The Latest

  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    Tracking the same-store sales of 21 major restaurant chains

    Sales at pizza and casual dining brands have struggled, while QSR giants like McDonald’s and Starbucks saw anemic changes and fast casuals Cava and Chipotle made big gains. 

    Updated March 20, 2025
  • An image of four bike riders won a street. The bike rider in the foreground is carying an Uber Eats bag on his back.
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    Sean Gallup via Getty Images
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    Uber, OpenTable join forces to offer dining, transportation benefits

    In the coming months, Uber Eats, Uber and OpenTable apps will provide consumers access to reservations, transportation and membership benefits.

  • An image of a smiling woman in front of a white background.
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    Permission granted by Bojangles
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    Bojangles appoints former KFC exec as chief legal officer

    Kate Ward, who worked at KFC for nine years, becomes Bojangles’ top legal executive as the chain pushes for 1,000 units.

  • An image of a Twin Peaks restaurant in the daytime.
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    Permission granted by Twin Peaks
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    Twin Peaks CEO resigns

    Joe Hummel will leave the company on April 10 along with Chief Legal Officer Clay Mingus, both of whom have been at the brand for over seven years.

  • Doechii appears on Hot Ones with a Jack in the Box segment
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    Retrieved from First We Feast on March 20, 2025
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    How Jack in the Box is working its brand into ‘Hot Ones,’ ‘Call Her Daddy’

    Agency TBWA\Chiat\Day Los Angeles is looking beyond quirky TV ads to drive cultural impact for a new “So Munch More” brand platform. 

  • A zoomed in image of Dutch Bros building signage
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    Courtesy of Dutch Bros
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    Dutch Bros plans to build 1K shops within 5 years

    The coffee chain expects annual revenue growth of roughly 20% and is targeting a store count of 2,029 by 2029.

  • A photo of Bar Louie's new unit layout.
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    Courtesy of Bar Louie
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    Bar Louie files for bankruptcy protections, again

    The gastropub chain’s footprint shrank from 71 units in 2021 to 48 as of March, while sales at some franchised units remain flat compared to 2015.

  • An image of a man with his arms crossed. He is wearing a gray sweater and smiling at the camera. He is in front of a white background.
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    Permission granted by Rego Restaurant Group
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    Rego Restaurant hires CEO

    Neel Patel will oversee the Quiznos and Taco del Mar brands, which have been growing through franchising and deals with Ghost Kitchen International.

  • A rendering of a restaurant interior
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    Permission granted by Famous Dave's
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    Q&A

    Famous Dave’s shrinks dining room in play for big market growth

    The new units, which are thousands of square feet smaller than standard full-service barbecue joints, will open up new markets and real estate, particularly end caps, to the brand.

  • Fogo de Chão in Reston, Virgnia
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    Courtesy of Fogo de Chão
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    Fogo de Chão adds lobster, crab to churrasco menu

    The Brazilian steakhouse appended a new slate of seafood to its core offerings in an effort to expand its appeal to more consumers.

  • Busy Phillips holds a pizza box in a California Pizza Kitchen campaign
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    Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen
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    Why California Pizza Kitchen faked a midlife crisis with a rebrand stunt

    CMO Dawn Keller details a humorous effort and new partnership with Busy Philipps timed to the casual dining chain's 40th anniversary.

  • An image of a smiling bald man wearing a navy suit in front of a gray background.
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    Permission granted by Panera Brands
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    Panera Brands hires permanent CEO

    Paul Carbone, who has been interim CEO since January, will focus on a multi-year plan to boost the company’s teams, guest experience and franchise profitability.

  • A rendering of a potential Jamba Juice prototype
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    Courtesy of Jamba Juice
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    Jamba’s new store prototype goes digital

    The juice brand is looking to reduce costs, boost tickets and strengthen its brand through store design featuring self-ordering kiosks.

  • An image of a group of people standing in front of a greenish building that says Cilantro Taco Grill
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    Retrieved from Fransmart/Cilantro Taco Grill on March 25, 2025
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    Emerging Mexican fast casual chain plots 110-unit expansion

    Chicago-based Cilantro Taco Grill will grow from 18 units to over 100 in the next few years after launching franchising less than two years ago.

  • An image of a group of people with a person in the front holding a cake with an American flag on it wiht the words TGI Fridays
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    Permission granted by TGI Fridays
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    Q&A

    TGI Fridays CEO says the brand is ready to grow again post-bankruptcy

    Ray Blanchette returned to the restaurant chain earlier this year and will help lead future growth, menu innovation and franchising.

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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Why Shake Shack’s founder ties employee experience to CX

    Employees won’t offer customers consistently good experiences unless they like their job and coworkers, according to Shake Shack founder Danny Meyer.

  • A Whatburger storefront. A sign outside reads, "Whataburger".
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    Courtesy of https://stories.whataburger.com/press-kit
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    Whataburger hires former McDonald’s exec as chief development officer

    Todd Ewen, who has over 20 years of commercial real estate experience, joins the brand as it plans to expand into its 17th state after surpassing 1,000 units.

  • An image of a black building with windows and The Cheesecake Factory signage.
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    Maddie Meyer via Getty Images
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    The Cheesecake Factory overhauls menu

    The chain, which typically updates its menu every year, rolled out an extensive list of starters, entrees and beverages and removed 13 items.

  • An image of a white building with blue logo that says Zaxbys
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    Retrieved from Zaxbys on March 24, 2025
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    Zaxbys adds AI cameras to drive-thru

    The technology from Berry AI measures speed of service and line abandonment, which could help boost drive-thru times by identifying bottlenecks.

  • An evening photo of a beige brick building with brown letters that say "Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen."
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    Courtesy of Darden
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    Darden pilots Uber Eats delivery at Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen

    The channel is in pilot at 10 restaurants with plans to deploy it across the 182-restaurant system in the near future.

  • A Chili's Burger framed by fries and a drink.
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    Courtesy of Brinker
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    The restaurant industry’s Q4 2024 winners and losers

    Consumer price sensitivity has hit brands unevenly, with Applebee’s and Starbucks suffering extended traffic declines while Chili’s pumped its traffic up with a strong value offer. 

  • A "Market Plate" from Just Salad
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad serves up dinner plates

    Following in Sweetgreen’s footsteps, the fast casual chain wants to boost its dinner daypart with heartier meals.

  • Pizza Hut Hutty
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut introduces second-screen mobile companion for March Madness

    The digital experience can be accessed via Instagram and leverages Meta AI to dish out real-time game reactions, hot takes and exclusive offers.

  • An image of a gray building with a black sign that says "&pizza"
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    Permission granted by &pizza
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    &pizza pivots to franchising

    Pizzas formulated for off-premise dining could help &pizza escape the problems of the fast casual pizza sector as it grows beyond the East Coast.

  • Sandwiches sit on a counter as workers as ingredients.
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    Anna Moneymaker / Staff via Getty Images
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    Restaurants focus on tech, retention as labor market cools

    Speeding up hiring with applicant tracking systems, mobile applications and automated interview scheduling could save time and money, the National Restaurant Association said.