Operations

  • A photograph of a group of people standing behind a ribbon. A person in the middle holds big scissors that are about to cut the ribbon.
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    Courtesy of Chicken Salad Chick
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    Chicken Salad Chick targets Northeast for growth

    The fast casual chain has signed deals in New York, Pennsylvania and West Virginia where consumer demand remains strong.

    By • Oct. 2, 2026
  • An image of a gray building with Charleys signage
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    Retrieved from Charleys on October 02, 2026
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    Charleys Cheesesteaks & Wings updates menu, rewards program

    The 850-unit chain added seven items and launched a campaign to persuade consumers to choose hot sandwiches over cold grab-and-go.

    By • Oct. 2, 2026
  • An image of a red scooter with a DoorDash bag on it.
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    Permission granted by DoorDash
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    DoorDash overhauls operating system for restaurants to deepen consumer relationships

    The delivery giant is tying together customer data from a variety of ordering channels in a move it says can increase sales and frequency.

    By • Oct. 1, 2026
  • A photograph of a chicken sandwich, criss-cut fries and a soda.
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    Permission granted by Smashburger
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    Smashburger grills up 2 new chicken sandwiches

    The fast casual burger chain has seen sales and revenue growth in recent quarters after focusing on improved operations and hospitality.

    By • Oct. 1, 2026
  • A hand holds a wrap and dips it into a cup of sauce.
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    How Sweetgreen’s Gen Z focus is paying off

    The chain pushed its wraps on social media to capture young consumers’ attention. Now, one out of five transactions include a wrap and repeat visits remain strong.

    By • Sept. 30, 2026
  • Subway restaurant in Orlando, Florida
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Q&A

    Subway’s CMO on finding room to grow between competitors in QSR

    “The challenges are real, which is why we're taking such a big swing now,” Jeff Klein said of the chain’s new brand platform starring Will Arnett.

    By Chris Kelly • Sept. 30, 2026
  • An angled image of a restaurant with signage that says El Pollo Loco
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    Courtesy of El Pollo Loco
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    El Pollo Loco hires Shake Shack vet as COO

    Damon Thomas joins the chain as operations chief alongside Tara Hinkle, who is now the chain’s chief development officer, to support expansion into New York and beyond.

    By • Sept. 30, 2026
  • A daytime photograph of a small gray and orange building with "Salad and Go" signage.
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    The image by Salad and Go is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    7 Brew’s $123M bid for at least 60 Salad and Go units is approved

    The drive-thru locations will be converted to 7 Brews over time, allowing the chain to accelerate its growth toward 1,000 units.

    By • Updated Sept. 29, 2026
  • A photograph of an empty McDonald's restaurant within a warehouse
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    Inside McDonald’s ambitious plans to upgrade its menu, technology, and restaurants

    The fast food chain wants to be a first-choice restaurant, and will invest across its system to solidify that position over the next decade.

    By • Sept. 29, 2026
  • The exterior of a Dave & Buster's restaurant.
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    Brandon Bell / Staff via Getty Images
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    Dave & Buster’s shakes up agencies amid bid to rebuild brand relevance

    Gut and Mediaplus are joining the chain’s roster to develop more distinctive marketing and better connect national scale to local activities.

    By Peter Adams • Sept. 29, 2026
  • A photograph of a red and yellow sign with a giant yellow "M" above a red box that says "McDonald's Billions Served."
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s turns to AI for drive-thru, inventory management, order accuracy

    McDonald’s will roll out ArchIQ, an artificial intelligence platform to power restaurant operations, as part of its Next strategy.

    By • Sept. 25, 2026
  • A close up of a black sign with yellow words that say Yard House and great food classic rock and world's largest selection of draft beer.
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    OntheRunPhoto via Getty Images
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    Yard House becomes Darden’s third billion-dollar brand

    The full-service concept, which posted 10% growth in same-store sales during fiscal Q1 2027, plans to open 13 new stores during the ongoing fiscal year.

    By • Sept. 25, 2026
  • A close up photograph of a crispy chicken sandwich on a table within a McDonald's restaurant
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    McDonald’s is designing bigger burgers, chicken bowls and new beverages

    The fast food giant plans to increase its market share with chicken and beverages as it expands those platforms while doubling down on beef.

    By • Updated Sept. 24, 2026
  • A close up photograph of a partial Starbucks siren logo as seen from the top of an office building.
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    David Ryder via Getty Images
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    Starbucks shutters 250 underperforming stores

    The brand said the closures would impact locations that can’t deliver the coffeehouse experience or financial performance it expects.

    By • Sept. 24, 2026
  • A photograph of an empty McDonald's restaurant within a warehouse
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    Permission granted by McDonald's
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    McDonald’s to invest $8.5B as part of Next strategy

    The funding will be used to support restaurant modernization, tech deployments and operational improvements through 2036.

    By • Sept. 23, 2026
  • gomart, wienerschnitzel
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    Permission granted by Galardi Group
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    GoMart to bring first Wienerschnitzel QSRs to West Virginia

    The new partnership is expected to expand beyond the initial two locations over the next five years, with potential sites including conversions and new builds.

    By Brett Dworski • Sept. 23, 2026
  • A photograph of two boxes on a table with various breakfast food items in aluminum pans.
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    Permission granted by Denny's
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    How Denny’s is loading the bases for Project Grand Slam turnaround

    After closing units and going private, Denny’s is prepping for a new era with more catering, an overhauled menu, fresh tech and renovations.

    By • Sept. 23, 2026
  • A basket of fried chicken and some other food.
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    Courtesy of Yardbird
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    Yardbird files for bankruptcy

    The fried chicken and bar concept shuttered several locations in 2025 and 2026 as sales results diverged across its system.

    By • Updated Sept. 22, 2026
  • An image of a speaker box on a blue background. The words "Toast" and "Presto" hover over the box.
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    Permission granted by Presto Phoenix
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    Presto integrates with Toast to scale drive-thru voice AI

    The AI company is joining the POS firm’s partner ecosystem, making it easier for many restaurants to deploy the voice tool.

    By • Sept. 21, 2026
  • A spread of pasta entrees from Maggiano's Little Italy.
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    Courtesy of Maggiano's Little Italy
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    Maggiano’s turnaround yields ‘green shoots’

    The Italian brand only accounts for 3% of Brinker’s profits, but a focus on portion size and speed of service could grow sales, CEO Kevin Hochman said. 

    By • Sept. 21, 2026
  • A photograph of a selection of food items, including pepperoni pizza, chicken wings and burgers next to a green checkered back with wording that says Wonder The Cravings Expert.
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    Courtesy of Wonder
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    Wonder lays off 533 as part of production consolidation

    The food hall company is closing two New Jersey facilities and moving to a high-capacity location that will better support long-term growth.

    By • Sept. 17, 2026
  • A close-up photograph of an orange sign that says Tropical Smoothie Cafe that is next to a palm tree logo shaped as a T.
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    Courtesy of Tropical Smoothie Cafe
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    Tropical Smoothie Cafe unveils rebrand, new logo

    The chain’s updated look will also include a redesigned web and app that will offer more seamless browsing, customizations and access to loyalty rewards.

    By • Sept. 17, 2026
  • A table with a salad, cheeseburger quesadilla and a plate of rice
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    Permission granted by Applebee's
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    How a popular burger drove Applebee’s to double down on cheese

    The O-M-Cheese Burger hit on consumer preferences for cheese, affordability and a fun experience, leading to an expanded lineup. 

    By • Sept. 17, 2026
  • A close up photograph of a red out of business sign hanging on a store window.
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    Getty Images
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    Why multi-unit restaurant franchisee bankruptcies are surging in 2026

    High labor and food costs and slumping sales have caused franchisee bankruptcies to reach pre-pandemic levels, but various strategies could help mitigate the problem.

    By Danielle McLean • Sept. 16, 2026
  • People walk past a Chipotle storefront.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Chipotle to place apprentice managers in all company-owned locations

    These high-performing employees are working toward a general manager role and will be a key part of staffing newly opened restaurants. 

    By • Sept. 16, 2026