Corporate Operations

  • An evening shot of a building with white and red coloring and signage that says "Portillo's."
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    Courtesy of Portillo's
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    Portillo’s to close some restaurants

    After several difficult quarters, the hot dog brand is changing everything from its geographic strategy to the size of its restaurants.

    By • Nov. 9, 2026
  • A Papa Johns' employee cuts pizza after preparing it.
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    Courtesy of Papa Johns
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    Papa Johns mobilizes for a quality war

    CEO Todd Penegor says the chain has a new business strategy that addresses the weakness of the overall QSR pizza segment. 

    By • Nov. 5, 2026
  • An image of several people eating hamburgers and french fries from a generic fast food restaurant. Explore the Trendline➔
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    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 close up photograph of a white sign with lettering that says Cava.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    Cava Q3 comps growth moderates

    Like Starbucks, Cava’s big traffic gains in H1 moderated, and mix and pricing accounted for a majority of its Q3 same-store sales growth.

    By • Nov. 4, 2026
  • A photograph of a co-branded Wetzel's Pretzels and Cold Stone Creamery inside a mall.
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    Permission granted by Wetzel's Pretzels/Cold Stone Creamery
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    MTY Food Group rebuffs Foodtastic’s $720M bid

    Following a strategic review of its business, Cold Stone’s parent declined a takeover offer from Foodtastic, prompting the latter to to accuse the company of “unrealistic expectations.”

    By • Nov. 4, 2026
  • A car drives to a drive-thru window at a Kentucky Fried Chicken storefront.
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    Courtesy of Yum! Brands
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    Taco Bell’s winning streak ends, KFC’s turnaround continues

    Yum Brands hopes continued marketing magic at Taco Bell, menu investments at KFC and overall tech improvements will result in strong sales growth.

    By • Nov. 3, 2026
  • A Starbucks coffee cup
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    Spencer Platt / Staff via Getty Images
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    Starbucks’ strong comps driven by ticket growth

    The chain is moving from a turnaround to a sustained growth plan, CEO Brian Niccol said, as traffic, mix, pricing and merch all contribute to sales growth.

    By • Oct. 30, 2026
  • An image of a Applebee's and IHOP dual-branded restaurant inside an airport
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    Courtesy of Dallas Love Field
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    Dine Brands fights acquisition attempt with poison pill

    Pizza Hut. Wendy’s. Now, Applebee’s and IHOP? Buyers want to take chains private to avoid market pressure — but Dine Brands isn’t ready yet. 

    By • Oct. 30, 2026
  • Six versions of Chili's Big Crispy Chicken Sandwich
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    Courtesy of Chili's
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    Chili’s sales are up 52% over 3 years. Here’s how it’s serving diners.

    The chain shows no signs of slowing down as it laps multiple years of double-digit same-store sales growth and invests in training, equipment and staffing. 

    By • Oct. 29, 2026
  • The Instacart logo is displayed on a computer monitor.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    DoorDash to buy Instacart for $17B

    The deal marks the consolidation of two major players in the grocery e-commerce industry.

    By Catherine Douglas Moran • Updated Oct. 29, 2026
  • An image of a black building with windows and The Cheesecake Factory signage.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    The Cheesecake Factory hits record 15.2% comps growth

    The brand’s strong managerial retention, social media marketing and menu innovation drove an exceptional quarter.

    By • Oct. 28, 2026
  • People wait in line to enter a building with a sweetgreen logo at the top.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Sweetgreen raises top manager pay to $200K

    The change is a substantial increase in the brand’s compensation ceiling, reflecting continued investment in career paths and retention, according to COO Jason Cochran.

    By • Oct. 27, 2026
  • An exterior photograph of a Cafe Rio restaurant.
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    Courtesy of Cafe Rio
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    Cafe Rio hires Cava vet as COO

    Adam Klaers joins the chain as it works to improve its operations and strengthen its brand identity under new CEO Mike Burns.

    By • Oct. 27, 2026
  • Olo founder Noah Glass on Olo's first day of trading
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    Permission granted by Olo
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    Olo wants to kill delivery commissions

    The restaurant software company’s CEO says its new app can bring delivery to consumers for less, while avoiding exorbitant commission rates for restaurants.

    By • Oct. 21, 2026
  • A close-up photograph of an orange sign that says Tropical Smoothie Cafe that is next to a palm tree logo shaped as a T.
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    Courtesy of Tropical Smoothie Cafe
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    Tropical Smoothie Cafe will open 40 stores in the Northeast

    The chain is historically underrepresented in New York and Connecticut, but a new deal with Aurify Kingstar could remedy that.

    By • Oct. 19, 2026
  • A bucket of fried chicken from KFC surrounded by Coca-Cola glasses
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    Permission granted by KFC U.S.
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    KFC ditches Pepsi for Coke in latest turnaround move

    The fried chicken chain — once owned by Pepsi — will shift beverage providers as part of a broader overhaul of its menu and operations.

    By • Oct. 16, 2026
  • An image of a blue gray buidling with white columns. It has signage that says Sweet Tomatoes in red.
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    Ethan Miller via Getty Images
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    Souplantation parent will open first CA restaurant since 2020

    The chain, which closed all of its locations during Chapter 7 liquidation six years ago, will open a Sweet Tomatoes in Fountain Valley by 2027.

    By • Oct. 8, 2026
  • An image ofa sign that says TGI Fridays against oa red and white background. There isa tree on the left and a blue sky in the background
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    David Rogers via Getty Images
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    TGI Fridays signs first US franchise in over a decade

    The new development agreement could be an early sign of revival for the chain, which fell from 329 U.S. locations in 2020 to 71 this year.

    By • Sept. 30, 2026
  • A photograph of a building that with white signage that says Panera Bread. There is an empty parking lot out front and an outdoor patio on the right.
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    bgwalker via Getty Images
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    Panera hires operations and supply execs to support turnaround

    The chain onboarded Chris Finazzo as COO and Victor Siqueira as chief supply chain officer, both RBI alums, as it continues an ambitious overhaul.

    By • Sept. 29, 2026
  • A photograph of a red and yellow sign with a giant yellow "M" above a red box that says "McDonald's Billions Served."
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    3 Big Numbers: How McDonald’s is investing in its Next playbook

    The Golden Arches is targeting 250 basis points in restaurant-level efficiency gains, backed by major investments in equipment and processes. 

    By • Sept. 28, 2026
  • A woman in a car holds a chicken sandwich.
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    Courtesy of Popeyes
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    Is Popeyes’ new sandwich a breakfast test?

    The chain says the Honey Chicken Biscuit is designed for all dayparts. It seems built for a time outside the chain’s usual occasions.

    By • Sept. 28, 2026
  • A dawn image of a McDonald's drive-thru. At the foreground is an exit sign and there is a car in the background waiting in line.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    How McDonald’s plans to reactivate 150M infrequent loyalty guests

    The Golden Arches will add rewards tiers, tie-ups with other major brands and increased personalization to its loyalty system.

    By • Sept. 25, 2026
  • A close up photograph of a partial Starbucks siren logo as seen from the top of an office building.
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    David Ryder via Getty Images
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    Starbucks shutters 250 underperforming stores

    The brand said the closures would impact locations that can’t deliver the coffeehouse experience or financial performance it expects.

    By • Sept. 24, 2026
  • An image of the exterior of KFC's experimental Open House unit
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    Courtesy of KFC
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    KFC tests breakfast and table service at new restaurant

    The chain wants to offer fast casual service for QSR prices at an experimental unit designed for maximum sales volume, rather than for efficiency.

    By • Sept. 24, 2026
  • A photograph of two boxes on a table with various breakfast food items in aluminum pans.
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    Permission granted by Denny's
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    How Denny’s is loading the bases for Project Grand Slam turnaround

    After closing units and going private, Denny’s is prepping for a new era with more catering, an overhauled menu, fresh tech and renovations.

    By • Sept. 23, 2026
  • A spread of pasta entrees from Maggiano's Little Italy.
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    Courtesy of Maggiano's Little Italy
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    Maggiano’s turnaround yields ‘green shoots’

    The Italian brand only accounts for 3% of Brinker’s profits, but a focus on portion size and speed of service could grow sales, CEO Kevin Hochman said. 

    By • Sept. 21, 2026