The Latest
-
Getty Images
Tracking the same-store sales of 21 major restaurant chains
Major publicly traded restaurant chains had a strange Q2 for comps growth, from Chili’s 23% jump to Sweetgreen’s 7.6% shortfall.
Updated Aug. 18, 2025 -
Courtesy of Bloomin' Brands
Bloomin’ to invest $50M in Outback Steakhouse overhaul in 2026
The turnaround will touch everything from steak quality to marketing, and the cost will be partly offset by productivity investments.
-
Permission granted by BJ's Restaurant
BJ’s Restaurants hires Red Robin exec as CFO
Todd Wilson will join the company in December and will help improve the brand’s financial foundation and help it achieve its long-term strategic goals.
-
Permission granted by Daybright Coffee and Refreshment
An inside look at Chick-fil-A’s beverage concept
Daybright, which opened Oct. 30, offers a range of smoothies, specialty coffee, iced tea, lemonades and a kid’s menu.
-
CRobertson via Getty Images
Red Robin names COO, CFO departs
Todd Wilson will leave the company on Dec. 12 after three years at the casual dining chain, which also promoted Jesse Griffith to chief operating officer.
-
Courtesy of McDonald's
McDonald’s Extra Value Meals insulated sales from diner price sensitivity
Reductions in combo meal prices helped McDonald’s offset consumer pullback in the U.S. in Q3, and the chain will double down on its value efforts.
-
Courtesy of Dine Brands
Dine Brands to open 80 dual-branded US restaurants by end of 2026
CEO John Peyton said there is white space opportunity in the U.S. to open about 900 co-branded Applebee’s/IHOP locations, which reap up to twice the sales of standard units.
-
Mario Tama via Getty Images
Cava’s traffic growth stalls as fast casual market cools
The brand does not plan to use discounts as a traffic driver, CFO Tricia Tolivar said, noting that it is confident in its holistic value proposition.
-
Courtesy of Wingstop
Wingstop’s comparable sales slump worsens
Reduced spending by Hispanic and low-income consumers led to a decline in sales that exceeded expectations.
-
Courtesy of Popeyes
RBI appoints new Popeyes US president, Burger King US COO
Peter Perdue has been promoted to Popeyes U.S. and Canada president, and Nicolas Henrich is now Burger King U.S. chief operating officer.
-
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Denny’s sells itself for $620M
TriArtisan Capital, Yadav Enterprises and Treville Capital Group will buy the chain in an all-cash transaction that will take the casual dining chain private.
-
Brandon Bell via Getty Images
Yum Brands may sell Pizza Hut
After seven quarters of same-store sales declines, Yum says the brand might do better under a different structure or new ownership.
-
DKart via Getty Images
Starbucks sells majority stake in China business for $4B
Boyu Capital will form a joint venture with the coffee chain to grow the brand from 8,000 units in the country to 20,000 over time.
-
Courtesy of Hooters Inc.
New Hooters owners plan restaurant revitalization
Hooters Inc. and Hoot Owl Restaurants will upgrade 100 newly acquired company-owned locations and streamline the menu with better ingredients.
-
Permission granted by 7 Brew
7 Brew, Flynn Group strike 160-store development deal
The agreement is the first step in Flynn’s push to increase its investment in scaling potential breakout brands.
-
Courtesy of Church's Chicken
Church’s Texas Chicken hires Jimmy John’s vet as development chief
Bobby Morena will help the chicken QSR reach its goal of $2 billion in systemwide sales through domestic franchising growth.
-
Courtesy of Uber Eats/Toast
Uber, Toast enter multi-year strategic global partnership
The companies will focus on product innovation and other initiatives that could help restaurants retain and grow their customer bases.
-
Courtesy of Brinker International
Chili’s wants to win 2026 with remodels, chicken sandwiches
After a wildly successful 2025, Brinker’s flagship brand wants to convert value wins into a durable advantage — but it will need more than savvy marketing.
-
Scott Olson via Getty Images
Shake Shack grows traffic with ad spend, operational improvements
The brand’s traffic gains were most pronounced outside the Northeast, validating its national development strategy, CFO Katie Fogerty said.
-
Getty Images
OpinionWhy the NYC marathon provides a golden playbook for restaurants nationwide
Restaurant operators are running a long-distance financial race every day, focused on increasing profitability, but need to be nimble enough to take advantage of major traffic drivers in their cities, writes Julie Powell, senior director of marketing insights and intelligence at Toast.
-
Courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks stanches the same-store sales bleeding
Comparable sales growth was driven by an increase in average ticket, but investments in service helped turn U.S. transactions positive in September.
-
Courtesy of Chipotle
Chipotle faces worrying consumer headwinds
Despite consumer pullback and a value advantage over fast casual competitors, CEO Scott Boatwright said “value as a price point is not and will not be a Chipotle strategy.”
-
Courtesy of P.F. Chang's
P.F. Chang’s CMO on igniting a new brand platform, holiday campaign
Sonika Patel explains how the chain is centering the dining experience with a “Light the Fire” platform and seasonal push on digital and CTV.
-
Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Chili’s dramatic sales growth continues with 13% traffic jump
Chili’s marketing, which sets the chain in direct price competition with QSRs, delivered a sixth-straight quarter of double-digit same-store sales growth.
-
Courtesy of Zaxbys
Zaxbys eyes non-traditional growth following first military base deal
Non-traditional locations could help complement Zaxbys’ growing international footprint and add more high-volume units to the chain’s system.
