Operations
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John Hazard
Shaquille O'Neal ads drive engagement for Papa John's
The NBA star's endorsement is helping the pizza chain rebuild its image and lift delivery orders following founder John Schnatter's ouster.
By Dianna Christie • April 07, 2020 -
Independent Restaurant Coalition asks Congress to extend Paycheck Protection Program
The group says the initiative's eight-week time frame isn't long enough and wants it to be lengthened to three months to help businesses stay open when they reopen.
By Julie Littman • April 07, 2020 -
The image by Jason Taellious/Flickr is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0
States push legislation to protect restaurants with business interruption insurance
Legislators in New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts and Ohio drafted bills that would force insurers to cover establishments that have shut down due to COVID-19.
By Emma Liem Beckett • April 07, 2020 -
Courtesy of H-E-B
H-E-B adds restaurant meals to prepared foods sections
The grocer has teamed up with local restaurateurs in San Antonio and Houston to support their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
By Jessica Dumont • April 06, 2020 -
Nami Sumida/Restaurant Dive
Tracking coronavirus restaurant aid by state
From grants to loans, states across the country have deployed emergency funds that can help restaurants as they make dramatic shifts to their operations to try to keep workers employed and kitchens open.
By Thai Phi Le , Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman • April 06, 2020 -
Shake Shack moves into meal kits as sales sharply decline
The burger chain partnered with Goldbelly, a gourmet food delivery service, to launch a cook-at-home burger kit nationwide. They cost $49 for an eight-pack.
By Alicia Kelso • April 06, 2020 -
Restaurants sales could drop 27.1% in worst-case coronavirus scenario, says Technomic
While demand for restaurant meals is still healthy, and the industry can expect a spike when things return to normal, the largest impact will come if there is a second wave of outbreaks in the fall.
By Julie Littman • April 03, 2020 -
Dine Brands investor wants to spin off IHOP
Dine Brands' board of directors says that forcing the company into creating a separately traded entity would not be in the best interests of its shareholders.
By Julie Littman • April 03, 2020 -
Industry Dive
Chipotle will give workers nearly $6.5M in discretionary bonuses
The chain also previously raised hourly pay 10% for restaurant employees working between March 16 and April 12.
By Emma Liem Beckett • April 03, 2020 -
Luckin Coffee admits fraud, begins internal investigation
The brand terminated its COO Liu Jian and other employees for fabricating sales between Q2 2019 and Q4 2019.
By Lauren Stine • April 03, 2020 -
Cheesecake Factory CFO seeks immediate relief; Chipotle CFO says chain can 'last a year'
As the coronavirus pandemic rocks the restaurant industry, chains with established attention to takeout and delivery pull far ahead of traditional sit-down joints.
By Jane Thier • April 02, 2020 -
Restaurant delivery platforms turn to grocery
Uber Eats has teamed up with Carrefour in France for 30-minute grocery delivery, while DoorDash has added convenience stores like 7-Eleven and Wawa.
By Jessica Dumont • April 02, 2020 -
Red Robin ends year-long battle with activist investor
The deal with Vintage Capital includes the appointment of an independent director and allows the investor to acquire up to 20% of the company's stock.
By Julie Littman • April 02, 2020 -
Logan's Roadhouse parent lays off staff, changes exec leadership
After closing its restaurants, CraftWorks has terminated 18,000 employees as it attempts to navigate a previously filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
By Lauren Stine • April 02, 2020 -
Keck, Dan. (2020). "Dairy Queen" [Photograh]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Franchisees struggle alongside independents to 'keep the lights on' amid COVID-19
Up to 30,000 franchise businesses will lose all liquidity in the next month as paid sick leave and inflexible business interruption insurance clauses put extra pressure on operations.
By Emma Liem Beckett • April 01, 2020 -
Burger King parent will give operators $70M in cash advancements
Restaurant Brands International is also pausing remodel obligations and deferring rent payments at properties it controls to free up cash for franchisees during the novel coronavirus pandemic.
By Alicia Kelso • March 31, 2020 -
Domino's US same-store sales growth drops by half in Q1
Despite some gains, it's less than half of the pizza chain's numbers from Q1 2019, showing the financial drag caused by the novel coronavirus pandemic.
By Julie Littman • March 31, 2020 -
Restaurants, grocery stores can list shopping times on OpenTable
The new tool promises to help retailers manage crowds without requiring customers to wait in line outside stores.
By Krishna Thakker • March 31, 2020 -
Mcphee, Alyson. (2018). [Photograph]. Retrieved from Unsplash.
A Boston restaurateur is using Instagram tutorials to stay afloat
The owner of Juliet + Company restaurant group has developed online video cocktail and cooking tutorials, as well as a publication, to drive revenue and keep his 50 staff members employed.
By Emma Liem Beckett • March 30, 2020 -
Yelp pauses automatic rollout of GoFundMe pages amid restaurant backlash
Restaurant owners took to Twitter to voice their frustration with the practice, which they claim is invasive and could undermine independent fundraising efforts.
By Emma Liem Beckett • March 30, 2020 -
COVID-19 puts BYO coffee cups on hold, but sanitized reusable systems could fill the void
Major brands like Starbucks and Dunkin' have banned the use of personal to-go containers in recent weeks over coronavirus fears, raising new questions in a wider debate around packaging safety.
By Karine Vann • March 27, 2020 -
Coronavirus derailing Wendy's strong Q1 sales growth
Sales grew 15% during the first week of the chain's breakfast launch and same-store sales were up 4% in the first two months of the year, only to slide 20% during the week ending March 22.
By Julie Littman • March 27, 2020 -
Courtesy of Inspire Brands
Jimmy John's delivers fresh bread to drive social buzz
App customers can post pictures of their homemade bread creations to social media and include the hashtags #FreakyFreshBread and #MadeWithJJBread.
By Robert Williams • March 27, 2020 -
3% of restaurants have already closed permanently, NRA survey finds
Another 11% of the 4,000 operators the National Restaurant Association surveyed predict that they will permanently close within 30 days.
By Emma Liem Beckett • March 27, 2020 -
The Cheesecake Factory furloughed 41,000 employees
In addition to the furloughs and informing its landlords that it won't be able to pay April rent, top executives have elected to reduce base salaries by 20%.
By Alicia Kelso • UPDATED: March 27, 2020 at 9:28 a.m.
