Chipotle founder steps down from board

Steve Ells, who founded the company in 1993, will no longer hold a formal role at the company as CEO Brian Niccol takes over as chairman. 

By Julie Littman • March 6, 2020

Taco Bell converting suburban stores to Cantinas in new test

The restaurant also said it plans to open a Cantina in Times Square and a gaming-themed Cantina in San Ramon, California this fall.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated March 6, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Menu development

Restaurants big and small are experimenting with their menus to align with the preferences of on-the-go diners and mitigate the impact of rising food costs, supply chain disruption and shrinking consumer discretionary funds. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

El Pollo Loco rolls out its own plant-based chicken chainwide

The chain is the first to scale a plant-based chicken product, which it developed in-house using 100% GMO-free soy protein through an exclusive supplier.

By Lauren Manning • March 5, 2020

NYC Chipotle worker gets job back in sick leave settlement

The employee will also receive $2,500 in restitution, and Chipotle will remove disciplinary marks on her record for using paid sick leave offered under New York City law.

By Lisa Burden • March 4, 2020

Yum acquires leadership development program

The parent company of Pizza Hut and Taco Bell plans to offer Heartstyles, which provides hands-on training, to 98% of its restaurants.

By Julie Littman • March 4, 2020

Arby's names P&G's Patrick Schwing as CMO

Schwing previously led the global interactivity and innovation group at Oral-B, P&G's consumer dental care brand. ​

By Robert Williams • March 4, 2020

Dunkin' drafts 'Cheer' star for Instagram sweepstakes

Gabi Butler, the all-star cheerleader who appears in the Netflix docu-series, will post a special "Dunkin' cheer" to the company's account.

By Robert Williams • March 4, 2020

Logan's Roadhouse parent closes all restaurants

The COVID-19 outbreak has complicated CraftWorks' bankruptcy plans. The company lost its debtor-in-possession financing and may have to permanently shutter all of its restaurants. ​

By Julie Littman • Updated March 23, 2020

Union: Workers at airport Starbucks locations face racial pay gap, LGBTQ discrimination

Starbucks has attempted to make strides to improve equity among its employees, but airport employees are not employed by the coffee chain itself.

By Ryan Golden • March 4, 2020

Wendy's cooks up social media buzz with new breakfast menu campaign

In 36 hours, the QSR received more than 10,000 follower requests after locking its Twitter account in the run-up to this week's launch for its breakfast menu.

By Robert Williams • March 3, 2020

Jersey Mike’s to spend $150M on franchisee remodels

The sandwich chain plans to cover the $75,000 cost per store for these revamps, which it expects will result in a 10% increase in sales. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 3, 2020

Impossible slashes prices by 15% for distributors

The reduction is a competitive incentive for restaurants looking to capitalize on the plant-based trend without further eroding thin margins. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • March 3, 2020

Wendy's breakfast challenges rival offerings

In the wake of Wendy's nationwide breakfast launch Monday, McDonald's offered diners free Egg McMuffins and Burger King pushed its Croissan'wich on Twitter.

By Julie Littman • March 2, 2020

Tim Hortons' US operators accuse chain of 'price gouging'

The Great White North Franchisee Association-USA is suing the restaurant and parent company Restaurant Brands International a second time for taking supplier rebates, which hiked up food prices.

By Alicia Kelso • March 2, 2020

CISOs who leave after 2 years may not finish what they start

"Unless you sit in a role for an extended period of time, you don't know that the next transition is coming," said Dave Estlick, CISO of Chipotle.

By Samantha Schwartz • March 2, 2020

5 ways Dine Brands is combating traffic declines

CEO Steve Joyce explains how the company's growing catering platform and new focus on urban markets are among the ways it is trying to bring in more guests.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 28, 2020

Shake Shack takes on procure-to-pay, supplier management in tech upgrade

A digital transformation and new enterprise resource planning systems gives Shake Shack a more granular picture of its procurement operations and frees up in-restaurant teams from administrative tasks.

By Emma Cosgrove • Feb. 28, 2020

DoorDash heads toward public status with confidential filing

Investors will likely put DoorDash's earnings under a microscope as earnings from Grubhub and Uber Eats have faced industry critique.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 27, 2020

Panera's coffee subscription leverages loyalty to fight breakfast battle

The chain's CEO said the unlimited coffee and tea offering, which diners can access for $8.99 through its rewards program, increased visits by 70% during its pilot. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 27, 2020

Lawsuit filed against Jimmy John's over serving contaminated sprouts

A food safety law firm has filed one of the first lawsuits against Jimmy John's on behalf of a customer who got sick after eating E. coli contaminated sprouts.

By Alicia Kelso • Updated March 6, 2020

KFC Canada tests Google's food ordering service

By saying, "Hey Google, order food from KFC," Google Assistant will wake up to take an order.

By Robert Williams • Feb. 26, 2020

Union Square Hospitality Group walks back arbitration agreement mandate

The staff contract, which would bar employees from filing class action lawsuits against the restaurant company, was dropped when rumors of a planned protest of the policy arose.

By Lauren Manning • Feb. 26, 2020

Uber Eats lead steps down amid profitability struggles

Jason Droege, who launched the Eats division in 2015, will be replaced by vice president of international rides Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty effective immediately.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 25, 2020

Cosi files for bankruptcy, again

This marks the chain's second Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in just four years, despite its attempt to leverage catering to strengthen its performance. 

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 25, 2020

Burger King's moldy Whopper ad sparks visceral reactions, but scores on subversion

An analysis found the gross-out concept underperformed in areas such as stoking desire, but successfully captured attention above category benchmarks.

By Peter Adams • Feb. 25, 2020