Marco’s Pizza aims to unseat Papa Johns as fourth-largest US pizza chain

Marco’s has identified over 4,200 locations where it could open smaller units in the next five to 10 years, Chief Development Officer Gerardo Flores said.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2023

Golden Corral fast casual spin-off to open in December

Homeward Kitchen, which will debut in North Carolina, will help fuel company’s ongoing expansion plan and help Golden Corral reach new demographics.

By Julie Littman • Updated Oct. 20, 2023

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

BurgerFi expands non-traditional channels with planned movie theater opening

The chain, which continues to struggle with slumping same-store sales, is leaning into alternative locations to boost brand awareness and expansion. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 20, 2023

How Portillo’s changed its real estate, design playbook to launch efficient restaurants

Using data analytics, the company found that it could generate AUVs of at least $7 million in 220 more markets than initially thought.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 19, 2023

TGI Fridays’ new events service could yield $5M in additional Q4 revenue

The chain said this move is part of its strategy to become an experiential hospitality and entertainment destination.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 19, 2023

Square adds generative AI tools for restaurants

The point-of-sales provider's latest features include menu and website copy generators, which are designed to automate operations and increase efficiency.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 18, 2023

Wendy’s exec leads new store growth across the world

Abigail Pringle oversees restaurant design, real estate, construction and franchise development for the fast food giant.

By Jennifer Goodman • Oct. 18, 2023

‘A low bar’: How California’s new workplace violence prevention plan aims to make workplaces safer

The new law is the first in the U.S. to establish an industrywide workplace violence prevention standard and could lead other states to follow, experts say.

By Ginger Christ • Oct. 16, 2023

How drive-thru-only units are shaping QSR operations

Smaller units can lower costs and optimize operations, experts said during Restaurant Dive’s off-premise trends virtual event in September.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 16, 2023

How to create menus that attract Gen Z customers

What does Gen Z want? While there isn’t one answer, there are a few ways to entice this demographic.

Oct. 16, 2023

9 restaurant industry events to attend in 2024

The coming year is packed with conferences focused on hot-button restaurant issues ranging from franchise operations to generative artificial intelligence. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 13, 2023

Virtual brand troubles are growing pains, not death rattle, experts say

“We’re in the second inning of a nine-inning ballgame,” said Geoff Alexander, Wow Bao’s CEO and president.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 11, 2023

McDonald’s US CMO on brand’s first-party data transformation

After years of struggling with the youth market, the chain has turned things around thanks to its loyalty program and more culturally impactful campaigns.

By Peter Adams • Oct. 11, 2023

How pumpkin spice became the unshakeable king of coffee LTOs

Developing the autumnal flavor for cold drinks, which are surging in popularity, is a technical feat. But recent innovations may secure the flavor’s dominance for years to come, experts say.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 10, 2023

4 c-store breakfast trends to wake up to

Morning is the busiest time of day for c-stores. Here’s how TXB, Rutter’s and others are updating their menus to connect with customers.

By Christine Blank • Oct. 10, 2023

Paris Baguette appoints Duck Donuts exec as chief development officer

Eric Lavinder brings over 20 years of restaurant experience to the cafe chain, which aims to reach 1,000 units in the U.S. by 2030.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 9, 2023

Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A lead QSR drive-thru speed

New prototypes, like Taco Bell’s Defy in Minnesota, were significantly faster than segment averages, Intouch Insight’s latest drive-thru study finds.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 6, 2023

Chicago to eliminate subminimum wage

The law sets the maximum tip credit at 40% of the city’s minimum wage on July 1, 2024, and decreases the allowable tip credit 8% every year until 2028.

By Aneurin Canham-Clyne • Oct. 6, 2023

How Golden Corral survived COVID-19

After the pandemic bankrupted several buffet chains, Golden Corral is focusing on growth and offering franchise incentives to offset high operating costs.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 6, 2023

How Salt Bae created a one-of-a-kind dining experience

After opening 10 steakhouses within the last three years, Nusr-Et plans to expand its Salt Bae Burger brand in airports and add dance lounges to several flagship locations.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 5, 2023

McLane launches proprietary pizza line

The distributor’s Prendisimo brand adds another offering to its fast-growing foodservice program that launched this summer.

By Jeff Wells • Oct. 5, 2023

Arko names Casey’s, RaceTrac veteran to new foodservice role

Richard Guidry, who previously worked as brand director of foodservice at Casey’s, will help Arko subsidiary GPM Investments grow its dining program.

By Jessica Loder • Oct. 4, 2023

McDonald’s franchisees worry chain will increase royalties for existing operations

The chain will raise royalty rates from 4% to 5% for new and refranchised units in January, but operators say the bigger cost will come from a rent increase, per a BTIG report. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 3, 2023

An inside look at Red Robin’s menu revamp

Brian Sullivan, who joined the chain in January as VP of culinary, and his team retooled about 85% of the menu to enhance flavor and presentation. 

By Julie Littman • Oct. 3, 2023

Domino’s, Microsoft partner to bring AI to restaurants, online ordering

The two companies will work together to create technology with Azure OpenAI to help managers handle inventory, staff scheduling and customer experience, with the first iteration of the generative AI set to roll out by March.

By Julie Littman • Oct. 3, 2023