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  • An image of a building with glass front and orange logo that says Big Chicken
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    Courtesy of Craveworthy Brands
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    Craveworthy Brands becomes managing partner in Shaquille O’Neal’s Big Chicken

    The partnership will further the chicken chain’s aggressive growth strategy, which has 40 units open and a pipeline of 350 restaurants.

  • A picture of an A&W located at a gas station.
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    Permission granted by A&W
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    A&W promotes COO to CEO post

    Betsy Schmandt, who has been with the company for 18 months, will work on enhancing the brand’s position, focus on value and continue the chain’s growth trajectory.

  • An image of Caribou's drive-thru only store Caribou Cabin
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    Permission granted by Caribou Coffee
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    Caribou Coffee appoints CFO as interim CEO

    Scott Kennedy will take on the interim leadership role when John Butcher steps down from his position on March 14.

  • An evening shot of a building with white and red coloring and signage that says "Portillo's."
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    Courtesy of Portillo's
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    Portillo’s launches loyalty without an app

    The hot dog chain hopes its loyalty program, based in digital wallets, can offer personalized options for guests and businesses without causing app fatigue.

  • A hand lifts a slice of stuffed crust pizza topped with pepperoni and peppers. The slice trails strings of melted mozzarella.
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    Courtesy of Domino's
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    Domino’s launches stuffed crust pizza, encroaching on Pizza Hut

    Internal research showed as many as 13 million Domino’s customers ordered stuffed crust pizza from competitors each year.

  • A picture of a restaurant interior. Empty tables, white tile, green walls.
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    Courtesy of Perkins
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    Perkins to open Orlando flagship with cocktails, new menu

    By modernizing store decor and menu items, Perkins hopes to keep its brand fresh and draw new diners. 

  • An nighttime image of a restaurant with the signage "Tom's Watch Bar"
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    Permission granted by Tom's Watch Bar
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    How Tom’s Watch Bar offers guests ‘the best seat in the house’

    Building off of double-digit revenue and sales growth, the 13-unit chain will more than double its store count over the next two years.

  • A zoomed in image of a smartphone with a on orange app square that says "Grubhub" in white.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Grubhub lays off 500 employees

    The job cuts come over a month after Wonder completed its $650 million acquisition of the food delivery aggregator.

  • A rendering of a Subway restaurant with tables and green walls.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    NRA: Restaurants are prioritizing on-premise in 2025

    About 80% of diners say they would eat at full-service spots if they had the cash, per the National Restaurant Association, incentivizing brands to create welcoming dining rooms.

  • The exterior of a Del Taco during the evening
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    Permission granted by Del Taco
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    Del Taco closes 18 Colorado stores

    Franchisee Newport Ventures, which declared bankruptcy in October, shuttered all of its locations after a lender refused further funding.

  • Chipolte's Carnitas Cinema experience in Roblox
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle debuts national TV ad on Roblox to promote sustainability

    The “Unfolded” effort demonstrates how the first-mover continues to experiment with the metaverse to link gaming, content and real-world rewards.

  • An Outback Steakhouse restaurant on a cold day.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Bloomin’ slows US growth to focus on Outback turnaround

    With same-store sales slipping, Bloomin’ is changing its strategy, trimming its menu and devolving power to brand presidents.

  • An exterior shot of a Red Robin restaurant, which is lit from inside, at night
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    The image by Cbraccialini is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
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    Red Robin may close about 70 restaurants in 5 years

    Shutting these underperforming restaurants, which had store-level operating losses of $6 million, will help the chain reinvest in its system and pay off debt.

  • A Starbucks barista pours foamed milk into a cup.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks cuts less popular drinks, plans 30% menu reduction

    Several Frappucinos, the Royal English Breakfast Latte and the White Hot Chocolate are getting the axe next month to reduce complexity and make space for experimentation.

  • Overly busy restaurant
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    JazzIRT via Getty Images
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    What’s the restaurant outlook for 2025?

    Price-sensitive diners and rising food and labor costs are pushing chains to refine their value propositions, setting the stage for cutthroat competition.

  • A photo of an IHOP sign
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    IHOP in-houses creative as part of bid to return to cultural relevance

    A Guinness World Record attempt that involves creating 20,000 pancakes is the first major marketing effort under new leadership. 

  • An image of chicken wings, tacos, French fries and chicken tenders from Hurricane Grill & Wings
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    Retrieved from Fat Brands on February 25, 2025
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    Franchisees sue Hurricane Grill & Wings over mismanagement of marketing funds

    Operators claim the chain and owner Fat Brands haven’t used the funds to advertise, leading to declining franchisee profitability.

  • A woman is closing a paper bag with a round black sticker that says delivery. The woman is wearing a yellow shirt and black apron.
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    Dimensions via Getty Images
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    Uber Eats vs. DoorDash: Inside the legal battle between ‘two titans’ of delivery

    Uber Eats wants a more level playing field for first-party delivery contracts, and accuses DoorDash of intimidating partner restaurants that want to team with multiple aggregators.

  • Wooden seats and tables inside a Cava. In the background there is a make line with digital menu boards.
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava’s traffic growth streak continues

    CFO Tricia Tolivar attributed its sales success to a mix of factors ranging from improved in-store experience to low price increases.

  • A building with a drive-thru that is blue and white. Signage says Just Salad.
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad raises $200M to boost unit growth

    The salad chain, which has about 90 units and a $1 billion valuation, is looking to expand beyond its core markets.

  • An image of fried chicken with hot sauce on top.
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    Courtesy of Dave's Hot Chicken
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    Dave’s Hot Chicken debuts catering program

    The company expects the channel, offered via ezCater, to make up as much as 10% of its business within a year.

  • An image of the top of a silver car that contains a rectangular logo with a red square and blue square.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Domino’s targets long-term growth with loyalty, website and app upgrades

    Loyalty membership reached 35.7 million at the end of 2024, and the restaurant chain will launch a revamped website and app in 2025 to boost growth.

  • A beige building with a yellow "M" and white "McDonald's" sign.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s adds Krispy Kreme doughnuts in NYC, bagel sandwiches nationwide

    The menu moves could help the Golden Arches recover from a traffic shortfall triggered by an E. coli outbreak late last year.

  • A Jack in the Box sign looms ominously from behind a hedge.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box CEO resigns

    Darin Harris has taken a position outside of the restaurant industry, and EVP and CFO Lance Tucker will temporarily assume CEO duties.

    Updated Feb. 24, 2025
  • A rendering of a building with a logo that says Golden Corral Favorites
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    Permission granted by Golden Corral
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    Golden Corral reinvents its fast casual spinoff

    Over a year after it launched Homeward Kitchen, the buffet chain will rebrand it as Golden Corral Favorites, with a menu highlighting signature items.