Popeyes traffic rose 299% during its chicken sandwich relaunch

The spike on Nov. 3 surpassed the initial rollout's traffic peak of 256%, and had a halo effect for KFC, which saw 29% gains on the same day, per Placer.ai data. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 8, 2019

A chaotic wait for the Popeyes sandwich spotlights Chick-fil-A's operational edge

Restaurant Dive stood in line and found that while Popeyes' sandwich may win the taste battle, its store experience could lose it the chicken sandwich wars.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 6, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Menu development

Restaurants big and small are experimenting with their menus to align with the preferences of on-the-go diners and mitigate the impact of rising food costs, supply chain disruption and shrinking consumer discretionary funds. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Chick-fil-A gaffe gives Popeyes easy marketing fodder amid chicken sandwich's return

A botched email communication around a Sunday holiday — when Chick-fil-A is closed — led to snarky social posts by Popeyes.

By Peter Adams • Nov. 1, 2019

McDonald's doubles down on chicken for breakfast

The QSR giant will offer Chicken McGriddles and McChicken Biscuit sandwiches during breakfast for a limited time, pitting it against Chick-fil-A's offerings.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 28, 2020

P.F. Chang's targets Miami party crowd with late-night concept

Chang's After Dark will include live entertainment and craft cocktails, and reflects a growing trend among casual restaurants to provide more in-store experiences to differentiate.

By Lauren Manning • Nov. 1, 2019

Impossible Whopper trial drove 18% traffic growth at Burger King

Barclays compared traffic at the chain's St. Louis restaurants where it trialed the burger to area McDonald's locations and Kansas City Burger Kings — neither of which saw comparable gains. 

By Lauren Manning • Oct. 17, 2019

62% of diners fear restaurant data breaches, report says

New research shows 40% of consumers are frustrated by the number of steps required to order food online. Operators need to strike a balance between seamless digital ordering and security.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 11, 2019

DoorDash snags 13% lead over Grubhub in share of spend

DoorDash is dominating the delivery segment with 35% market share after big moves, including new partners, increased ad presence and its acquisition of Caviar. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 10, 2019

Diners want mobile ordering, but only 18% of restaurant apps offer it

This disconnect could be detrimental to growing off-premise with 91% of consumers placing delivery orders via a brand's app or website in the last year, a National Restaurant Association study shows.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 3, 2019

Restaurant gift card sales rose 10% in 2018

QSRs increased gift card sales by 18%, but had the lowest average value at about $18 per card, according to a new report from Paytronix.

By Lauren Manning , Julie Littman • Sept. 24, 2019

Tim Hortons pulls plug on Beyond Meat, for now

The coffee and donut chain removed its plant-based sandwiches and burgers from Ontario and British Columbia Tuesday, the final two Canadian markets where Tim Hortons sold the products.

By Lauren Manning • Updated Jan. 29, 2020

Panera adds menu category: grain bowls

The addition is the fast casual cafe's largest product launch of 2019 and caps off a year that included new breakfast options and a dinner pilot. 

By Julie Littman • Sept. 18, 2019

Restaurants are only getting smaller, and that's by design

With fewer customers eating at restaurants, operators are eyeing more compact locations with dedicated areas for takeout orders.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 16, 2019

Philadelphia chains required to add salt warnings to menus

Restaurants with 15 or more locations must now label items with high sodium content in a move by the city to try to curb high rates of hypertension.

By Lauren Manning • Sept. 16, 2019

QSRs see greater growth in reviews than any other industry

96% of QSR locations now receive online reviews, outpacing all other industries. Here’s what businesses need to know.

Sept. 16, 2019

Just Salad cuts steak in favor of Beyond Meat

The fast casual chain will now serve Beyond Beef Meatballs instead of grilled steak as part of its sustainability push. 

By Lauren Manning • Sept. 13, 2019

Chicken sandwich wars boosted Popeyes traffic 218%

The viral frenzy after its sandwich launch drove 10.1 million visits to Chick-fil-A, Zaxby's, KFC and its own brand during the last weekend of August.

By Julie Littman • Sept. 12, 2019

63% of millennials seek plant-based, unprocessed food

A new study could spell trouble for restaurants selling alternative meats since manufacturers like Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat have complicated ingredient lists. 

By Lauren Manning • Sept. 10, 2019

Wendy's breakfast menu arrives next month

The fast food chain has been in and out of the morning daypart since the 1980s, but with McDonald's struggling to grow breakfast, now could be the time for the smaller chain to make its mark.

By Julie Littman • Updated Feb. 4, 2020

Restaurant sales projected to break 3-year slump, rise 3.7%

The industry is finding renewed growth thanks in large part to the popularity of food delivery and big innovation investments from major players.

By Lauren Manning • Sept. 9, 2019

KFC's Beyond Fried Chicken sells out in less than 5 hours

The chain is the first U.S. QSR to pilot plant-based poultry and is evaluating the results of its single-store test to determine potential rollout plans.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Aug. 27, 2019

Diners are delivery platform-loyal, study says

A Toast report suggests that restaurants should team with multiple third-party delivery partners to diversify their customer bases and stay competitive.   

By Lauren Manning • Aug. 26, 2019

McDonald's enters the chicken sandwich wars

The QSR giant is testing a Crispy Sandwich and Deluxe Sandwich starting Monday in Houston and Knoxville, Tennessee. 

By Alicia Kelso • Updated Dec. 2, 2019

Over 50% of consumers don't know how brands use their data, report says

The new survey from Acquia also finds that 65% of customers would stop engaging with a brand that's dishonest about its data usage. 

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 20, 2019

Restaurant spending to hit record $863B in 2019

U.S. Census Bureau data predicts overall industry sales will increase 4% this year, as QSRs use tech to avoid friction with customers set on convenience.

By Lauren Manning • Aug. 20, 2019