC and Pizza Hut drag Yum’s US earnings, again

    Yum hopes the strategies that have powered Taco Bell’s positive same-store sales streak could help reverse KFC’s lackluster performance.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • An Outback Steakhouse restaurant on a cold day.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Bloomin’ Brands hires new CFO among a series of leadership changes

    The company also created an executive position for strategy and transformation to help improve the performance of Outback Steakhouse.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A photograph of a burger, drink and fries from Fatburger.
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    Permission granted by Fat Brands
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    DOJ drops charges against Fat Brands, Andy Wiederhorn

    The original indictment alleged misconduct over a loan scheme involving $47 million transferred from Fat and Fog Cutter Capital to Wiederhorn.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • The Starbucks company logo on a glass door.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Starbucks pledges $500M in additional labor as sales slide continues

    The coffee chain’s same-store sales dropped for the sixth consecutive quarter, but CEO Brian Niccol said the brand is seeing positive indicators in its operational metrics.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • A photograph of Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Permission granted by Shipley Do-Nuts
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    Shipley Do-Nuts sold to Levine Leichtman

    The chain’s new owners grew Tropical Smoothie Cafe into a brand valued at $2 billion. Now they want to repeat that success with the doughnut maker.

    By • July 28, 2025
  • A smiling person stands in front of a green background with a yellow "Subway" logo visible.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Subway taps Burger King vet as CEO

    Jonathan Fitzpatrick will take the sandwich chain’s top spot on July 28, and inherits AUV struggles and an ongoing push to modernize its menu.

    By , • Updated July 21, 2025
  • Jack in the Box restaurant location
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Why Jack in the Box’s poison pill was the right move

    The chain wants to protect itself from a hostile takeover, and the limited-duration act is unlikely to impact shareholders, lawyer Keith Gottfried said.

    By • July 9, 2025
  • An image of a black wall inside an office with different dates on a timeline highlighting Bojangles history. In front of the wall there are three chairs.
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    Permission granted by Bojangles
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    Bojangles debuts new support center in North Carolina

    The headquarters in Charlotte brings all of its corporate employees under one roof and will include a full-scale test kitchen.

    By • Updated June 25, 2025
  • A photograph of a person wearing a suit and smiling.
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    Courtesy of Yum Brands
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    Yum Brands appoints Chris Turner CEO

    Turner, current chief financial and franchise officer, will succeed David Gibbs on Oct. 1. Gibbs will serve the chain in an advisory role through 2026.

    By • Updated June 17, 2025
  • 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. 

    By • May 27, 2025
  • 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.

    By Chris Kelly • May 22, 2025
  • 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.

    By • May 14, 2025
  • An image of a gray building with a white logo that says "Shake Shack"
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Shake Shack to open new support center, flagship restaurant in Atlanta

    The new support center and flagship location, equipped with a full bar, represent an evolution for the brand and could signal an increased reliance on menu innovation and LTOs as growth drivers.

    By • May 9, 2025
  • 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 pauses McDonald’s rollout as sales drop

    The doughnut chain said it has stopped expanding its McDonald’s presence while it works to assess the profitability of the business model.

    By • May 8, 2025
  • Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman
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    Courtesy of Shift4. Shift4 CEO Jared Isaacman
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    Shift4 turns to restaurants for future growth

    The payment processor has signed thousands of restaurants in Europe and plans to expand that business.

    By Patrick Cooley • May 6, 2025
  • A beige building with a green sign and white lettering that says "Panera Bread."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Panera is shuttering its dough facilities to speed up innovation

    The closures and transition to par-baked bread are part of a brand turnaround effort under its new CEO. 

    By • May 1, 2025
  • People sit in a coffee shop.
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    Adam Gray via Getty Images
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    Starbucks suffers 5th quarter of falling comps

    The coffee chain will start cafe remodels to improve its coffeehouse feel in New York and Southern California later this year as its brand turnaround continues.

    By • April 30, 2025