The Latest

  • An image of a man leaving a Chipotle. He is holding a brown bag.
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    Getty Images
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    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
  • An evening image of a building that says Papa Murphy's
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    The image by Rick Obst is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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    Why Papa Murphy’s rebuilt its loyalty program around a single rule

    “Every pizza earns points,” Papa Murphy’s Jason Focht said. “It's easy to understand, easy to message and easy to execute across all of our channels, including web apps and in-store.”

  • A photograph of a Denny's sign over some trees.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Will restaurants see more M&A and IPO activity in 2026?

    Next year may be marked by a high volume of deals for both high-performing growth concepts and distressed assets, as challenger brands look for capital and ailing systems seek turnarounds.

  • A person wearing a green apron hands off a reusable red cup to another person inside a coffee shop
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks’ holiday launch marks biggest sales day ever in North America

    Traffic spiked nearly 38% on Nov. 6, the day of the chain’s holiday rollout, which included the highly popular release of the Bearista cup, according to Placer.ai data. 

  • An exterior image of a Pizza Hut with bricks and red signage
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    Courtesy of Yum Brands/Pizza Hut
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    Column

    Fueling Up: Pizza Hut might be up for sale. Could a c-store chain take a slice?

    Retailers are competing with QSRs and focusing on fresh food more than ever. Following RaceTrac’s recent deal for Potbelly, who says a c-store buyer is out of the question?

    M&A
  • Plates of breakfast food.
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    Courtesy of IHOP
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    Inside Dine’s push for value, dual-branded development

    Applebee’s and IHOP are making sales and traffic gains after the company emphasized both brands’ low-priced menu items this year.

  • An image of a Sweetgreen restaurant with a drive-thru
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen opens first drive-thru location with automated makeline

    The Costa Mesa, California, store features an automated Infinite Kitchen makeline and a digital pickup Sweetlane, combining two of its major technology pushes.

  • Josh Allen wears a pizza sweater at a holiday party behind a table filled with pizza and Pepsi while holding a slice of pizza.
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    Courtesy of Pizza Hut
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    Pizza Hut dishes out holiday value in multichannel campaign

    The pizza chain supports its value-oriented holiday messaging with comedic ads, in-person events and digital games. 

  • A table set with strike materials for Starbucks Workers United's Nov. 17 national strike.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Starbucks Workers United launches 65-store strike

    The union said its members are prepared for the longest and most serious strike in the brand’s history, aimed at pushing Starbucks to agree to more favorable contract terms.

    Updated Nov. 13, 2025
  • A beige building with a green sign and white lettering that says "Panera Bread."
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Why Panera’s CEO prioritizes hospitality over tech

    Paul Carbone said the chain is improving order accuracy and store layouts, rather than deploying “technology that’s looking for a problem to solve.”

  • Culver's restaurant exterior
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    Courtesy of Culver's
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    How Culver’s home-grown franchisees power its growth

    By turning long-tenured GMs into owner-operators, the chain ensures a steady supply of franchisees who are committed to the brand and have significant operational experience.

  • An image of various menu items from Dave & Buster's
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    Courtesy of Dave & Buster's
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    Dave & Buster’s rolls out revamped menu

    The menu, which includes 100 food and beverage items, yielded strong check growth during its pilot phase.

  • An image of a person smiling and wearing a gray suit.
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    Courtesy of P.F. Chang's
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    P.F. Chang’s hires CEO

    Jim Mazany brings decades of restaurant executive experience to the Asian chain, which is poised to ramp up growth and refine its fast casual concept. 

    Updated Nov. 11, 2025
  • The Wendy's logo displayed near a Wendy's restaurant on June 18, 2024 in Austin, Texas.
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    Brandon Bell / Staff via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s doubles down on marketing effectiveness as part of turnaround

    The QSR’s partnership with consultant Creed UnCo aims to clarify what drives purchasing decisions and refine messaging around value. 

  • A photograph of a drive thru window with a red sign that says "Sorry, We are closed. Thanks for your patronage over the years. Wendys."
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    FireAtDusk via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s could close hundreds of restaurants

    With McDonald’s and Burger King posting same-store sales gains, Wendy’s is under pressure to raise its average unit volume.

  • An evening image of a Burger King in China
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    Robert Way via Getty Images
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    RBI sells majority stake in Burger King China business

    A joint venture with Chinese asset manager CPE will focus on growing the chain from 1,250 units to 4,000 by the end of 2035.

  • 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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    Why emerging chain &pizza just bought a Tex-Mex brand

    The creation of Latitude Food Group will allow for &pizza and Tijuana Flats to share resources while they look to grow outside their regional bases.

  • People walking in front of a Sweetgreen on Aug.8, 2025 in Chicago, Illinois
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Sweetgreen battered by 9.5% same-store sales drop

    The salad chain suffered one of the worst third quarters among publicly traded fast casuals, as young consumers in core markets pulled back and value plays ate into margins.

  • A picture of a hand giving a iced coffee drink to another person.
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    Permission granted by Dutch Bros
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    Dutch Bros to take breakfast nationwide in 2026

    The drive-thru coffee chain is putting pressure on legacy competitors with its goal to be a one-stop shop in the morning daypart.

  • An image of sweetgreen's automated kitchen in Naperville, Illinois
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen sells Spyce to Wonder for $186M

    Sweetgreen will use the proceeds from offloading Spyce, which developed the salad brand’s Infinite Kitchen technology, to reinvest in profitability after three quarters of sales declines.

    M&A
  • An image of Tijuana Flats
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    Permission granted by Tijuana Flats
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    &pizza acquires Tijuana Flats, creates holding company

    Latitude Food Group will oversee both the pizza and Tex-Mex chains, and could acquire additional concepts in the future.

    M&A
  • Outback Steakhouse exterior
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    Courtesy of Bloomin' Brands
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    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.

  • An image of a brown building with BJ's logo.
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    Permission granted by BJ's Restaurant
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    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.

  • An image of a beige building
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    Permission granted by Daybright Coffee and Refreshment
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    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.

  • A photogrpah of a multi-colored building with a sign in red that says "Red Robin."
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    CRobertson via Getty Images
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    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.