The Latest
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Restaurant trend outlook for 2024
Slow traffic, growing interest in afternoon snacking and trends toward value menus, digital and in-store personalization will shape the restaurant landscape.
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Understanding the true cost of ingredients
With wholesale food prices up nearly 30% from pre-pandemic levels, many restaurants are struggling to maintain even the slimmest of profit margins. How can restaurateurs understand and control ever-changing ingredient costs?
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Wendy’s credits loyalty program, mobile app investments for customer growth
“The experience we deliver to our customers is the most impactful driver of our business,” CEO Kirk Tanner said.
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Dine’s sales sour on virtual brand closures, slow traffic
IHOP and Applebee’s promotions and LTOs weren’t enough to offset a dip in consumer spending during Q1.
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Instacart adds restaurant delivery with Uber Eats
Over the next few weeks, Instacart will add a restaurant tab powered by Uber Eats to its app, giving Uber access to potentially millions of new customers.
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Presto tests voice AI tech that doesn’t require human intervention
The company is “in the process of conducting a live test” of an autonomous version of its voice AI product, months after revealing humans intervene 70% of the time it’s used.
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NLRB appeals joint employer ruling to 5th Circuit
A federal judge vacated the Board’s joint employer final rule in March, holding that it was “contrary to law” and “arbitrary and capricious.”
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Starbucks’ late-night delivery pilot ‘doubled our business,’ CEO says
A third-party partner prepared Starbucks orders for delivery offsite between the hours of 5 p.m. and 5 a.m., and the coffee giant aims to make a $2 billion business out of this model over the next five years.
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Bloomin’ Brands CEO David Deno to retire
The restaurant industry executive has been CEO at the Outback parent for five years. The board has begun a search for his successor.
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Sweetgreen targets dinner customers with steak
The salad chain is following up the successful rollout of protein plates last year with steak, which accounted for nearly one-fifth of dinner orders in a pilot.
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Starbucks needs to focus on experience, not transactions, former CEO says
Howard Schultz called on the chain's executives to “spend more time with those who wear the green apron” and to better understand customer needs.
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El Pollo Loco’s new CEO unveils 5-part operations overhaul
From digital investments to incentivizing franchisees to bolster growth, Liz Williams laid out a path she expects will drive sales while decreasing costs.
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Pizza Hut taps Wendy’s exec as US president
Carl Loredo, Wendy’s former global chief marketing officer, joins the pizza chain after U.S. sales slid 6% year over year last quarter.
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Denny’s virtual brands engage Gen Z, fuel off-premise growth
By leveraging slow dayparts like dinner and late night, the casual chain’s three delivery-only brands are increasing sales and capturing younger demographics.
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Biden vetoes bill against joint employer rule
The president scotched Congressional efforts to block a broadened definition of joint employment, though court decisions may yet kill the rule.
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Papa Johns names new chief supply chain officer
Kurt Milburn takes up the role as the pizza chain looks to cut supply chain costs and boost productivity.
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The restaurant labor market in 6 key statistics
Slowing turnover, steady unemployment and flat real wage growth point to growing restaurant employer power over workers compared to 2022 and 2021.
Updated May 3, 2024 -
McDonald’s credits speed, personalization for high satisfaction
The fast food chain is attracting consumers with customized messaging and cementing their loyalty with swift and consistent service.
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Shake Shack’s kiosks are now its largest ordering channel
The chain added upselling options to its kiosks and made the channel’s customization experience more similar to online ordering.
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Wingstop accelerates growth trajectory amid record-breaking Q1
The company, which now expects to open up to 25 more net new units than initially planned, reported 21.6% same-store sales growth.
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Starbucks’ mobile ordering is so popular, it’s slowing some orders down
Starbucks will roll out new procedures that will help workers reduce wait times, CEO Laxman Narasimhan said Tuesday.
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Back to Basics: What builds a good snacking menu?
Diner demand for specific snack items depends on their mood, time of day and ease of travel, experts said, opening up an array of traffic-boosting innovation opportunities for restaurants.
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How McDonald’s and Burger King diverge on value-driven messaging
Price-conscious consumers are forcing the QSR giants down different paths around how to advertise value and invest in their marketing.
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Yum’s digital sales mix tops 50% systemwide
Following several quarters of kiosk and e-commerce deployment, digital is on track to generate $30 billion in annualized sales.
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New York becomes first state to mandate paid time off for prenatal care
Beginning in 2025, pregnant employees will be eligible for 20 hours of leave, separate from the state’s paid family and medical leave.
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Donatos CEO to retire, president will assume post
Tom Krouse will retire in October after 20-plus years at the pizza chain. President Kevin King will take on the role of CEO upon Krouse’s retirement.