McDonald's puts reopening on hold for 3 weeks as COVID-19 spreads

Roughly 2,200 of the chain's U.S. locations are open for limited dine-in service, and the fast food giant said operators can continue to let diners eat inside if local municipalities allow it.

By Emma Liem Beckett • July 2, 2020

Starbucks continues plant-based push with Impossible breakfast sandwich

As consumer interest in meat alternatives surges, the coffee chain joins Burger King and Dunkin' in adding these items to its morning menu.

By Julie Littman • June 23, 2020

Explore the Trendline➔

Top 5 stories from Restaurant Dive

Check out a selection of articles about some of the biggest trends — from the rise of dessert concepts to a cohort of Mexican chains trying to overtake Chipotle  — shaping the restaurant industry in 2024.

By Restaurant Dive staff

Restaurant gift card sales grow nominally prior to COVID-19

New data from Paytronix shows a 10% increase in gift card sales from 2017 to 2018, but just a 1% uptick from 2018 to 2019. 

By Alicia Kelso • June 23, 2020

Coronavirus stalls 2020 breakfast wars

With fewer commuters and rising unemployment, the pandemic hit the morning daypart hard and halted growth plans at McDonald's, Taco Bell and Wendy's.

By Julie Littman • June 17, 2020

Burger King serves up 100K breakfast sandwiches to 'night owls'

The chain is rolling out the plant-based Impossible Croissan-wich and aims to drive foot traffic to restaurants by not offering the giveaway for delivery orders.

By Robert Williams • June 16, 2020

Sanitation will be top diner concern post-coronavirus, report reveals

A clean restaurant is more important to customers than taste and value, according to Datassentia​l.

By Emma Liem Beckett • June 15, 2020

Starbucks reverses policy, allows employees to wear Black Lives Matter attire

The decision follows backlash and calls to boycott the chain after BuzzFeed shared an internal company memo telling employees such clothes could be misconstrued and lead to violence. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • June 12, 2020

68% of restaurants allowed to reopen dining rooms

Customer transactions at major restaurant chains have already shown signs of improvement, with transactions down 18% during the week ending May 31, 3% better than the previous week, according to NPD Group data.

By Alicia Kelso • June 10, 2020

City restaurants see greater impact from COVID-19 closures

More restaurants have closed in urban areas than other regions during the pandemic, according to Datassential, and many in cities will face short-term disruptions from protests.

By Emma Liem Beckett • June 5, 2020

66% of consumers aren't ready to dine in yet, study says

Concern about further spread of COVID-19 and whether dine-in service is safe has some consumers waiting to return to dining rooms despite reduced restrictions.  

By Lauren Manning • May 26, 2020

Walnuts are the next big plant-based ingredient on the menu

Walnuts play a starring role in the focus for clean label, plant-based meat alternatives.

May 26, 2020

Family meals serve up new opportunities for chains

As restaurants struggle to grow sales during the novel coronavirus pandemic, many have transformed their catering menus into family meals to appeal to more people staying at home.

By Julie Littman • May 19, 2020

Golden Corral revamps dining room formats as Garden Fresh goes under

Social distancing mandates that close self-service food and drink stations are hitting buffet chains hard, but some are adapting with new services.

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 19, 2020

Postmates adds curbside pickup feature

The delivery platform's newest feature for merchants enables both customers and drivers to collect orders without entering restaurants.

By Alicia Kelso • May 18, 2020

Chick-fil-A will launch a meal kit nationwide next week

Two years after its initial meal kit test in Atlanta, the chain expects more than half of its system to offer the $14.99 heat-and-eat chicken parmesan meal.

By Emma Liem Beckett • May 1, 2020

5 practices restaurants can use to keep customers safe

Operators should maintain social distancing standards, retool their menus and communicate with their guests about what is being done to minimize exposure when dining room closures lift.

By Julie Littman • April 30, 2020

NRA calls for PPP reform, estimates 8M restaurant job losses

National Restaurant Association is pushing Congress to create a $240 billion restaurant relief and recovery fund, and to change the PPP's loan period, forgiveness restrictions and repayment terms.

By Lauren Manning • April 21, 2020

ChowNow, Instagram launch commission-free online food ordering

Online ordering platform ChowNow partnered with the social media platform to enable restaurants to add "Order Food" buttons to their profiles and Stories.  

By Alicia Kelso • April 16, 2020

Panera, Subway sell groceries to fight coronavirus sales slump

Legacy chains are taking cues from independent restaurant strategies to open up new revenue streams, offering pantry items from cheese to frozen soup. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • April 8, 2020

Brands recalibrate to community-building during quarantine

Social distancing mandates upended in-person activations, leading brands like Chipotle to get creative with cultivating connections online. But can they sustain momentum once the pandemic subsides?

By Natalie Koltun • April 7, 2020

H-E-B adds restaurant meals to prepared foods sections

The grocer has teamed up with local restaurateurs in San Antonio and Houston to support their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

By Jessica Dumont • April 6, 2020

Shake Shack moves into meal kits as sales sharply decline

The burger chain partnered with Goldbelly, a gourmet food delivery service, to launch a cook-at-home burger kit nationwide. They cost $49 for an eight-pack.   

By Alicia Kelso • April 6, 2020

3% of restaurants have already closed permanently, NRA survey finds

Another 11% of the 4,000 operators the National Restaurant Association surveyed predict that they will permanently close within 30 days. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • March 27, 2020

How investment in mobile order for pickup is the game changer restaurants need today

A new Rakuten Ready study analyzes restaurant profitability across Drive-Thru, In-Person and Order for Pickup channels.

March 25, 2020

National Restaurant Association Show is canceled

The industry's largest trade show will not be rescheduled — a move that could have devastating consequences for foodservice vendors that plan their marketing budgets around the event.

By Emma Liem Beckett • March 24, 2020