Chipotle, Panera, Starbucks have fastest in-store pickup times, survey finds

Dedicated pickup systems and an emphasis on mobile ordering capability helped the three QSRs outpace the seven other fast food chains analyzed by Rakuten Ready.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 5, 2019

Restaurants need flexible scheduling to secure holiday workers, study says

Restaurants will have to rely better hours to win out over retailers in the labor battle during the holidays, according to a Bluecrew study. 

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 4, 2019

Fast food chains are losing $178M at the drive-thru annually

Complicated menu boards that impact the back-of-house can cause slower service times and inaccurate orders.

By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 4, 2019

P.F. Chang's targets Miami party crowd with late-night concept

Chang's After Dark will include live entertainment and craft cocktails, and reflects a growing trend among casual restaurants to provide more in-store experiences to differentiate.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 1, 2019

IHOP to open 94 units in its largest franchise deal ever

The casual brand partnered with TravelCenters of America to open restaurants at TA and Petro Shopping Centers, a strategy that is in line with IHOP's push to open in more alternative locations. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 30, 2019

How TGI Fridays uses machine learning to scale personalization

"We're not Google," said the chain's Chief Experience Officer Sherif Mityas, but leveraging the tech has been key to tripling the restaurant's off-premise revenue.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 29, 2019

Taco Bell franchisee pays $225K for allegedly requesting too much info from green card holders

It's important to remember that employers cannot impose different or more stringent employment requirements on the basis of citizenship status or national origin.

By Jennifer Carsen • Oct. 28, 2019

Popeyes chicken sandwich spurs best quarter in 20 years

Despite selling out after 14 days, the popular menu item helped increase store traffic 218% in July and attract new guests during the third quarter. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 28, 2019

Popeyes stores are already selling out of its chicken sandwich, reports say

Just three days after its relaunch, customers claim the chain has run out of its star menu item at stores across the country, according to Forbes and Bloomberg.

By Peter Adams , Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Nov. 5, 2019

Impossible Whopper drives 5% of Burger King's Q3 US comp sales

The sandwich helped drive the chain's strongest U.S. growth rate since 2015, and could kick-start the creation of a plant-based platform both domestically and abroad for the restaurant. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 28, 2019

Shift Change: Rave Restaurant Group appoints new CEO, Your Pizza hires first CMO

This week's Shift Change also highlights executives at Restaurant Brands International, Global Franchise Group, Paris Baguette and Muscle Maker Grill.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 25, 2019

Q4 delivery roundup: Chains end exclusive deals to pursue more diners, market share

Jack in the Box and BBQ Holdings saw delivery sales gains while Chuy's, Papa John's and others expand relationships with more third-party aggregators. 

By Julie Littman , Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Nov. 21, 2019

Lunch Break: White Castle's COO shares how its tech, culture help labor retention

Wearables with real-time data updates and 40-hour weeks for GMs are helping the burger chain grow talent, Jeff Carper said, but as the labor shortage grows, it is eyeing cafeteria-style payment and additional benefits.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 23, 2019

Chipotle to build 60 Chipotlanes by year's end

The company expects digital to become a $1 billion business, and mobile pickup lanes will be a growing part of the chain's strategy as it evaluates real estate needs. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2019

McDonald's improves drive-thru times by 20 seconds

Faster food prep, menu simplification and tech implementation helped the largest fast food chain boost speed of service and improve customer satisfaction. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 22, 2019

Burger King India sales grew 66%, report says

The chain, which has found a niche with pricing and its vegetarian menu, plans to open 500 units by fiscal year 2023, which will better position it against McDonald's.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 22, 2019

Predictive scheduling laws — meant to protect workers — appear to be working

Restaurants should take compliance seriously, as treating employees unfairly could turn off diners that are increasingly concerned about workplace culture, according to the Harvard Business Review. 

By Riia O'Donnell , Kate Tornone , Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 21, 2019

Passport to success: How restaurants can make international expansion work

From Popeyes to Wendy's, U.S. QSRs are crowding foreign markets in places like China and the Middle East. Check out our interactive maps to see how many stores they've planted overseas and learn about the strategies needed to expand abroad.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 21, 2019

Outback trials AI to analyze diner interactions with staff

Franchisee Evergreen Restaurant Group will use the tech from Presto to track and share updates on wait times and other metrics in real-time with managers.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 17, 2019

Chick-fil-A diners can now order from their table

Customers can skip the line by placing a dine-in mobile order through the chain's app and tapping their smartphones to tech-enabled table numbers, which tell employees where to deliver the food.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 17, 2019

Taco Bell recalls 2.3M pounds of beef on heels of tortilla shortage

The chain pulled the product from 21 states this week over possible metal shaving contamination, which could hurt its brand perception. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 16, 2019

It's not just for drive-thrus: How AI can transform back of house

With heavy hitters like McDonald's and Yum Brands pushing forward with this cutting-edge technology, all restaurants should consider the impact it will have on behind-the-scenes operations.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 16, 2019

Uber will lay off about 350 employees across Eats, rest of system

This downsizing marks the firm's third round of layoffs since August, adding up to over 1,000 job cuts, but CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said it's "the last wave."

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 15, 2019

Pickup app Ritual enters Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands

The third-party digital platform is in seven countries and aims to partner with 15,000 restaurants by the end of the year. 

By Lauren Manning • Oct. 15, 2019

Digitization primes restaurants for growth — and ADA lawsuits

Domino's recent fight over website accessibility highlights a growing risk companies face as they work to bulk up online orders.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 14, 2019