McDonald’s launches $200M grassland conservation initiative

The sustainability project doubles as a long-term investment in U.S. beef supply chains, as tariffs on major beef producers loom.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 15, 2025

Black Rock Coffee raises nearly $300M in IPO

The 158-unit chain is the first major coffee brand to go public since Dutch Bros debuted on the stock exchange in 2021.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 12, 2025

Cracker Barrel halts remodels after logo backlash, lackluster test

The chain only remodeled four stores before deciding to discontinue its reimage efforts, which drew the ire of loyal customers. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Sept. 10, 2025

Pinstripes goes bankrupt

The eatertainment chain, whose founder dreamed of reaching 150 units, is now down to eight after traffic and spending declines pressured liquidity.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 10, 2025

Noodles & Company to consider sale

The chain, which is struggling with growing net losses, is also considering refinancing debt and refranchising as part of a strategic review.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 4, 2025

Improving franchise profitability in uncertain times

Uncertainty caused by tariffs and interest rates may be hurting consumer traffic, but it shouldn’t stop savvy investments, Alicia Chandler from First Franchise Capital Corporation says.

By Alicia Chandler • Aug. 22, 2025

Activist investor targets Dine Brands

The Edge Consulting Group, which has roughly a 1% stake in the company, wants Dine to consider divesting non-core assets like Fuzzy’s Taco Shop.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 20, 2025

Bravo Brio Restaurants declares bankruptcy a second time

Restaurants in shopping centers with high vacancy and low foot traffic have struggled, especially with softening consumer discretionary spending.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 19, 2025

Cava joins Chipotle in backing Hyphen with $10M

The automated makeline company will use the money to accelerate the deployment of its technology, but Cava’s CFO says testing at the brand is unlikely until 2026.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 12, 2025

Jack in the Box posts worst sales quarter in years

The burger brand shed traffic and closed stores. Del Taco did too. Now, executives are banking on real estate sales and reimages at 1,000 stores to strengthen the company.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 7, 2025

Qdoba secures $527M fund to support growth

The investment was led by Apollo S3, a subsidiary of the private equity firm that sold Qdoba to Butterfly in 2022.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 6, 2025

Philz Coffee sold to private equity firm

Though terms of the deal were not disclosed by the company, San Francisco-based news outlets reported a sale price of $145 million for the popular chain. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Aug. 4, 2025

Casual dining real estate faces perfect storm and high vacancies

Property sales for some footprints collapsed as fast casual formats grew, leaving landlords with few buyers and costly renovations.

By Michael Brady • Aug. 4, 2025

Shipley Do-Nuts sold to Levine Leichtman

The chain’s new owners grew Tropical Smoothie Cafe into a brand valued at $2 billion. Now they want to repeat that success with the doughnut maker.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 28, 2025

KFC US hires chief growth officer

Tiffany Furman joins the chain from The Habit Burger & Grill, where she helped oversee the brand’s transformation after its acquisition by Yum.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 25, 2025

Brix Holdings acquired by Friendly’s franchisee

CEO Sherif Mityas will continue to lead Brix, which plans to expand its marquee family dining brand in Georgia, the Carolinas and Texas.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 22, 2025

Southern Del Taco franchisee goes bankrupt

Matadoor Restaurant Group, which owns 22 units in Georgia and Alabama, struggled with sales declines and rising operating costs.

By Julie Littman • July 17, 2025

Red Robin could refranchise 15% of stores

A new strategic initiative builds on the North Star program, but features an emphasis on refranchising that the company hopes will help it refinance debt.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 15, 2025

Smoothie King secures private equity investment

Fresh funds from Main Post Partners could give the chain a leg up in its battle against Tropical Smoothie Cafe for segment leadership. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • July 10, 2025

Why Jack in the Box’s poison pill was the right move

The chain wants to protect itself from a hostile takeover, and the limited-duration act is unlikely to impact shareholders, lawyer Keith Gottfried said.

By Julie Littman • July 9, 2025

Starbucks incentivizes cost-cutting goal with exec bonuses

The coffee giant will give top executives up to $6 million in stock grants if the brand meets cost-reduction goals by the end of fiscal 2027.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated July 8, 2025

Jack in the Box prescribes poison pill to sicken activist investor

The action is meant to keep Biglari Capital, which owns a 9.9% stake in the chain, from acquiring additional shares and to give Jack more time to turn around its business.

By Julie Littman • July 2, 2025

Coco Robotics raises $80M in funding to fuel expansion

The delivery bot firm will use the funding to enter into additional partnerships, grow its fleet and advance its AI system.

By Julie Littman • June 11, 2025

Hooters of America closes dozens more restaurants

The closures, which occurred a few months after the chain filed for bankruptcy, won’t impact the sale of 100 company restaurants to two existing franchisees. 

By Julie Littman • June 5, 2025

Dave’s Hot Chicken sells majority stake to Roark

The long-rumored deal will help the chain hit its ambitious unit growth targets as it looks to become the leading fast casual chicken brand.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • June 2, 2025