The Latest

  • Grubbrr's kiosks on display at the National Restaurant Association Show in 2024.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    9 restaurant industry trade shows to attend in 2025

    The coming year is brimming with restaurant conferences and trade shows covering key issues for the business sector, from franchising strategy to economic forecasts.

  • An image of a woman smiling wearing a blue suit.
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    Permission granted by GoTo Foods
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    GoTo Foods names former IHOP exec as chief commercial officer

    Kieran Donahue will oversee various aspects of the commercial division, including marketing, branding and consumer insights and analytics.

  • An image inside a restaurant crowded with people. The wall says Fresh Brothers."
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    Retrieved from Fresh Brothers on November 18, 2024
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    Craveworthy buys emerging pizza brand

    The multi-brand platform has been on an acquisition spree in 2024, buying Sigri Indian BBQ and Untamed Brands, among others.

  • 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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    Chains struggle to stand out amid ‘noise’ of value wars

    Papa Johns, Popeyes and Burger King’s value messages did not break through, while Portillo’s sought to sidestep deep discounting.

  • An image of Quarter Pounder, fries and a drink from McDonald's
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s invests $100M to help franchisees recover from E. coli outbreak

    About $35 million will go toward marketing programs that will help drive traffic and rebuild consumer trust.

  • A person walks toward the door of the U.S. Department of Labor building.
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    Kate Tornone/Restaurant Dive
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    $35K overtime salary threshold back in effect

    A federal judge ruled that the Department of Labor’s 2024 rule exceeded the agency’s authority and is unlawful.

  • An image of a beige restaurant with Huddle House signage
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    Permission granted by Huddle House
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    Huddle House signs its biggest franchise deal yet

    The franchising agreement will add a significant number of units to Huddle House’s system, which has seen store counts decline in recent years.

  • A man stands in front of two self-order kiosks at Bojangles.
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    Permission granted by Grubbrr/Bojangles
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    Bojangles to install ordering kiosks across its system

    The chicken chain said its pilot of the Grubbrr technology had high adoption rates and helped increase throughput.

  • Chipotle, Stradmore, LaCroix, D&O law, portion size
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    Scott Olson via Getty Images
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    Chipotle defrauded investors with inconsistent meal sizes, says plaintiff seeking class action

    The case is an example of securities lawsuits run amok, a directors and officers liability law specialist says. 

  • Doodles McDonald's cups
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    Courtesy of Doodles
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    McDonald’s holiday cups entertain with Doodles content, digital collectibles

    The fast food giant is collaborating with a Web3-fueled entertainment brand that CMO Tariq Hassan calls “an agent of change in the cultural landscape.”

  • An exterior shot of a Salata store. It's a restaurant with some green umbrellas in front.
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    Courtesy of Salata
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    How Salata plans to triple its store count

    With roughly 100 stores, the salad chain is looking to fill in existing markets, develop its franchisee base and set itself apart from other fast casual brands.

  • Jack in the Box restaurant location
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box hires Lance Tucker as CFO again

    Tucker rejoins the brand as it eyes significant franchising growth but faces comparable sales headwinds.

  • 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 winning comp sales streak continued in Q3

    Cava is the clear leader of the Mediterranean fast casual segment, and has had one of the strongest 2024s of any major brand.

  • A rendering of a Subway restaurant with tables and green walls.
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    Courtesy of Subway
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    Subway’s newest design focuses on improving the dining room experience

    During concept testing, guests said the Fresh Forward 2.0 image, which includes warmer wood tones and improved lighting, increased their chances of eating inside a Subway.

  • An overhead view of fried chicken and sides.
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    Courtesy of Church's Texas Chicken
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    KFC sues Church’s Texas Chicken over ‘original recipe’ ads

    KFC claims Church’s use of the marketing phrase will deceive customers into thinking they are buying items from KFC.

  • A white bowl with blue liner that contains a pasta dish with tomatoes, asapragus and lobster.
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    Courtesy of Red Lobster
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    Red Lobster brings back old favorites, new items in menu remake

    The casual chain added seven new dishes and revived classics like hush puppies and popcorn shrimp.

  • The National Labor Relations Board headquarters building on Half Street in Washington, D.C.
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    Ryan Golden/Restaurant Dive
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    Captive audience meetings are unlawful, NLRB says

    The meetings, a common strategy for employers during union drives, “have a reasonable tendency to interfere with and coerce employees” in the exercise of their rights, the Board decided.

  • A man carrying orange bags with the word Grubhub on the side.
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    Courtesy of Grubhub
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    Wonder to acquire Grubhub for $650M

    Just Eat Takeaway originally purchased Grubhub for $7 billion in 2020 and has been trying to sell the company since 2022.

    Updated Nov. 13, 2024
  • An image of a burger and french fries from McDonald's
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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    Deep Dive

    What restaurants, suppliers can learn from McDonald’s E.coli outbreak

    The fast food giant’s initial response to the outbreak was quick, but guest sentiment suffered from a lack of direct consumer messaging.

  • A DoorDash delivery worker walks his bike along the road in the Mission neighborhood of San Francisco, California.
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    hapabapa via Getty Images
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    DoorDash to pay $11.3M in Illinois tip settlement

    The settlement will fund payments to as many as 79,000 workers who completed deliveries on the app from 2017 to 2019.

  • A rendering of Walk-On's small prototype.
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    Courtesy of Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux
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    Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux signs first franchise deal to build smaller restaurants

    Operator Port Royal Brands will develop 20 units in Georgia and Tennessee using a prototype that will be half the size of Walk-On’s traditional restaurants.   

  • A man in a gray suit stands in front of a wood panel background with the logo "Chipotle."
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    Courtesy of Chipotle
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    Chipotle names Scott Boatwright permanent CEO

    Boatwright, who has been interim CEO since August, said on an earnings call that the chain will continue its current strategies and focus on operational efficiency.

  • An image of a California Pizza Kitchen restaurant.
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    Courtesy of California Pizza Kitchen
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    California Pizza Kitchen signs first US franchise deal under new strategy

    Pizza brands have struggled broadly, including CPK, but the chain is betting on multi-unit operators to change its fortunes.

  • A hand holds a smartphone with Sweetgreen's loyalty program on the screen
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    Permission granted by Sweetgreen
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    Sweetgreen to launch points-based loyalty program

    The chain is shifting its approach after customers found its tiered program, which includes a free and paid subscription, was too complicated.

  • Exterior of a Potbelly restaurant
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    Permission granted by Potbelly
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    Potbelly signs 15-store Georgia deal

    The sandwich brand’s latest move will expand its presence in the Southeast as it targets a nationwide goal of 2,000 units.