Menu Development

  • Four colorful drinks on a table.
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    Courtesy of Panera Bread
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    Panera Bread tests 4 premium drinks

    As QSRs eat into beverage occasions with refreshers, menu innovation could become an important defensive move for fast casual and coffee brands.

    By • Oct. 15, 2025
  • Sprouts employee restocking Heat & Meat meal offerings
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    Peyton Bigora/Restaurant Dive
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    Grocers continue to gain ground on restaurants, FMI survey finds

    Twenty-eight percent of shoppers said they buy deli-prepared foods from grocers as a replacement for going to a restaurant, up from 12% in 2017.

    By Sam Silverstein • Oct. 9, 2025
  • An image of several people eating hamburgers and french fries from a generic fast food restaurant. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Loyalty & Rewards Strategy

    Capturing — and keeping — loyal customers is more crucial than ever as diner price sensitivity puts pressure on restaurants.

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • An image of a red sign with white logo that says "Wendy's." Above the sign is an cartoon image of a girl with red hair and pigtails with blue bows.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s to invest at least $20M to boost AUV

    After same-store sales dropped two quarters in a row, the burger brand shifted money from development funds to in-store labor and equipment.

    By • Oct. 9, 2025
  • A close up image of a wrap with chicken.
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    Permission granted by Potbelly
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    Potbelly adds wraps to core menu

    The chain will offer two signature wraps and allow guests to make any sandwich into a wrap in its latest menu innovation.

    By • Oct. 8, 2025
  • A hand dips a chicken tender into a sauce
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    Courtesy of The Wendy's Company
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    Wendy’s chicken tenders are here

    The brand teased the addition of chicken tenders on its August earnings call, following the lead of McDonald’s and Taco Bell, which both added chicken strips this year.

    By • Sept. 30, 2025
  • A photo of people sitting at a bar watching a UFC fight on TVs behind the bar. A sign near the left side of the picture says "Rutter's. Made for you."
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    Permission granted by Rutter's
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    Rutter’s new c-store design is also a sports bar. Here’s a look inside.

    The 1747 store, named for the year Rutter's was founded, aims for a sports bar feel to encourage customers to see it as more than a pit stop.

    By Christine Blank • Updated Sept. 30, 2025
  • Plates of breakfast food.
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    Courtesy of IHOP
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    How 6 casual chains are boosting their value

    Brands like Olive Garden, The Cheesecake Factory and Applebee’s are using value promotions to boost visits and sales while QSRs struggle with traffic.

    By , • Sept. 26, 2025
  • A photo of various cocktails, sushi and entrees from P.F. Chang's
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    Courtesy of P.F. Chang's
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    P.F. Chang’s pushes value with new cocktail menu

    The full-service Asian chain will also offer half appetizers and smaller entrees in a value move similar to those made by Olive Garden, IHOP and Chili’s.

    By • Sept. 24, 2025
  • An image of a brick building with red Chick-fil-A signage
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Chick-fil-A to open beverage concept

    Daybright, operating under subsidiary Red Wagon Ventures, will open its first location in Greater Atlanta this fall and serve coffee, smoothies and juices.

    By • Sept. 23, 2025
  • A night image of people sitting at tables at a patio in a restaurant
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    Getty Images
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    How restaurants can prepare for the holiday rush

    Operators can take advantage of increased catering demand and large holiday party orders if they can craft festive meals and experiences despite high food costs and labor challenges.

    By Danielle McLean • Sept. 18, 2025
  • An iamge of a stoneworked building with a white logo that says Olive Garden. A woman wearing a white shirt and red bandana is at the door about to enter the restaurant.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Olive Garden’s affordability focus drives same-store sales boost

    During fiscal Q1, the chain saw a boost in sales and traffic from customers across all income levels.

    By • Sept. 18, 2025
  • Plates of breakfast food.
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    Courtesy of IHOP
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    IHOP offers $6 value menu daily

    The breakfast chain could be looking to replicate sister brand Applebee’s success in using expanded value offerings to drive traffic.

    By • Sept. 15, 2025
  • Happy cook preparing food while working in the kitchen in restaurant.
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    shutterstock.com/Drazen Zigic

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    Sponsored by Prime Shrimp

    The Modern Mise En Place: Why smart restaurants are embracing streamlined food solutions

    Smart restaurants are using curated, pre-prepped foods to boost consistency, profit, and quality.

    Sept. 15, 2025
  • An image of a digital menu board that says "Extra Value Meals are back" on the other panel there is a photo of an egg sandwich and a $5.
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    Value menu traffic rose 1% in Q2: Circana

    Foodservice traffic otherwise fell by 1% during the quarter, revealing how various deals and offers are helping bring customers back.

    By • Sept. 12, 2025
  • A collection of four different sandwiches on top of apper that has the Subway logo.
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    Permission granted by Subway
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    Subway resurrects Fresh Fit menu

    The latest iteration of the health-focused menu, which debuted in 2007, combines protein-rich options and vegetables to create low-calorie meals.

    By • Sept. 11, 2025
  • Three pumpkin themed coffee drinks from Starbucks. Two are iced, one is hot and has whipped cream.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte broke records. Is that enough?

    CEO Brian Niccol said the chain had its strongest sales Tuesday ever, and Placer.ai data showed the launch outpaced rivals’ fall LTO debuts.

    By • Sept. 8, 2025
  • An image of a digital menu board that says "Extra Value Meals are back" on the other panel there is a photo of an egg sandwich and a $5.
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    McDonald’s latest value deals target combo meals

    The Extra Value Meals will decrease the price of eight meals by 15% compared to ordering items a la carte.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
  • A bowl loaded with Chipotle's Carne Asada LTO.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle brings back Carne Asada to cure sliding sales

    The return of the highly anticipated protein could help the fast casual giant kick a sales slump that has so far proved resistant to LTOs.

    By • Sept. 2, 2025
  • An image of two chicken wraps from McDonald's
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    Courtesy of MCDonald's
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    Restaurant winners and losers from H1 2025

    Casual dining chains, led by Chili’s, had a surprisingly strong quarter, while fast casuals, like Chipotle and Sweetgreen, struggled with consumer pullback and operations problems.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • An image of various chicken sandwiches and wraps at McDonald's with a golden background
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    McDonald’s bulks up chicken menu with Special Edition Gold Sauce

    The North Carolina barbecue-flavored sauce will accompany two new McCrispy sandwiches as the QSR aims to boost its chicken market share.

    By • Aug. 27, 2025
  • Various food items and toast set on a red background
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    Permission granted by Smoothie King
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    Smoothie King debuts food menu

    The fast casual chain added toasts and protein bowls following a 100-store test in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

    By • Aug. 26, 2025
  • An image of three large platters in the forefront with various food items. I nthe bagkround there are three cups, chips and tortillas.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle adds family meals as online exclusive

    The “Build-Your-Own-Chipotle” offering serves a family of four to six and could help drive same-store sales, which were down in the first half of the year.

    By • Aug. 25, 2025
  • Two drinks, a coconut water matcha cold foam one on the left and the same base but with cold brew cold foam on the right.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks expands coconut water drinks test to 400 stores

    CEO Brian Niccol has said the chain’s menu innovation will focus on “the function-forward modern offerings that customers want.”

    By • Aug. 22, 2025
  • Five flat pizzas.
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut’s new menu category targets solo diners

    Crafted Flatzz, which include flatbread-style pies, marks Pizza Hut’s largest global launch of a menu item and will be available in over 20 countries.

    By • Aug. 20, 2025
  • An image of different bowls with foods and hands making tacos.
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    Permission granted by Del Taco/ezCater
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    Del Taco expands catering with ezCater

    The partnership is live in about 250 restaurants, and more units will be phased onto the platform through 2026.

    By • Aug. 19, 2025