Chipotle touts loyalty program with $250K in Venmo payouts

The Mexican food chain is expanding its Chipotle Rewards program nationwide, and the deal could help capture more of its target diners. 

By Robert Williams • March 12, 2019

Jury awards misclassified Steak 'n Shake managers $3M

As the verdict demonstrates, simply calling an employee a "manager" is not sufficient to prove that he or she is exempt from overtime requirements.

By Jennifer Carsen • March 12, 2019

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

McDonald's new gender initiative could boost recruitment and retention

The fast food chain will focus on increasing gender diversity at all levels of the company, which may make it more competitive against other brands committed to similar efforts such as Yum Brands, Starbucks and Panda Express.

By Alicia Kelso • March 12, 2019

Restaurants after #MeToo: How this 'wake-up call' is impacting harassment training

The fall of celebrity chefs like Mario Batali and employee walkouts at McDonald's have brought the industry's culture problem into sharp focus, prompting both chains and states to launch mandatory education programs. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 11, 2019

Bloomin' Brands' CEO exit widens gender gap in restaurant leadership

Liz Smith's move, following 10 years at the helm and a turnaround of Outback Steakhouse, will leave female CEOs at just three publicly owned restaurant companies: Red Robin, Cracker Barrel and Ruth's Hospitality Group. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 11, 2019

Waitr looks to add reservations, loyalty programs

The delivery platform, which focuses on single-unit restaurants and independent chains, has consistently grown since its launch in 2013. But its new plans could bring it head-to-head with heavyweights like OpenTable. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 11, 2019

Shift Change: Smoothie King, Church's Chicken hire CMOs; Bojangles' top marketing leader to retire

The latest installment of Shift Change highlights executive changes at Starbucks, Church's Chicken, Smoothie King, Bojangles' and more. 

By Julie Littman • March 8, 2019

Wendy's trolls McDonald's on Frozen Food Day

A frozen cake for "you know who" reminded Twitter followers that its rival uses frozen beef and offered a free burger through Wendy's mobile app.

By Robert Williams • March 7, 2019

Yum China's Innovation Center could help fend off US transplants

The Yum Brands spinoff believes product experimentation is key to its success in the fast-changing market, where American heavyweights Shake Shack and Starbucks are testing their own new concepts. 

By Kevin Whiteley • March 7, 2019

KFC's crowdfunding campaign gauges interest in half-baked ideas

Contributors to the Indiegogo site could win branded swag for supporting potential products like a Kentucky Fried Hot Tub or location-tracking necktie.

By Erica Sweeney • March 6, 2019

Habit Burger to open more drive-thrus this year

Car service will hit more than 20 locations, following moves by Chipotle and Panera as the fast casual category looks to capture more customers on the go.

By Julie Littman • March 5, 2019

Papa John's founder John Schnatter agrees to resign from board

A settlement signals the beginning of the end of a yearlong dispute between the ousted founder and corporate, which could allow the pizza chain to put greater focus on new marketing efforts.

By Julie Littman • March 5, 2019

Bartender told to dress 'date-ready' gets $80K settlement

The restaurant also agreed to provide her with a positive written job reference and to allow EEOC to conduct a workplace climate survey.

By Riia O'Donnell • March 5, 2019

Dunkin' trolls McDonald's over Donut Sticks launch

The coffee chain mockingly tweeted "blueprints" of new donut packaging, which emulate the burger giant's Big Mac box, suggesting McDonald's copied its Donut Fries offering.

By Kevin Whiteley • March 5, 2019

Curry Up Now expands beyond California

The company, leveraging growing demand for the ethnic cuisine, plans to open one of the first Indian fast casual concepts in Utah and Colorado. 

By Alicia Kelso • March 1, 2019

Burger brands beef up local, diet-focused offerings

Chains are looking beyond just topping patties with bacon to spice up their menus, and are instead innovating with regional flavors and keto-friendly fare to capture new diners.

By Julie Littman • March 1, 2019

Shift Change: Wingstop's CXO leaves; Salata adds chief development officer

The latest installment of Shift Change highlights executive changes at Wingstop, Salata Salad Kitchen, Robeks and Pancheros Mexican Grill.

By Julie Littman • March 1, 2019

Papa John's eyes sports stars, social influencers as brand rehabilitation efforts continue

The strategy, which follows a campaign focused on the chain's franchisees, was announced amid a reported 8.1% slide in same-store sales in North America for Q4.

By Erica Sweeney • Feb. 28, 2019

Wendy's brings franchise 'technology to life' through council

As technology becomes embedded in franchises, the chain is distributing responsibilities throughout the C-suite following the retirement of former CIO David Trimm.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 26, 2019

Cheesecake Factory debuts Asian fast casual concept

The chain is pausing development on its RockSugar and Grand Lux Cafe concepts to focus on newly launched Social Monk, which marks the company's first venture outside casual dining.

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 25, 2019

IHOP franchises to pay $700k, create HR department after sex harassment suit

When workers come to a manager, a supervisor or HR with a complaint, it generally benefits the employer if that complaint is handled with care.

By Katie Clarey • Feb. 25, 2019

Shift Change: Shake Shack beefs up c-suite; PDQ adds first CMO

The latest installment of Shift Change highlights executive changes at Shake Shack, PDQ, REGO Restaurant Groups and Wendy's.

By Julie Littman • Feb. 22, 2019

Restaurants save $7 for each $1 invested in cutting food waste, report shows

Businesses that scaled back food production, placed smaller orders and upcycled excess food into new meals could reduce waste by 26% after one year, the study found. 

By Kevin Whiteley • Feb. 22, 2019

Shake Shack hires first CIO to oversee 'all aspects of technology'

CIO Dave Harris' experience in reservation and POS systems, loyalty programs and consumer websites, will pair him closely with new CMO Jay Livingston.

By Samantha Schwartz • Feb. 21, 2019

Starbucks' newest Bali location showcases coffee farming

The coffee chain's largest location in Southeast Asia highlights its sustainability and ethical farming practices, which have become increasingly important due to coffee's growing environmental and economic impacts. 

By Julie Littman • Feb. 20, 2019