Finances and Deals

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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Opinion

    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
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    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 • Aug. 20, 2025
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    TennesseePhotographer via Getty Images
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    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 • Aug. 19, 2025
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    Courtesy of Chipotle/Hyphen
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    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 • Aug. 12, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    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 • Aug. 7, 2025
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    Courtesy of Qdoba
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    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 • Aug. 6, 2025
  • A Philz Coffee location in a white building with ivy on it.
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    Tomsmith585 via Getty Images
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    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 • Aug. 4, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    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
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    Permission granted by Shipley Do-Nuts
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    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 • July 28, 2025
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    Permission granted by Yum Brands
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    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 • July 25, 2025
  • A sign for a Friendly's restaurant against gray clouds
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    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 • July 22, 2025
  • The exterior of a Del Taco during the evening
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    Permission granted by Del Taco
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    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 • July 17, 2025
  • An exterior shot of a Red Robin restaurant, which is lit from inside, at night
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    The image by Cbraccialini is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    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 • July 15, 2025
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    Courtesy of Smoothie King
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    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 • July 10, 2025
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    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 • July 9, 2025
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    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 • Updated July 8, 2025
  • A photograph of a gray sign with a red box inside with white letters that says "Jack" under the box it says "in the box."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    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 • July 2, 2025
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    Courtesy of Coco Robotics
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    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 • June 11, 2025
  • A photogrpah of a beige building with an orange sign that says Hooters.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    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 • June 5, 2025
  • A Dave's Hot Chicken fast casual restaurant in Chicago viewed from above.
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    Courtesy of Dave's Hot Chicken
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    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 • June 2, 2025
  • An image of several food items on a table from Jack in the Box's Munchies Under $4
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    Courtesy of Jack in the Box
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    Jack in the Box promotes permanent CFO

    Dawn Hooper, who has served as interim finance head for months, takes the role as the company faces sales trouble and the pending sale of Del Taco.

    By • May 29, 2025
  • An image of three Krispy Kreme doughnuts and six in a box.
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    Permission granted by McDonald's/Krispy Kreme
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    Krispy Kreme sued by investors over McDonald’s rollout pause

    The lawsuit claims the chain failed to disclose profitability issues it was having with the QSR partnership, which subsequently led to a steep decline in stock prices after Q1 2025 earnings.

    By • May 20, 2025
  • An exterior shot of a beige restaurant on a rainy day.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    Vegan full-service chain Planta goes bankrupt

    Rising costs, falling consumer demand and structural changes in the restaurant industry left the brand with insufficient cash flow.

    By • May 14, 2025
  • An image of a restaurant with a logo that says "on the border mexican grill & cantina."
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    The image by Dwight Burdette is licensed under CC BY 3.0
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    Pappas Restaurants to buy On The Border out of bankruptcy

    Pappas Restaurants, which previously provided $10 million in debtor-in-posession financing through an affiliate, plans to improve On The Border’s menu operations and guest experience.

    By • May 8, 2025
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    Permission granted by Wonder
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    Wonder raises $600M, will nearly double unit count in 2025

    The food hall and delivery company, which bought Grubhub in 2024, has a reported valuation of $7 billion and plans to reach 90 locations this year.

    By • May 6, 2025