Postmates introduces 'health care options,' access to college courses for gig workers

Back in July, Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann expressed support for "a comprehensive approach" to gig workers that removed classification confusion.

By Jennifer Carsen • Aug. 21, 2019

Cava's first test kitchen will accelerate menu innovation

The chain's data scientists will analyze diner reactions to products in real time and evaluate which products and technologies should be scaled. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 20, 2019

Minneapolis banned drive-thrus. Will more cities follow?

The ban comes two months after Long Beach, California, imposed a six-month moratorium on drive-thrus and as other cities push to reduce carbon emissions and improve pedestrian safety. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 19, 2019

Meet the multi-format store

Denver's Choice Market is a c-store, grocer and fast-casual restaurant that does nearly a third of its business online — and it has big growth plans.

By Jeff Wells • Aug. 19, 2019

Shift Change: Yum Brands taps COO David Gibbs as CEO

This week's Shift Change also highlights the departure of McDonald's manager of culinary innovation, a new CFO at Bonchon and a new chief legal officer at El Pollo Loco. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 16, 2019

FAA grants approval for drone food delivery pilot in North Carolina

Third-party platforms and restaurants are looking to the skies for the next phase of food delivery, but landing in crowded urban areas and navigating liability issues could prove challenging.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 16, 2019

Qdoba fined over $400K for child labor law violations

The Massachusetts state attorney's office cited more than 200 cases of minors working past the maximum number of hours in a single shift.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 16, 2019

Kitchen United hosts culinary 'boot camps' for potential hires

The ghost kitchen platform is offering trainings in knife skills, ingredient prep and career planning to attract talent in a challenging labor market.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 14, 2019

Wendy's dishes out 2M spicy nuggets after May Twitter challenge

The giveaway via DoorDash comes after the burger chain promised to bring back the menu item if fans racked up 2 million "likes."

By Robert Williams • Aug. 13, 2019

Yum Brands appoints new CEO

Following systemwide sales growth of 10% during Q2, COO David Gibbs will take the reigns from Greg Creed after his retirement. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 13, 2019

4 ways to achieve profitability without disrupting quality of service

The key to reaching big goals is setting bite-sized benchmarks and ensuring employees understand how their actions impact the entire business, says Compeat's SVP of Operations Dori Salisbury.

By Dori Salisbury • Aug. 12, 2019

Vinyl gloves used at major QSRs linked to health risks, study says

Gloves used at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's contain chemicals that can cause reproductive issues in adults and brain development delays in children, according to the report.

By Lauren Manning • Aug. 12, 2019

Shift Change: Red Robin appoints 3 board members, interim CEO to retire

This week's column also highlights executive changes at CKE Restaurants, Taco Bell, Waitr and California Pizza Kitchen.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 9, 2019

Delivery firms boast revenue gains, but profitability remains elusive

Customer growth was strong for Uber Eats, Grubhub and Waitr during the first half of the year, but all have struggled with restaurant and customer backlash regarding fees and company policies. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 9, 2019

Deliveroo's 'rescue team' will convert struggling restaurants to delivery-only

The initiative, which offers participating stores space in its virtual kitchens and help with menu development, branding and pricing, marks the platform's latest bid to stay competitive in the U.K. market. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 9, 2019

Why major restaurants want to land airport locations

From Shake Shack to Panera and Pret A Manger, fast casuals are targeting traveling consumers as a new area of growth.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 8, 2019

Popeyes sells out of chicken sandwiches

Supply was meant to last through September, but sold out in two weeks. The chain directed consumers to its app to receive notifications once it's available. 

By Alicia Kelso • Updated Aug. 27, 2019

Waitr teams with Olo to streamline POS systems

The partnership could strengthen restaurant loyalty by simplifying operations and providing solutions to order errors and delays, a growing trend in the competitive delivery space. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 7, 2019

What the dine-in sector can learn from the Just Eat merger

In-restaurant mobile ordering hasn't yet reached the ubiquity of delivery, says Wi5 Chief Strategy Officer Gavin Peters, but restaurants who don't anticipate this shift will lose out to digital-first brands.

By Gavin Peters • Aug. 6, 2019

Aramark buys college food delivery service Good Uncle

Growing competition from third-party aggregators is pushing college foodservice providers into offering delivery and pickup. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 6, 2019

How 4 chains changed their models to ride the delivery wave

From pickup windows to shelves, fast casual and QSR chains are modifying their operations to improve the flow of off-premise traffic.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 6, 2019

21% of diners willing to pay more at eatertainment than traditional night venue

While activities are a top consideration for where consumers choose to go out, quality food also is top of mind, according to a SevenRooms report. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 5, 2019

Taco Bell global brand chief departs, duties split between 2 SVPs

Marisa Thalberg plans to retain an advisory role at parent company Yum Brands, which recently appointed retail vet Mark King as Taco Bell's CEO. 

By Peter Adams • Aug. 5, 2019

Tabletop tech speeds up service and boosts profits, study says

Research into the impact of POS technology at a casual dining chain found that it bridged gaps in waiter performance without impacting staff numbers.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 5, 2019

Taco Bell blames supplier for the great tortilla shortage of 2019

After a nine-day lapse in supply at some locations that led one customer to call 911, Yum Brands' CEO said the company has spoken to its supplier and hopes to avoid similar situations in the future.

By Matt Leonard • Aug. 5, 2019