How Chick-fil-A is perfecting its recipe for service and support

Technology is as crucial as those two pickles on every chicken sandwich. 

By Samantha Schwartz • Oct. 23, 2018

Lessons from Taylor Gourmet: How to go national without going under

The hoagie chain's sudden closure in September is the latest example of how expensive real estate, stiff competition and a too-fast expansion rate can take down a restaurant. 

By Jacqueline Renfrow • Oct. 22, 2018

Noon Mediterranean finds a buyer in Daphne's parent company

Elite Restaurant Group will convert the remaining 12 Noon stores to Daphne's, a Greek fast casual chain it acquired in April, creating a 36-restaurant network to compete in the crowded Mediterranean space.

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 22, 2018

Amazon teams with SevenRooms to build restaurant-specific Alexa skills

The seating and guest management upstart hopes to use the voice-powered technology to streamline operations and gather diner data to help personalize experiences. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 22, 2018

Time Out to open 5 food halls

The British media company enters a crowded scene in the U.S. after trialing the concept in Portugal for four years. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 19, 2018

Jimmy John's to test mobile, tap-and-go payments

The sandwich chain is piloting the technology in Champaign, Illinois, which will integrate its POS system with online transactions to offer quick in-store service and delivery. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 18, 2018

Majority of diners will pay more for sustainable packaging

Forty-five percent of Americans consider sustainability when choosing a fast food outlet, but only 31% said those businesses clearly label items with proper disposal instructions, according to a study.

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 16, 2018

Robot restaurants are happening, but is it a gimmick?

Fast casual of the future won't eliminate the assembly line entirely: it might just be run by robots. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 16, 2018

Pilotworks shuts down overnight

With no warning or explanation, the much-celebrated commercial kitchen and distributer closed its doors, leaving 175 restaurant startups in the lurch. 

By Jessi Devenyns • Oct. 16, 2018

Pizza Hut taps new international chief

The Yum Brands company will promote Vipul Chawla, currently managing director of the pizza chain's Asia-Pacific region, to the role as it lags behind Domino's and looks for growth in Latin America. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 15, 2018

McDonald's franchisees may form a private association

Frustrated by stagnant sales and tight cash flows, operators met on Wednesday in Tampa, Florida, to discuss forming an independent organization — which could mean a rocky road ahead for the chain. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 11, 2018

Starbucks beefs up its benefits with subsidized child and senior care

The coffee chain has partnered with Care@Work to offer workers 10 days of backup childcare at $1 per hour for at-home care, as well as access to long-term care planning for aging family members. 

By Kristine Sherred • Oct. 10, 2018

Kitchen United scores $10M in funding as demand for off-premises dining grows

Google Ventures led the funding round for the commercial kitchen facility, which lets restaurants test their brands in new markets and launch delivery-only models without investing in real estate.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 9, 2018

MOD Pizza taps Johnny Rockets, Panera vet as COO

John Maguire joins the fast-growing chain as it focuses heavily on expansion and growth, with plans to open about 100 restaurants in 2018.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 8, 2018

Chipotle's head of food safety to step down next year

Word of James Marsden's retirement comes just a few months after the chain's largest foodborne illness outbreak to date.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 5, 2018

Culture, career advancement are top draws for Gen Z workers, survey finds

As the industry struggles with a volatile labor market, results from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation suggest that businesses looking to lure this demographic should create flexible, ethical, diverse and positive workplaces.

By Morgan Fecto • Oct. 4, 2018

TGI Fridays snags Ruby Tuesday CEO

Ray Blanchette takes the helm of the fast-casual chain in the midst of its brand overhaul, which includes ramping up its bar offerings and experimenting with alcohol delivery.

By Jacqueline Renfrow • Oct. 3, 2018

Could Sweetgreen's new pickup station model disrupt delivery?

The salad chain's new Outpost service, which offers no-fee delivery service to participating corporate offices, eliminates customer need for third-party services like DoorDash during lunchtime. 

By Morgan Fecto • Oct. 2, 2018

Shake Shack's 'Innovation Kitchen' allows for real-time product testing

The kitchen, located beneath the company’s corporate headquarters in New York City, enables chefs to spontaneously create dishes for customers upstairs. If the experiments are popular, they could be rolled out across the chain. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 1, 2018

KFC taps Yum Brands vet as CEO

Current president and COO Tony Lowings will replace Roger Eaton, who oversaw the fast food chain's successful rebrand and pivot away from antibiotic-raised chicken, in January. 

By Morgan Fecto • Oct. 1, 2018

Starbucks to conduct corporate layoffs, executive restructuring

It's perhaps the first overhaul of Starbucks' corporate leadership since CEO Kevin Johnson took over for former longtime CEO Howard Schultz in 2017.

By Ryan Golden • Sept. 28, 2018

Restaurant managers ignored race harassment, EEOC suit says

Harassment generally becomes actionable when an employer fails to act; that's why manager training is so crucial.

By Lisa Burden • Sept. 24, 2018