McDonald's taps new DEI leader

The evolution of McDonald's diversity, equity and inclusion practices has been in the spotlight throughout leadership changes, discrimination lawsuits and alleged labor violations. 

By Sheryl Estrada • Nov. 3, 2020

Aurify preps for expansion of Le Pain Quotidien brand in New York City

The company, which bought the cafe bakery chain for $3 million in June, will open at least 10 locations inside former Maison Kayser locations by early 2021.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 3, 2020

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

Friendly's declares bankruptcy, agrees to $2M sale

While the casual chain saw improvements after focusing on off-premise, closing unprofitable locations and reducing costs, the pandemic stifled its progress.

By Julie Littman • Nov. 2, 2020

Wendy's turns drive-thru into spooky Halloween experience

For people not near the Los Angeles "scare-thru," the chain is running a coupon effort on Twitter to ramp up usage of its app and loyalty program.

By Aaron Baar • Oct. 30, 2020

Roark Capital sells Corner Bakery

The cafe chain was seeing declining sales even before the pandemic, but Boston Market owner Rohan Group sees potential alliances between the two brands.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 30, 2020

McDonald's settles racial discrimination lawsuit with Black franchisees

The company bought the four restaurants operated by plaintiffs James and Darrell Byrd for $6.5 million, and the Byrds will exit the chain's system.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated June 10, 2021

Yum Brands sells Grubhub shares for $206M

The company remains optimistic that third-party delivery gives its brands growth potential, and offers delivery with multiple aggregators at 35,000 restaurants.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 29, 2020

Taco Bell served 30M more cars year-over-year as drive-thru demand 'skyrocketed'

The chain, which grew same-store sales by 3%, improved drive-thru times by 17 seconds. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 29, 2020

Restaurants sue Grubhub over adding 150K non-partnered listings

Two plaintiffs are seeking class action status on behalf of the restaurants listed on the aggregator's platform without permission, and claim the practice results in lost orders and an inability to address customer concerns.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 29, 2020

McDonald's franchisee optimism highest in over a decade, report says

Growing sales led by celebrity-endorsed meals and the introduction of spicy chicken nuggets improved owner-operators' outlook to slightly below an all-time high seen in 2004, according to Kalinowski Equity Research's latest survey.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 28, 2020

White Castle will partially close all restaurants every presidential Election Day

Staff who are scheduled to work between 7 and 11 a.m. on Nov. 3 in its restaurants, manufacturing plants or office will be paid for the four-hour break so they can vote.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 28, 2020

White Castle is bringing Flippy the robot to 10 more restaurants

The robot optimizes staffing during hard-to-fill, late-night shifts at the 24-hour restaurant, and integrates with delivery applications to sync order completion with driver pickup times.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 27, 2020

Rubio's among the largest fast casual chains to declare bankruptcy this year

The company joins a growing list of restaurants, including Ruby Tuesday, Sizzler USA, California Pizza Kitchen and CEC Entertainment, to file for Chapter 11 during the pandemic. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 27, 2020

Chipotle lets diners track environmental impact of burritos as restaurants prioritize sustainability

The Real Foodprint tracker, which mirrors a recent move by Panera to label eco-conscious menu items, is explained by Bill Nye in TikTok videos.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 26, 2020

Sweetgreen to lay off 20% of corporate employees amid restructuring

The chain's two-year reorganization plan includes accelerating store growth in new communities, reducing menu and operational complexity, investing in store leadership and enhancing digital ordering.

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 26, 2020

Saladworks expands grocery footprint with The Giant Company

The fast-casual salad franchise already has several locations in other grocery stores, including ShopRite, and has plans for at least 10 more by early next year.

By Jessica Dumont • Oct. 26, 2020

Nestlé moves to keep rights to sell California Pizza Kitchen's frozen line

The restaurant chain wants to reject its trademark contract with the Switzerland food giant, which acquired the license in 2010 from Kraft, as part of its bankruptcy restructuring.

By Jessi Devenyns • Oct. 26, 2020

Bankrupt Ruby Tuesday granted 2-month rent deferral

A judge will allow the casual chain to not pay rent for 60 days after hearing the company's plan to provide landlords with a cut of a $22.5 million retirement plan trust fund it will liquidate as part of Chapter 11 proceedings. ​

By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2020

Chipotle could exceed $2.5B in digital sales in 2020

The fast casual chain's digital sales grew just over 200% to $776 million during the third quarter and made up nearly half of total sales. So far this year, digital sales are almost $2 billion.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 22, 2020

Wisconsin Applebee's franchisee is latest to file Chapter 11

The franchisee, which operates 25 units, was appointed a receiver last week, but instead chose to file for bankruptcy to keep its restaurants open and 600 employees on the job. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 20, 2020

Shift Change: BurgerFi hires CEO

This week's Shift Change also highlights a new chief marketing officer at Qdoba and the retirement of Starbucks' chief partner officer. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 16, 2020

Sun Holdings acquires bankrupt IHOP locations

Sun Holdings subsidiary Suncakes LLC bought 41 out of 49 IHOP locations from CFRA Holdings, which filed for bankruptcy in May. 

By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 16, 2020

Jack in the Box serves up plant-based, 'unchicken' sandwich

The chain is the latest QSR to add an alternative protein item to their menu, which appeals to the growing flexitarian trend and can help drive diner interest and traffic. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 16, 2020

Chipotle adds HBCU to its education benefit

The retention rate for program participants is three and a half times higher than that of others, the company said.

By Sheryl Estrada • Oct. 15, 2020

Starbucks to hold execs accountable for new racial diversity goals

The company aims to have 30% representation for Black, indigenous and people of color at the corporate level and 40% at the retail and manufacturing level by 2025.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 15, 2020