Corporate
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Activist investor surprises Red Robin with buyout offer
Vintage Capital's move is bold, coming at a time when the burger chain is currently without a CEO and, just days ago, deployed a poison pill.
By Alicia Kelso • June 14, 2019 -
ColumnShift Change: Inspire Brands adds 2 to C-suite, McAlister's Deli hires CMO
This week's Shift Change highlights executive changes at Inspire Brands, sweetgreen, McAlister's Deli, Wahlburgers and more.
By Julie Littman • June 14, 2019 -
Welcome to Good Burger: Nickelodeon pops up restaurant to promote 'All That' return
To promote the revival of the millennial favorite, the kids network teamed with the makers of the popular "Saved by the Bell" pop-up.
By Chris Kelly , Barry Levine • June 14, 2019 -
Church's Chicken reportedly on the market for $350M
The chicken chain joins the likes of Perkins & Marie Callender's, Del Frisco's and Whataburger, all of which are reportedly exploring or finalizing a sale.
By Lauren Manning • June 14, 2019 -
Amazon Restaurants is dead, but the e-tailer is still hungry for food delivery
Now that the company has yielded its humble slice of the market to DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub, analysts expect Amazon to buy its way back into the game.
By Julie Littman • June 14, 2019 -
Dems urge McDonald's to enforce franchise sexual harassment policies
Lawmakers called the chain's working conditions "unsafe and intolerable" and said its alleged pervasive pattern of harassment must end.
By Valerie Bolden-Barrett • June 13, 2019 -
McDonald's is the most popular fast food chain, survey says
The chain beat out major competitors like Wendy's and Burger King in a UBS survey that found that consumers prefer the company's value and promotions.
By Lauren Manning • June 13, 2019 -
Subway giving franchisees $10K remodel grants
The sandwich chain's new grant program will cover about 25% of the cost of its new Fresh Forward design updates for franchisees.
By Alicia Kelso • June 12, 2019 -
KFC's exclusive Mtn Dew flavor aspires to cult success of Baja Blast
The fried chicken purveyor takes a page from Taco Bell's playbook with the debut of the peach and honey-tinged Sweet Lightning.
By Peter Adams • June 11, 2019 -
Before the Butcher CEO: 'We are one of the next big players out there'
As plant-based meat heats up, it doesn't get hotter than this startup founded by a Beyond Meat alumnus, which announced a large-scale retail launch and its acquisition by the owners of Jensen Meat all in one week.
By Megan Poinski • June 10, 2019 -
Pret A Manger announces US airport expansion
The fresh food chain will open airport locations in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Charlotte as rival restaurants and third-party delivery platforms eye opportunities in air travel.
By Lauren Manning • June 10, 2019 -
Jamba unveils fresh rebrand, spotlights more than smoothies
New offerings include options with less sugar and more plant-based ingredients, playing to consumers' shifting dietary preferences.
By Lauren Manning • June 07, 2019 -
Beyond Meat sales to restaurants spike nearly 500% to $20.6M
Comparatively, the plant-based meat manufacturer's retail sales grew 111% to $19.6 million for its first quarter.
By Christopher Doering • June 07, 2019 -
Column
Shift Change: Ruby Tuesday hires CMO, IHOP gets new president
This week's Shift Change also highlights executive changes at Shake Shack, Postmates and more.
By Julie Littman • June 07, 2019 -
Chipotle celebrates Pride with donations from shoppable Instagram post
The burrito chain will give proceeds from online sales of themed gear to The Trevor Project.
By Robert Williams • June 07, 2019 -
Taco Bell unwraps fresh song, fake movie trailer for Nacho Fries' return
The chain's original songs and sheet music follow a flurry of recent campaigns around musical branding.
By Barry Levine • June 06, 2019 -
Starbucks to power 3K stores with renewable energy by 2021
Its partnership with LevelTenEnergy builds on the coffee chain's commitment as the top U.S. retailer to purchase sustainable energy sources.
By Lauren Manning • June 06, 2019 -
Pei Wei acquired by private equity firm
Centerbridge Partners sold the Asian fast-casual concept to PWD Acquisition for an undisclosed amount, just a few months after offloading sister brand P.F. Chang's.
By Emma Liem • June 05, 2019 -
Red Robin deploys 'poison pill'
This move, which comes a day after Vintage Capital increased its stake in the chain, will protect the restaurant from any takeover efforts as it searches for a new CEO and executes its strategic plan.
By Julie Littman • June 05, 2019 -
IHOP resurrects controversial 'IHOb' name change, targets burger promo's haters
The chain becomes the latest marketer to incorporate online negativity into its marketing as opposed to letting customer service handle it.
By Barry Levine • June 04, 2019 -
OpenTable showcases LGBTQ+ restaurants for Pride Month
The reservation platform joins a growing mix of restaurant brands including Starbucks, sweetgreen and fresh&co that are showing support for the LGBTQ+ community.
By Alicia Kelso • June 04, 2019 -
Deliveroo launches restaurant makeover competition
The company will fund renovations at six independent restaurants in the U.K. and will provide help with marketing and in-house and delivery operations.
By Lauren Manning • June 03, 2019 -
Popeyes seeks growth in hot Spanish market
The brand signed a new agreement with master franchisee Restaurant Brands Iberia, which operates sister chains Burger King and Tim Hortons in the country.
By Alicia Kelso • June 03, 2019 -
Chipotle CEO isn't ruling out breakfast
While Brian Niccol told investors that the chain won't add the daypart "anytime soon," the restaurant is looking to enhance its beverage options to perk up afternoon sales.
By Emma Liem • May 31, 2019 -
Chipotle joins spelling bee to pit its ingredients against competitors'
At this year's Scripps National Spelling Bee, some contestants participated in word challenges involving ingredients like "avocado" and "carrageenan."
By Barry Levine • May 31, 2019
