Operations: Page 54
-
El Pollo Loco unveils 2 restaurant designs prioritizing off-premise channels
The new models include dual drive-thru lanes, dedicated curbside parking spaces, cubbies for mobile to-go orders, digital menu boards and either no dining room or a smaller one.
By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 3, 2020 -
Wisconsin to issue $45M in aid to restaurants
Under the We're All In For Restaurants program, the state will provide $20,000 for 2,000 eligible businesses, which will receive the funding automatically based on tax records.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 3, 2020 -
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 -
Many California restaurants must end indoor, outdoor dining amid stay-at-home order
Regions with less than 15% ICU availability, which the state predicts to be the majority of counties within the coming weeks, will only be allowed to operate restaurants for takeout and delivery until capacity increases.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 3, 2020 -
Jamba debuts autonomous smoothie kiosk in Walmart
The smoothie-making robot, which is co-branded with Blendid, makes beverages using a robotic arm, blenders, refrigeration system and ingredient dispensers.
By Catherine Douglas Moran • Dec. 3, 2020 -
Jimmy John's partners with DoorDash using self-delivery product
The partnership marks a strategy shift for the sandwich chain, which once vowed never to work with third-party apps.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 2, 2020 -
Thrillist, Zuul launch rotating ghost kitchen in New York City
A series of 10 restaurants will lead a two-week chef residency at the shared kitchen facility in the SoHo district, offering limited-edition meals for delivery. Thrillist will cover food, labor, packaging and delivery costs.
By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 1, 2020 -
Opinion
Strategies for restaurants to address financial distress in the UK and US
Restaurants should identify cash shortfalls in their business models and share information with stakeholders to implement a comprehensive consensual restructuring, say attorneys at Goodwin's Financial Restructuring Group.
By Simon Thomas, Oonagh Steel, Michael Goldstein, Howard Steel • Nov. 30, 2020 -
How the pandemic is shaping restaurant design
There's no one blueprint for a restaurant that is both safe amid COVID-19 and engaging. Restaurant Dive spoke with major chains and design experts about assets that could be popular solutions.
Nov. 30, 2020 -
Fast casual Saladworks opens in a Cincinnati Kroger
The salad chain has opened 22 stores over the first half of 2020 despite the pandemic, leaning into more unconventional locations, including supermarkets and military bases.
By Rosie Bradbury • Nov. 25, 2020 -
How 13 casual chains are turning sales around
Even though full-service chains' still face an uphill battle, many are seeing positive results from accelerated off-premise initiatives and new offerings that could last even after the pandemic.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 24, 2020 -
Starbucks boosts employee pay as US wages rise
The coffee giant will hike wages at least 10% for baristas, shift supervisors and cafe attendants hired on or before Sept. 14. Starting pay will also be raised 5%.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 19, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Pandemic revs up drive-thru design innovations
With drive-thru traffic increasing in the double-digits over the last two quarters, QSRs like Arby's, McDonald's, Burger King, KFC and Taco Bell have developed prototypes that better streamline the channel.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 19, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Designing with distance: How restaurants are evolving to meet pandemic needs
Forced air blasted between bar seats. Chef's kitchens encased in glass cubes. Garage-style, floor-to-ceiling windows. Experts predict what could become dominant design assets across the industry.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 18, 2020 -
Why Chipotle CTO compares technologists to air traffic controllers
CTO Curt Garner says collaboration skills helped the company sustain its digital sales by layering technologies.
By Roberto Torres • Nov. 17, 2020 -
Dine Brands taps new CEO
Though the company's overall performance is slowly recovering, Realogy Franchise Group CEO John Peyton will take the reins of the company at a very delicate point in time.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 17, 2020 -
How 5 mega chains are designing restaurants for a digital future
From McDonald's to Chipotle, limited-service brands are spending big on drive-thru, drive-in and pickup technology to grow revenue as the contactless experience becomes king. Here’s a breakdown of their designs.
By Emma Liem Beckett , Julie Littman • Nov. 17, 2020 -
Chick-fil-A goes modular with offsite restaurant rebuild
Frey-Moss Structures helped the chain create its first modular restaurant in Roswell, Georgia, in about half the time of a traditional scrape and build.
By Zachary Phillips • Nov. 16, 2020 -
Washington joins several states in weeks-long dining room bans as coronavirus cases surge
Oregon, New Mexico and Michigan have also temporarily closed indoor dining, which could put more restaurants that were starting to see signs of recovery at risk of permanent closures.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 16, 2020 -
Full-service restaurants 'particularly risky' for COVID-19 spread, study finds
New research from Stanford University and Northwestern University also suggests that full lockdowns aren't necessary to control the virus, and that masks, social distancing measures and reduced capacity all work.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 11, 2020 -
Chipotle to open its first digital-only restaurant
The Digital Kitchen concept in Highland Falls, New York, will offer pickup and delivery only and could expand into more urban locations that wouldn't support a full-size restaurant.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 11, 2020 -
McDonald's new loyalty program will optimize digital, drive-thru opportunity
The chain will begin piloting the program, which offers personalized orders and deals across all digital touchpoints, at select Phoenix, Arizona, restaurants prior to a nationwide launch next year.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 9, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Will ghost kitchens define the restaurant industry's future?
While investor interest booms and sales have the potential to outpace traditional models, questions linger about how much this emerging market could disrupt business in the long term.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 9, 2020 -
Wendy's taps operations chief as chain shifts focus to digital channels
To create more consistent experiences across its entire footprint, the chain named Deepak Ajmani as its new chief operating officer overseeing both company and franchise locations.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 6, 2020 -
Papa John's continued sales growth attracts lucrative franchisees
The chain reported a revenue increase of 17% year-over-year to $472.9 million for Q3, exceeding Wall Street expectations, and the fifth-consecutive quarter of comparable sales growth.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 5, 2020 -
The cooking robotics space expected to be a $322M business by 2028, study says
The fast food industry is expected to see a 17% per year growth rate through 2028, the highest of any sector, according to Research Nester.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 5, 2020