Operations: Page 14

  • A photograph of a sign with black letters that says "Waffle House." Each letter is in a box with a yellow background.
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    Joe Raedle via Getty Images
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    Waffle House adds 50-cent surcharge due to egg shortage

    Egg prices are expected to rise 20% this year due to the impact of bird flu, and operators and chains are finding ways to make up the cost.

    By • Feb. 4, 2025
  • A dawn image of a McDonald's drive-thru. At the foreground is an exit sign and there is a car in the background waiting in line.
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    Mario Tama via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s sales are still sluggish 3 months after E. coli outbreak

    While value offerings are helping improve sales, some franchisees have yet to fully recover their visits and sales comps as of January, a BTIG report finds.

    By • Feb. 4, 2025
  • Homeroom Restaurant in Oakland, California Explore the Trendline➔
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    Permission granted by Homeroom
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    Trendline

    Independent restaurants

    Dining room refreshes, menu innovation and other unique offerings can help independents stand out from competitors, win new customers and keep existing ones coming back. 

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • Just Salad location in NYC
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad hires marketing, CX and development chiefs

    The appointments come shortly after the chain opened its first drive-thru restaurant as part of a growth push.

    By • Feb. 4, 2025
  • An evening image of Marco's Pizza
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    Permission granted by Marco's Pizza
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    How 3 rising pizza chains are plotting 2025 expansion

    Marco’s Pizza, Mr Gatti’s and Donato’s are poised for growth this year as segment leaders face sluggish performance.

    By • Feb. 3, 2025
  • An image of a brick building with Applebee's signage
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Dine Brands cuts 9% of corporate workforce

    The layoffs impacted different brand teams, offices and departments, and follow comparable sales declines for the Applebee's and IHOP owner in Q3.

    By • Feb. 3, 2025
  • donald trump signs an executive order at his desk
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    Anna Moneymaker via Getty Images
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    Trump issues tariffs on Canada, Mexico and China

    The president ordered an additional 10% duty on goods from China and 25% tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico. The immediate impact on restaurant operators is unclear. 

    By Philip Neuffer • Updated Feb. 1, 2025
  • An aerial view of a building with white "Chili'"s sign alongside a red pepper.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Chili’s prioritizes 200 stores for redesign

    Following a record-breaking quarter, the brand will soon focus on updating its system, as many stores haven’t been redesigned in decades.

    By • Jan. 30, 2025
  • Coffee drips into a white ceramic mug emblazoned with the Starbucks logo
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Brian Niccol wants to double Starbucks’ US footprint

    A host of changes to stores and operations could help Starbucks escape its sales trouble, and executives are already planning the company’s next move.

    By • Jan. 30, 2025
  • A nighttime photo of Chili's building with green and red neon signage
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    Courtesy of Brinker International
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    How Chili’s boosted comparable sales by 31%

    Value-oriented ads and marketing for its Triple Dipper menu boosted the chain’s traffic by nearly 20%, driving a record-breaking quarterly performance.

    By • Jan. 30, 2025
  • An image of a Twin Peaks restaurant in the daytime.
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    Permission granted by Twin Peaks
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    What’s driving Twin Peaks’ growth and $5M AUVs

    The sports bar chain, which is now publicly traded, leans on its menu diversity, service model and alcohol mix to target $1 billion in sales. 

    By • Jan. 30, 2025
  • Fried foods in front of a Miso Robotics fry station.
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    Courtesy of Miso Robotics
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    Miso Robotics develops smaller, faster Flippy

    Its newest robotic fry station, which White Castle is testing, is more expensive than, but half the size of, previous iterations.

    By • Jan. 29, 2025
  • An image of a tasting room and pick up area at Cooper's Hawk
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    Retrieved from Cooper's Hawk Winery & Restaurant on January 28, 2025
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    Cooper’s Hawk appoints 3 C-suite execs, preps for fast growth

    The chain hired a new CFO, chief customer officer and chief technology officer to help it expand and improve brand positioning and guest experience.

    By • Jan. 29, 2025
  • An evening photo of Uncle Julio's restaurant with dim lighting
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    Courtesy of Uncle Julio's
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    Sun Holdings acquires Uncle Julio’s

    The multi-brand franchisee is building up its Mexican cuisine portfolio and already owns Taco Bueno and Freebirds World Burritos.

    By • Jan. 28, 2025
  • A Whatburger storefront. A sign outside reads, "Whataburger".
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    Courtesy of https://stories.whataburger.com/press-kit
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    Love’s will open its first Whataburger in 2025

    The Texas burger chain will bring its patties and fries to a Love’s travel center in San Antonio in late summer or early fall.

    By Brett Dworski • Jan. 27, 2025
  • An image of Krispy Krunchy Chicken display at NACS
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    Permission granted by Krispy Krunchy Chicken
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    Krispy Krunchy Chicken outlines 2025 growth plans

    The fried chicken brand opened just over 600 locations in 2024 and expects to beat that number this year while also improving e-commerce efficiency.

    By Jeff Wells • Jan. 27, 2025
  • Chipotle opens its first Chipotlane Digital Kitchen in Ohio in December 2021.
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    2025 could be fast casual’s year, again

    Long-term trends in consumer preference have put fast casual chains in a position to leverage price sensitivity, digital touchpoints and an appetite for human connection.

    By • Jan. 27, 2025
  • View of a table top with a spread of food
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    Shutterstock/ rawpixel.com

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    Sponsored by Society Insurance

    2025 trends: What hospitality businesses should be preparing for

    From nuclear verdicts to gas appliances, here are hospitality trends shaping 2025 from Society Insurance.

    Jan. 27, 2025
  • An image of Tijuana Flats
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    Permission granted by Tijuana Flats
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    Tijuana Flats exits bankruptcy with menu innovation plans

    After Chapter 11 helped the chain reduce its debt and improve efficiency, it will add street tacos and refresh its stores to compete with fast casual rivals.

    By • Jan. 24, 2025
  • An image of the inside of a Yogurtland with frozen yogurt stands in the back and white and purple chairs toward the front
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    Permission granted by Yogurtland
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    How Yogurtland’s shift to digital powered 3 years of growth

    After adding online ordering and remaking its loyalty program and app, the chain has had double-digit same-store sales growth and strong new unit expansion.

    By • Jan. 23, 2025
  • Exterior of a grocery store.
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    Courtesy of Hy-Vee and VusionGroup
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    Hy-Vee will transition all in-store Wahlburgers to Market Grille

    This transition includes introducing new menus as well as shuttering its partnership with Wahlburgers.

    By Peyton Bigora • Jan. 22, 2025
  • An image of two men standing at a counter ordering food.
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    Getty Images
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    Restaurant spending to increase slightly in 2025: Fitch

    Investment in tech like artificial intelligence will also define the year, supporting restaurant operations as inflation and labor market challenges persist.

    By • Jan. 21, 2025
  • An image of serveral food items from Taco Bell's Craving's Value Menu
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    Why quality may trump price in 2025’s restaurant value battle

    The mixed success of recently launched value menus highlights the importance of focusing on more than just affordability, experts said.

    By • Jan. 17, 2025
  • The entrance to a P.F. Chang's restaurant is pictured on Aug. 4, 2014 in Schaumburg, Illinois.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    P.F. Chang’s drops lawsuit claiming UKG lost, destroyed employee data

    The restaurant chain sued in 2022 claiming that the HR vendor had provided “false hope” that it could recover some of the chain’s deleted information.

    By Ryan Golden • Jan. 17, 2025
  • An image of a Twin Peaks restaurant with wooden exteriors.
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    Permission granted by Twin Peaks
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    Twin Hospitality Group expects to go public on Jan. 30

    Fat Brands’ spinoff of its highest-performing brands will help it deleverage its balance sheet, which includes $1.2 billion in debt.

    By • Updated Jan. 17, 2025
  • An image of the Shake Shack logo on a window.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Q&A

    Shake Shack’s CFO talks 1,500-unit goal, drive-thru and restaurant optimization

    Katie Fogerty is confident that the burger chain, once only in New York City, can reach its next big target through labor model updates, drive-thru optimization and profitability improvements.

    By • Jan. 17, 2025