Operations

  • An image of six cookies of different colors and flavors in front of a white background.
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    Permission granted by Fat Brands, Virtual Dining Concepts
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    Fat Brands to serve Great American Cookies at Chuck E. Cheese

    The delivery-only partnership with Virtual Dining Concepts will bring the cookie brand to 400 Chuck E. Cheese locations initially.

    By • Aug. 12, 2025
  • Wendy's
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    Thai Phi Le/Restaurant Dive
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    Wendy’s wants good experiences to drive frequency as consumers pull back spending

    Customer satisfaction for orders placed through employees and made digitally were each up significantly year over year, but it wasn’t enough to offset a negative quarter.

    By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 12, 2025
  • A man and a woman dressed as a chef look at a tablet. Explore the Trendline➔
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    Wavebreakmedia via Getty Images
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    Trendline

    Back-of-house Technology

    From AI-enhanced POS systems and analytics to robot-powered kitchen equipment, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover. 

    By Restaurant Dive staff
  • A white container with a DoorDash logo sits on a table next to a green cup with a Jamba logo and a pretzel.
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    Courtesy of GoTo Foods, DoorDash, Wing
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    GoTo Foods launches drone delivery in Texas

    Through a partnership with DoorDash and Wing, the company will offer fast delivery from select restaurants in Frisco, Fort Worth and Plano.

    By • Aug. 11, 2025
  • A waiter picks up a cash tip from a table.
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    kali9 via Getty Images
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    Tips drop as consumer spending stalls

    Average tip size has shrunk from 15.5% in 2023 to 14.9% in the second quarter of 2025, leaving workers with less pay, a July report from Square showed.

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
  • A Sweetgreen salad and an order of air fried potatoes.
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    Courtesy of Sweetgreen
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    Unprofitable Sweetgreen cuts workers and fries

    With same-store sales down by 7.6% and losses mounting, the salad chain is looking to trim operational complexity and corporate expenses.

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
  • A view of a Wendy's restaurant on May 12, 2021 in Pinole, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Wendy’s adopts McDonald’s chicken tender playbook, boosts beverages

    After an unfocused promotional calendar failed to boost sales, CEO Ken Cook said cold brew with cold foam and sparkling energy drinks will play a key role for the brand.

    By • Aug. 8, 2025
  • An image of Burger King restaurant in a new design
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    Courtesy of Burger King
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    Burger King speeds up refranchising, adds late-night hours

    Investments in everything from remodels to operating hours helped the chain’s U.S. stores find some sales strength this quarter.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • An image of a Jack in the Box restaurant.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box posts worst sales quarter in years

    The burger brand shed traffic and closed stores. Del Taco did too. Now, executives are banking on real estate sales and reimages at 1,000 stores to strengthen the company.

    By • Aug. 7, 2025
  • One of Serve Robotics next generation robots
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    Courtesy of Serve Robotics
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    Little Caesars offers robotic delivery in LA with Serve

    The deal is part of Serve and Uber Eats’ plan to deploy upwards of 2,000 delivery robots by the end of 2025.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • A sign is posted in front of a Taco Bell restaurant on May 01, 2024 in Richmond, California.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Yum Brands turns to AI to aggregate social media, third-party reviews

    The Byte system of AI technologies is helping power advanced Voice of the Customer tools while improving the drive-thru experience, executives said on a Q2 2025 earnings call.

    By Bryan Wassel • Aug. 6, 2025
  • A smiling white man in a burgundy Noodles & Company shirt.
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    Courtesy of Noodles & Company
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    Noodles & Company promotes COO to CEO

    Joe Christina, who joined the company in February, will replace Drew Madsen, who led the brand’s sweeping menu overhaul.

    By • Aug. 6, 2025
  • Taco Bell is testing a new design for its Go Mobile stores, pictured here.
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    Courtesy of Taco Bell
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    KFC and Pizza Hut drag Yum’s US earnings, again

    Yum hopes the strategies that have powered Taco Bell’s positive same-store sales streak could help reverse KFC’s lackluster performance.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • A man in a white shirt and suit jacket.
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    Courtesy of Smashburger
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    Smashburger promotes president to CEO

    Jim Sullivan, who was brought on in 2024 as chief development officer, will focus on reversing the brand’s declining storecount through non-traditional development.

    By • Aug. 5, 2025
  • An Outback Steakhouse restaurant on a cold day.
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Bloomin’ Brands hires new CFO among a series of leadership changes

    The company also created an executive position for strategy and transformation to help improve the performance of Outback Steakhouse.

    By • Aug. 4, 2025
  • A customer walks up to a closed restaurant with a logo that says "Red Lobster"
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Casual dining real estate faces perfect storm and high vacancies

    Property sales for some footprints collapsed as fast casual formats grew, leaving landlords with few buyers and costly renovations.

    By Michael Brady • Aug. 4, 2025
  • Hamburger with French fries
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    Permission granted by Lamb Weston
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    Sponsored by Lamb Weston

    Keeping up with cravings: Why trend-savvy suppliers help restaurants win

    Fast-changing tastes require fast-moving partners. The right supplier helps you stay ahead.

    By Lamb Weston • Aug. 4, 2025
  • An image of Topgolf's CEO
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    Courtesy of Dine Brands
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    Topgolf spinoff delayed amid CEO’s departure

    Artie Starrs, who has led the company since 2021, will leave his post in the fall to become the top executive at an undisclosed company.

    By • Aug. 1, 2025
  • A close up of a white logo that says Wing Stop with a neon green glow.
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    Wingstop eyes loyalty program pilot for Q4

    The fast casual chain will leverage learnings from 60 million digital customers as part of its upcoming launch to create a differentiated membership program.

    By • Aug. 1, 2025
  • An image of a white coffee cup on a table. The coffee cup hasa green logo for Starbucks.
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    Spencer Platt via Getty Images
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    4 takeaways from Starbucks’ customer experience plans

    The company is laying the foundations to make Starbucks “once again the gold standard in customer service” and is planning to revamp its loyalty program next year, CEO Brian Niccol said.

    By Bryan Wassel • July 31, 2025
  • An image of a beige storefront with an orange logo that says "Hubspoke Kitchen"
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    Permission granted by Wayback Franchising
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    Why Wayback Burgers’ parent is moving into multi-brand franchising

    Jake’s Franchising renamed itself Wayback Franchising and launched Hubspoke Brands to offer franchisees more concepts and growth opportunities.

    By • July 31, 2025
  • A photo of the outside of a Wingstop.
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    Courtesy of Wingstop
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    Wingstop’s smart kitchen system cuts ticket time nearly in half

    The fast casual chain’s digital kitchen display system, now deployed in at least 1,000 restaurants, is increasing comparable sales and improving accuracy.

    By • July 31, 2025
  • Coffee drips into a white ceramic mug emblazoned with the Starbucks logo
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks teases protein drinks, new food

    After simplifying its menu, the coffee giant will focus on experiential beverages, artisanal foods and non-coffee drinks.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • A photograph of a burger, drink and fries from Fatburger.
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    Permission granted by Fat Brands
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    DOJ drops charges against Fat Brands, Andy Wiederhorn

    The original indictment alleged misconduct over a loan scheme involving $47 million transferred from Fat and Fog Cutter Capital to Wiederhorn.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • An image of several specialty drinks from Taco Bell's Live Mas Cafe lined up on a white counter top.
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    Permission granted by Taco Bell/Diversified Restaurant Group
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    How Yum Brands predicts the ‘it’ beverage of the future

    The company is turning to data science and prediction markets as consumer demand for beverages creates opportunities for new dayparts and concepts.

    By • July 30, 2025
  • The Starbucks company logo on a glass door.
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    Justin Sullivan/Getty Images via Getty Images
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    Starbucks pledges $500M in additional labor as sales slide continues

    The coffee chain’s same-store sales dropped for the sixth consecutive quarter, but CEO Brian Niccol said the brand is seeing positive indicators in its operational metrics.

    By • July 30, 2025