Strengthening a restaurant's identity maximizes potential and profits

Restaurants need to stick to an actionable plan with a strict timeline when rolling out brand changes, says Walk-On's Bistreaux and Bar President and COO Scott Taylor. 

By Scott Taylor • Sept. 3, 2019

How 5 Bay Area restaurateurs are surviving rising operating costs

Real estate pressures and a chef shortage are forcing restaurants to find creative solutions — like covering workers' Uber rides and having chefs serve diners — to protect their bottom lines and retain talent.

By Rosie Bradbury • Sept. 3, 2019

Explore the Trendline➔

Back-of-house Technology

From voice AI at the drive-thru to robot-powered makelines, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Shift Change: Papa John's hires new CEO; Blaze Pizza CEO retires

This week's Shift Change also highlights new leadership at Arby's, Tender Greens and Pie Five. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 30, 2019

77% of diners check restaurant websites before visiting, survey finds

Of those users, almost 70% said that poor website design or functionality discouraged them from going to the restaurant, according to the MGH report.

By Alicia Kelso • Aug. 30, 2019

Taco Bell revamps menu, cuts 9 items

The fast food chain, which is eliminating items like two Doritos Locos Tacos flavors and the Power Menu Burrito, will roll out a shorter menu on Sept. 12 with fewer combo options.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 29, 2019

Buffalo Wild Wings kicks off football season with relationship-saving 'prenups'

The restaurant chain looks to protect fans' football watching with a campaign that taps more traditional views of masculinity.

By Chris Kelly and Dianna Christe • Aug. 28, 2019

Panera launches hybrid delivery model with DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub

A "bring your own courier model" will let diners order through the third-party platforms, but Panera's in-house fleet will deliver their meals.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 27, 2019

Papa John's hires Arby's president as CEO

Rob Lynch, who helped turn around Arby's through extensive marketing campaigns, steps in as the pizza chain prepares its own rebranding initiatives.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 27, 2019

John Schnatter unloads over $30M in Papa John's shares

The pizza brand's founder and former CEO sold over 725,000 since last week, months after selling over 3.4 million shares to UBS for $157.5 million.

By Alicia Kelso • Updated Aug. 27, 2019

Shift Change: Jollibee taps new leadership team for Smashburger

The Filipino restaurant group hired a new president, marketing chief and head of finance for its U.S. burger brand, along with a president for North America. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 23, 2019

Grubhub, Lettuce deliver a Whole30 ghost restaurant

The diet's first branded restaurant could give Grubhub a leg up over delivery rivals in the Chicago market with relatively low startup investment.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Aug. 22, 2019

Postmates introduces 'health care options,' access to college courses for gig workers

Back in July, Postmates CEO Bastian Lehmann expressed support for "a comprehensive approach" to gig workers that removed classification confusion.

By Jennifer Carsen • Aug. 21, 2019

Cava's first test kitchen will accelerate menu innovation

The chain's data scientists will analyze diner reactions to products in real time and evaluate which products and technologies should be scaled. 

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 20, 2019

Minneapolis banned drive-thrus. Will more cities follow?

The ban comes two months after Long Beach, California, imposed a six-month moratorium on drive-thrus and as other cities push to reduce carbon emissions and improve pedestrian safety. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 19, 2019

Meet the multi-format store

Denver's Choice Market is a c-store, grocer and fast-casual restaurant that does nearly a third of its business online — and it has big growth plans.

By Jeff Wells • Aug. 19, 2019

Shift Change: Yum Brands taps COO David Gibbs as CEO

This week's Shift Change also highlights the departure of McDonald's manager of culinary innovation, a new CFO at Bonchon and a new chief legal officer at El Pollo Loco. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 16, 2019

FAA grants approval for drone food delivery pilot in North Carolina

Third-party platforms and restaurants are looking to the skies for the next phase of food delivery, but landing in crowded urban areas and navigating liability issues could prove challenging.

By Emma Liem Beckett , Emma Cosgrove • Aug. 16, 2019

Qdoba fined over $400K for child labor law violations

The Massachusetts state attorney's office cited more than 200 cases of minors working past the maximum number of hours in a single shift.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 16, 2019

Kitchen United hosts culinary 'boot camps' for potential hires

The ghost kitchen platform is offering trainings in knife skills, ingredient prep and career planning to attract talent in a challenging labor market.

By Rosie Bradbury • Aug. 14, 2019

Wendy's dishes out 2M spicy nuggets after May Twitter challenge

The giveaway via DoorDash comes after the burger chain promised to bring back the menu item if fans racked up 2 million "likes."

By Robert Williams • Aug. 13, 2019

Yum Brands appoints new CEO

Following systemwide sales growth of 10% during Q2, COO David Gibbs will take the reigns from Greg Creed after his retirement. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 13, 2019

4 ways to achieve profitability without disrupting quality of service

The key to reaching big goals is setting bite-sized benchmarks and ensuring employees understand how their actions impact the entire business, says Compeat's SVP of Operations Dori Salisbury.

By Dori Salisbury • Aug. 12, 2019

Vinyl gloves used at major QSRs linked to health risks, study says

Gloves used at McDonald's, Burger King and Wendy's contain chemicals that can cause reproductive issues in adults and brain development delays in children, according to the report.

By Lauren Manning • Aug. 12, 2019

Shift Change: Red Robin appoints 3 board members, interim CEO to retire

This week's column also highlights executive changes at CKE Restaurants, Taco Bell, Waitr and California Pizza Kitchen.

By Julie Littman • Aug. 9, 2019

Delivery firms boast revenue gains, but profitability remains elusive

Customer growth was strong for Uber Eats, Grubhub and Waitr during the first half of the year, but all have struggled with restaurant and customer backlash regarding fees and company policies. 

By Julie Littman • Aug. 9, 2019