Denny's refreshes 24/7 heritage with help of diverse TikTok stars

A new brand platform targets younger diners through influencer menu collaborations positioned as different from common "hacks" in the QSR category.

By Peter Adams • March 1, 2022

Domino's CEO Ritch Allison will retire, be succeeded by COO

Russell Weiner will take the helm of the pizza giant on May 1, and current Six Flags CFO Sandeep Reddy will become Domino's CFO on April 1. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • March 1, 2022

Explore the Trendline➔

Menu development

Restaurants big and small are experimenting with their menus to align with the preferences of on-the-go diners and mitigate the impact of rising food costs, supply chain disruption and shrinking consumer discretionary funds. 

By Restaurant Dive staff

Firehouse Subs names RBI alum as first COO in 13 years

Mike Hancock, a veteran of Tim Hortons and Burger King, is tasked with growing the chain's technology capabilities and expanding its network through franchise deals. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 24, 2022

Chipotle hikes executive pay ties to DEI, environmental targets

Annual bonuses will be impacted by up to 15%, up from 10% in 2021.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 23, 2022

Icahn nominates 2 McDonald's board members amid pork welfare scuffle

While the nominees will stand for election this year, the fast food chain argues Icahn's demands for pork welfare are currently "impossible."

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 22, 2022

Fat Brands CEO and COO under federal investigation

The Los Angeles Times reports Andrew Wiederhorn and his son are being investigated for alleged money laundering and fraud, but Fat says the company isn't the target of the probe.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 22, 2022

Fat Brands' CEO on developing supply chain, labor strategies for the Super Bowl

Andy Wiederhorn talks how shortages and price hikes of the past few years have informed contingency plans ahead of the big game. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 10, 2022

C3 takes over in-room dining at The Westin Las Vegas Hotel & Spa

This marks the ghost kitchen company's latest hotel deal as it works to diversify its offerings through partnerships and its own brick-and-mortar concepts. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Feb. 9, 2022

Chipotle’s menu prices are about 10% higher than last year, and still climbing

The menu price hikes contributed to strong quarterly sales, with same-store sales rising 15% over Q4 2020 and total sales hitting $2 billion, exceeding analyst predictions.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 9, 2022

Burgerim sued by federal government in wake of franchise infractions

The suit, filed Monday in California, claims Burgerim's inaccurate franchise disclosure documents and refusal to disburse promised refunds left franchisees with "substantial debt or ruined credit."

By Emma Liem Beckett • Feb. 8, 2022

Fogo de Chao plans to grow restaurant count by 15% in 2022

The steakhouse's expansion plans include entering the New Jersey market as well as locations in California, Florida, New York, Mexico and Brazil. 

By Alicia Kelso • Feb. 7, 2022

McDonald's tries to nix racial audit from 2022 proxy

Shareholders' audit proposal comes after the chain recently launched several initiatives aimed at improving diversity within the company.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Updated Jan. 27, 2022

Starbucks scraps vaccine, testing requirements for US employees

The coffee chain is still encouraging workers to get inoculated and has increased precautions, including new quarantine measures.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 20, 2022

The manager red book alternative that restaurants love

Running a successful restaurant operation—from 1 to 100 locations—requires rock-solid communication.

Jan. 18, 2022

Starbucks commits to a more diverse supply chain

The chain plans to increase its annual spend with diverse suppliers to $1.5 billion by 2030, nearly doubling its 2021 spend of nearly $800 million.

By Alicia Kelso • Jan. 12, 2022

C3 snags Uber Eats' former ghost kitchen chief

Pasha Mehran joins as chief strategy officer, overseeing collaborations with celebrity chef-driven restaurants and ghost kitchen partners, as well as expansion into suburban markets. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 12, 2022

Waitr will rebrand to ASAP, cannabis will be a key focus

The platform's non-restaurant delivery verticals will help it compete against major rivals, CEO Carl Grimstad said at the ICR 2022 Conference Tuesday.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 12, 2022

Kroger takes the next step in testing ghost kitchens

The Kitchen United Mix location at a Ralphs in Los Angeles offers pickup and delivery orders from 10 different restaurants.

By Jeff Wells • Jan. 10, 2022

Papa Johns will open over 1,350 stores in China by 2040

The pizza chain's largest franchisee development deal to date will grow its global unit count by 25% and continue its aggressive expansion push.

By Emma Liem Beckett • Jan. 7, 2022

Sweetgreen launches Sweetpass subscription

The salad chain is testing a $10 subscription service where customers can get $3 off a meal every day for 30 days.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Jan. 3, 2022

How 2021's restaurant IPOs have performed so far

From Dutch Bros' booming IPO to Krispy Kreme's less-than-stellar initial stock performance, these are the companies that went public this year. 

By Julie Littman • Dec. 20, 2021

Darden CEO to retire

Gene Lee, who served as the chief executive for seven years, will step down in May and Rick Cardenas, current president and COO, will take over. 

By Julie Littman • Dec. 17, 2021

Behind the scenes of Starbucks workers' first successful union drive

A Buffalo Starbucks store secured a majority union vote on Dec. 9 after two years of organizing. But union experts don't think the win will be "a wildfire sweeping the American labor market."

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 16, 2021

McDonald's claws back $105M from ousted ex-CEO Steve Easterbrook

The settlement brings McDonald's year-long clawback struggle to a close, during which time the company attracted criticism and multiple lawsuits for granting Easterbrook a severance package. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Dec. 16, 2021

Starbucks Workers United confident of impending victory at 2nd store

The union believes the final count at a store in Cheektowaga, New York, will be in its favor, claiming six ballots were cast by ineligible voters. The union leads 15-9, with seven total challenges. 

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Dec. 10, 2021