The Latest
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Courtesy of Marco's Pizza
Marco’s opens first location with new digital-focused design
The prototype, which has the option for a pickup door and window, is expected to accelerate the chain’s growth while improving customer services.
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Courtesy of Denny's
Denny’s hires chief brand and chief people officers
Monigo G. Saygbay-Hallie will help shape Denny’s culture as chief people officer while Patty Trevino will focus on all areas of branding in her role.
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Courtesy of Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza franchisee slapped with $277K child labor fine
The U.S. Department of Labor found the 10-unit franchisee violated child labor laws related to 28 workers under the age of 18.
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Courtesy of Zaxby's
Zaxbys creates e-commerce division, adds chief digital officer
Chris Kung, who joins the fast food chain after four years at Dollar General, will oversee the company’s new e-commerce and loyalty team.
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Brandon Bell via Getty Images
Red Lobster to be acquired by stalking horse bidder
After it failed to receive any qualified bids, the casual chain will continue the sales process with RL Purchaser, an entity organized and controlled by secured lender Fortress Credit Corp.
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Retrieved from Casey's.
C-stores see higher loyalty retention than QSRs, data shows
However, they sign up new members much more slowly than quick- and full-service restaurants, according to data from Paytronix.
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Courtesy of Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut franchisee declares bankruptcy
EYM Group has been in a legal battle with Pizza Hut over the past few months and closed over a dozen stores in Indiana and Ohio in June.
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Permission granted by Bojangles
Bojangles to deploy voice AI at hundreds of drive-thrus
The chicken chain is positioning itself as an aggressive early-adopter of drive-thru voice AI, and says Hi Auto’s tool is more than 95% accurate.
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Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
Krispy Kreme sells majority stake in Insomnia Cookies for $127M
The doughnut chain, which bought the cookie company in 2018, will use the proceeds of the sale to focus on its core business, expand availability of its products and pay down debt.
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Courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
Coffee and EV charging: Mercedes-Benz partners with Starbucks
The collaboration will add DC fast chargers at 100 retail locations along the 1,400-mile Interstate 5 corridor.
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Courtesy of McDonald's
How chains are competing in the 2024 value wars
From McDonald’s and Burger King’s $5 meals to Del Taco’s $2 menu, fast food chains ramped up their value meals this year to attract price-sensitive guests.
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Screenshot: Google Maps
NLRB withdraws 5th Circuit appeal of joint employer final rule injunction
The Board said it would “like the opportunity to further consider the issues identified” in a district court’s injunction while citing other, ongoing legislation relevant to its rulemaking.
Updated July 19, 2024 -
Courtesy of El Pollo Loco
El Pollo adds new types of burritos to its menu
The burritos, which include guacamole at no upcharge, are a response to customer demand for more filling menu items.
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Permission granted by Perkins
Perkins enters value wars with breakfast trios
The chain’s Great American Trio sells at a price point of $5 to $7, making it competitive with similar meals offered by Denny’s and IHOP.
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Permission granted by Sizzler
Sizzler upgrades burger menu
The Prime Rib Burger and Crispy Bacon Burger are part of the chain’s efforts to refresh its image, said Robert Clark, Sizzler USA’s chief growth officer.
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Courtesy of Burger King
Why Burger King is all-in on gamification
A full pipeline of new and unique in-app games drives engagement for the brand, according to Preston Nix, director of loyalty and CRM.
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Permission granted by Puttshack
Puttshack promotes CFO to CEO
Logan Powell, the eatertainment’s CFO for five years, takes over for Joe Vrankin as the company looks to expand its footprint in the U.S.
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Permission granted by One Table Restaurant Group
One Table Restaurant Brands files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protections
Fees on third-party orders and rising debt costs meant a partial recovery from 2020 was not enough to allow the parent company of Tender Greens and Tacaya to repay its creditors.
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Darden to buy Chuy’s for more than $600M
The all-cash transaction will add a Tex-Mex chain to Darden’s portfolio of restaurants, which includes Olive Garden and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.
Updated July 17, 2024 -
Courtesy of Panera Bread
Panera Bread spices up sandwich menu
The chain also added two avocado toast flavors and revived blueberry and sesame bagels as part of its latest menu change.
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Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
The forces shaping Gen Z’s snack and beverage consumption
Gen Z has a sweet tooth and loves childhood flavors, but they increasingly demand healthy ingredients, major restaurants and suppliers say.
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Courtesy of Hilton
Hotel restaurants use storytelling, immersive experiences to draw repeat guests
Successful concepts center narratives, offer signature experiences and are well-attuned to changing customer tastes, experts say.
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Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
Compass Coffee union vote mired in challenges
The union secured unanimous support among unchallenged voters, but the vast majority of ballots must be adjudicated by the NLRB.
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Permission granted by Beef O' Brady's
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s launches SoundHound’s automated phone ordering system
After launching in over 30 corporate locations, the technology, which claims to be “highly accurate,” is now available to over 100 franchised units.
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Glenn, Miles. (2022). "Zaxby's" [Photograph]. Retrieved from Flickr.
Zaxby’s faces lawsuit for allegedly refusing to accommodate pregnant teen
A manager allegedly told the plaintiff to work in the restaurant’s hot kitchen and fired her because she asked to be reassigned, according to the complaint.
