Operations

Delivery firms are offering more flexibility to retain partners. Will it work?

Major aggregators are rolling out white labels, subscription programs and new data tools to keep partner restaurants and delivery customers as more diners order from operators directly. 

By Julie Littman • Jan. 19, 2022

IRC warns sales are falling, debt is rising for independent restaurants

Forty-two percent of restaurants that didn't receive Restaurant Revitalization Fund grants risk filing for or have filed for bankruptcy, a survey by the Independent Restaurant Coalition finds.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 18, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Off-premise initiatives

The pandemic has proven that off-premise operations, from takeout to drive-thru, is a vital part of the restaurant industry to keep revenue up and consumers returning.

By Restaurant Dive staff

Can restaurant marketers get digital right while facing panoply of pressures?

Amid labor, supply chain and inflationary issues, 2022 will be a year of increased pressure to deliver on fronts that span media, ordering and loyalty.

By Chris Kelly • Jan. 18, 2022

Instacart launches Ready Meals Hub

Like Instacart's convenience delivery offering, Ready Meals adds another service that addresses cross-channel challengers — in this case, restaurants.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Jan. 14, 2022

Reef signs expansion deal with Denny's amid closure of 95 units

Reef considers these units, which temporarily shuttered on Jan. 7, to be "underperforming," Business Insider reports. The company said these units are being revamped to service partner brands. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Updated Jan. 13, 2022

C3 snags Uber Eats' former ghost kitchen chief

Pasha Mehran joins as chief strategy officer, overseeing collaborations with celebrity chef-driven restaurants and ghost kitchen partners, as well as expansion into suburban markets. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 12, 2022

Sustained delivery profitability may hinge on business beyond restaurants

While eateries remain their core businesses, third-party aggregators are adding new verticals, like retail and grocery, and services to diversify.

By Julie Littman • Jan. 12, 2022

Dickey's opens its fourth virtual brand, Trailer Birds Hot Chicken

The chain entered the virtual space with Wing Boss in April 2021 and followed up with the launch of Big Deal Burger and Barbecue at Home.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 11, 2022

Checkers & Rally's to deploy AI tech at corporate-owned drive-thrus

The chain's rollout of Presto's artificial intelligence-based voice assistant will mark one of the widest deployments of such a solution by a QSR.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 10, 2022

4 ways to maximize restaurant staff with limited resources

Tips and best practices for hiring new employees to cross-training and retaining valuable staff.

Jan. 10, 2022

Why convenience retailers are gearing up to win in foodservice

As vehicles go electric, stores will increasingly turn away from fuel pumps and toward innovative meals and snacks, writes retail analyst Frank Beard.

By Frank Beard • Jan. 7, 2022

Chipotle, KFC and Donatos ring in 2022 with plant-based launches

Two out of the three products are only limited-time offerings, but come as the plant-based meat market is expected to grow more than 20% per year through 2028. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 6, 2022

Waitr partners with Virtual Dining Concepts

The third-party delivery firm could soon offer brands like MrBeast Burger, Mariah's Cookies and Barstool Bites on its app, and will allow restaurant partners to add VDC's virtual brands to their operations. 

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 5, 2022

Survey: Employers turn to bonuses for critical, hard-to-fill roles

"Only 2% of organizations offer a higher referral bonus for candidates from under-represented groups," according to WorldatWork, but more are considering the practice.

By Carla Bell • Dec. 21, 2021

Report: Most restaurant customers don't want to wait more than 5 minutes for their order

Nearly 50% of diners believe delivery and takeout orders have resulted in longer waits for in-person ordering, Oracle research finds. 

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 17, 2021

Chipotle to open first digital-only Chipotlane restaurant

The format, which will open in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, later this month, will not have a dining room or front line access as customers pick up food through a Chipotlane or walk-up window.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 16, 2021

Focus Brands accelerates non-traditional growth

The holding company has signed several deals to open new units in ghost kitchens, airports, convenience stores, amusement parks, colleges and other high-trafficked venues. 

By Julie Littman • Dec. 14, 2021

The Giant Company expands store-within-a-store restaurants

The Ahold Delhaize banner recently brought Frutta Bowls and Saladworks to several of its stores in partnership with Woworks.

By Catherine Douglas Moran • Dec. 14, 2021

Impossible Foods cooks up ghost kitchen with Dog Haus

The concept, called The Impossible Food Shop, features six plant-based menu items that will be available for pickup and delivery.

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 13, 2021

Are you ready for 2022? 5 New Year's resolutions for restaurant operators

Keep up with the latest restaurant operations tips to reach new customers

Dec. 13, 2021

IRC: 86% of restaurants may close without an RRF refill

A new survey from the Independent Restaurant Coalition reports a 4% jump since September in the number of operators who think they won't be able to keep their kitchens open.

By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 10, 2021

California Pizza Kitchen debuts domestic franchising program

Just over a year after the full-service pizza chain emerged from bankruptcy, it has shifted its focus to U.S. growth alongside increased global development.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 9, 2021

DoorDash plans to offer rapid delivery for retailers

To enable its entrance into the 15-minute delivery fray in New York City, the company has created DashCorps to employ full-time couriers. 

By Jeff Wells • Dec. 6, 2021

Reef's ghost kitchen expansion mired in permit, health inspection infractions

In the Sunshine State alone, more than one-third of active Reef mobile kitchen licenses had high-level health and safety infractions, Restaurant Dive found.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 2, 2021

Burger King to simplify menu to boost drive-thru times

The chain is planning to remove complicated sandwich builds and improve menu design to help customers make quicker decisions at the drive-thru.

By Julie Littman • Dec. 2, 2021