Corporate Operations: Page 7

  • Noodles & Company cauliflower gnocchi
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    Permission granted by Noodles & Company
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    Noodles & Company hires Ruth’s Chris exec as CFO

    Michael Hynes, will start with the company on July 24 following the departure of CFO Carl Lukach earlier this month.

    By • June 27, 2023
  • A portrait photo of Ravi Thanawala, Papa Johns incoming CFO.
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    Courtesy of Papa Johns
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    Papa Johns hires Nike exec as CFO

    Ravi Thanawala joins the company from Nike’s largest division, North America, which saw $18 billion in revenue last year.

    By • June 26, 2023
  • A photograph of chefs in a kitchen. Explore the Trendline➔
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    sam edwards via Getty Images
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    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
  • A picture of an Olive Garden restaurant.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Darden board chairman Eugene Lee to retire

    Lee’s departure was announced the same day as Darden’s results for FY2023, which include modest increases in same-store sales and its restaurant count.

    By • June 22, 2023
  • Blaze Pizza execs Kevin Moran and Johnny Tellez
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    Courtesy of Blaze Pizza
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    Blaze Pizza hires Focus Brands execs as chief development, operations officers

    Kevin Moran and Johnny Tellez join Blaze Pizza six months after the restaurant chain hired Focus Brands alum Beto Guajardo as president and CEO.

    By • June 21, 2023
  • Burger King gets a fresh look
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King wants to force Meridian to sell off its restaurants

    Burger King, like Meridian Restaurant’s creditors, is asking a court to allow creditors to arrange the sale of the franchisee’s restaurants.

    By • Updated Jan. 2, 2024
  • An exterior image of a BurgerFi restaurant
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    Permission granted by BurgerFi
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    BurgerFi appoints former Wall Street analyst as CFO

    Christopher Jones starts as BurgerFi’s top financial executive on July 10, the same day as its incoming CEO. 

    By • June 13, 2023
  • Potbelly Sandwich Shop in National Harbor, Maryland, taken by Julie Littman of Restaurant Dive
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    Julie Littman/Restaurant Dive
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    Potbelly hires HR, franchising executives

    Lynette McKee will support Potbelly’s transition to a majority franchise system as SVP of franchising, and Patrick Walsh will work as chief people officer. 

    By • June 12, 2023
  • An image of a laptop with Grubhub's website.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Grubhub cuts 15% of staff

    The layoffs come six months after rival DoorDash eliminated 1,250 positions, and follow rising operating and staffing costs, CEO Howard Migdal said.

    By • June 12, 2023
  • A picture of a Chipotle with a pickup lane.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle eliminates 25 jobs in corporate reorganization

    The reorganization follows an in-depth review of the chain’s business needs to determine what would best meet the company’s aggressive goals. 

    By • June 8, 2023
  • A picture of Smashburger's mac n cheese burger.
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    Courtesy of Smashburger
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    Smashburger names interim president to replace Carl Bachmann

    Jollibee, the burger chain’s parent company, tasked its chief sustainability and public affairs officer Jose Miñana to lead the burger chain starting June 30.

    By • June 8, 2023
  • An image of sweetgreen's automated kitchen in Naperville, Illinois
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen will automate all new stores, target suburban markets

    The salad chain’s Infinite Kitchen makeline could remake its labor model, analysts said following CEO Jonathan Neman’s presentation at William Blair’s Growth Stock Conference.

    By • June 8, 2023
  • A headshot of Jim Creel, CEO of Taco John's.
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    Permission granted by Taco John's
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    Taco John’s CEO to retire at the end of the year

    Jim Creel, who has been Taco John’s CEO for six years and worked with the chain for over two decades, will retire from the brand by the end of the year.

    By • June 7, 2023
  • A promotional image for Popeyes' blackened chicken sandwich.
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    Courtesy of Popeyes
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    Popeyes adds blackened chicken sandwich to menu permanently

    The chicken sandwich, which succeeded as an LTO last year, is being marketed as a healthier entree that diners can enjoy every day. 

    By • June 7, 2023
  • A round sign with the words Burger King on it.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    RBI appoints Tim Hortons US president, Burger King US COO

    Peter Perdue will oversee operations for Burger King in the U.S. and Canada, while Katerina Glyptis will serve as brand president for Tim Hortons U.S.

    By • June 2, 2023
  • An image of a a white building with Chipotle signage at night.
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    Permission granted by Chipotle
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    Chipotle hires Wendy’s exec as chief development officer

    Stephen Piacentini, who has about two decades of restaurant experience, will help Chipotle reach its 7,000 unit goal. 

    By • June 1, 2023
  • Amazon truck loaded for Prime Day.
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    Courtesy of Amazon
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    Amazon, Yum and RBI shareholders vote against proposals about plastic packaging use

    Resolutions calling on each company to produce a non-binding report on their plastic use and reduction plans were rejected by wide margins at recent annual meetings.

    By Cole Rosengren • May 31, 2023
  • A Panera store.
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    Panera adds drive-thru pickup nationwide

    The digital order pickup option uses the same lane as Panera’s regular drive-thru channel, which could help service digital customers faster. 

    By • May 31, 2023
  • A hand holds a phone with an image of On the Border's loyalty rewards program on the screen. Behind is a large bowl of queso.
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    Courtesy of On the Border
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    On the Border shifts toward tiered loyalty

    The chain joins the likes of El Pollo Loco and Sweetgreen, which now offer different rewards levels, as pressure on brands to differentiate offerings grows.

    By • May 24, 2023
  • An exterior of a beige building with the words "Smoothie King" in red next to a red crown logo on the outside.
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    The image by Michael Rivera is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Smoothie King hires Starbucks exec as COO

    Camille Hymes, whose past work experience also includes roles at Jack in the Box and ExxonMobile, joins the chain effective June 5. 

    By • May 24, 2023
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    Brandon Bell/ via Getty Images
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    Chipotle prepares national rollout of RFID for food traceability

    The restaurant chain is expanding its use of the technology to track ingredients from suppliers in real-time.

    By Sarah Zimmerman • May 23, 2023
  • A customer scans his palm with an Amazon One device at a Panera cafe.
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    Courtesy of Panera
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    NFTs, personalization and biometric pay are shaping restaurant loyalty

    At the National Restaurant Association Show, experts and operators discussed how restaurants are innovating their rewards to stay competitive as inflation erodes diner spend. 

    By • May 22, 2023
  • TGI Friday's logo
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    Courtesy of TGI Friday's
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    TGI Fridays CEO Ray Blanchette resigns

    Rohit Manocha, co-founder of TriArtisan Capital, the primary shareholder of the brand, will fill the role on an interim basis.

    By • May 18, 2023
  • A photograph of chicken sliders from IHOP's virtual brand TenderFix
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    Permission granted by Nextbite
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    Nextbite cuts more jobs, some staff say it will restructure

    The virtual restaurant brand platform, which made staff cuts twice last year, terminated an unknown number of workers this week, according to LinkedIn posts from 20 former employees. 

    By • May 18, 2023
  • Taco Bell exterior
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Yum Brands faces class action suits from employees after ransomware attack

    The Taco Bell and KFC operator is facing litigation after some personal data of company employees was stolen in the attack.

    By David Jones • May 16, 2023
  • DoorDash, Shake Shack deliver Boyz II Men throwback for Valentine's Day
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    Courtesy of DoorDash
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    Shake Shack cuts a deal with activist investor

    Former Domino’s CFO Jeffrey Lawrence joined Shake Shack’s board and founder Danny Meyer will eventually yield his director designation rights as part of an agreement with Engaged Capital.

    By • May 16, 2023