Operations: Page 55
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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 -
Wendy's breakfast, digital drive best same-store sales in 15 years
The QSR chain has plenty of room to grow its morning daypart since consumer awareness of the menu is about 50% and many of its existing customers haven't tried it yet.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 4, 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 -
McDonald's taps new DEI leader
The evolution of McDonald's diversity, equity and inclusion practices has been in the spotlight throughout leadership changes, discrimination lawsuits and alleged labor violations.
By Sheryl Estrada • Nov. 3, 2020 -
Aurify preps for expansion of Le Pain Quotidien brand in New York City
The company, which bought the cafe bakery chain for $3 million in June, will open at least 10 locations inside former Maison Kayser locations by early 2021.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 3, 2020 -
A DC ghost food hall gives a glimpse of a post-pandemic restaurant future
By the third weekend of dining room closures, restaurateur Aaron Gordon was pulling 100% of sales compared to 2019 through delivery and takeout alone. That spurred an idea, and in September Ghostline launched with six restaurants.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Nov. 2, 2020 -
Wendy's turns drive-thru into spooky Halloween experience
For people not near the Los Angeles "scare-thru," the chain is running a coupon effort on Twitter to ramp up usage of its app and loyalty program.
By Aaron Baar • Oct. 30, 2020 -
Restaurants weigh survival chances without full capacity or winterization efforts
As colder months approach, nearly half of operators think they would last less than a year if they continue to have restricted dining, according to a Rewards Network survey.
By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 30, 2020 -
Dunkin' closes over 680 underperforming stores
Closing these locations will allow franchisees to redeploy capital into a NextGen remodel, build new restaurants or relocate to higher-traffic areas where a drive-thru can be added.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 29, 2020 -
White Castle will partially close all restaurants every presidential Election Day
Staff who are scheduled to work between 7 and 11 a.m. on Nov. 3 in its restaurants, manufacturing plants or office will be paid for the four-hour break so they can vote.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 28, 2020 -
Indoor dining to cease in Chicago Friday
After reaching 40% dine-in capacity on Oct. 1, restaurants in the Windy City must reclose their dining rooms due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 28, 2020 -
White Castle is bringing Flippy the robot to 10 more restaurants
The robot optimizes staffing during hard-to-fill, late-night shifts at the 24-hour restaurant, and integrates with delivery applications to sync order completion with driver pickup times.
By Emma Liem Beckett • Oct. 27, 2020 -
Rubio's among the largest fast casual chains to declare bankruptcy this year
The company joins a growing list of restaurants, including Ruby Tuesday, Sizzler USA, California Pizza Kitchen and CEC Entertainment, to file for Chapter 11 during the pandemic.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 27, 2020 -
Burger King parent to modernize 10K drive-thrus by 2022
Restaurant Brands International will add over 40,000 digital screens to Burger King and Tim Hortons brands that will provide predictive technology, contactless payment options and integrate with loyalty programs.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 27, 2020 -
Saladworks expands grocery footprint with The Giant Company
The fast-casual salad franchise already has several locations in other grocery stores, including ShopRite, and has plans for at least 10 more by early next year.
By Jessica Dumont • Oct. 26, 2020 -
Deep Dive
Independent restaurants go dark to keep the lights on
The Independent Restaurant Coalition estimates that as many as 85% of mom-and-pop restaurants could close by the end of 2020. But some of them are finding new life in virtual brands and ghost kitchens.
By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 26, 2020 -
Bankrupt Ruby Tuesday granted 2-month rent deferral
A judge will allow the casual chain to not pay rent for 60 days after hearing the company's plan to provide landlords with a cut of a $22.5 million retirement plan trust fund it will liquidate as part of Chapter 11 proceedings.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2020 -
New restaurant openings return to pre-pandemic levels, Yelp says
About 6,600 food establishments opened each in August and September, while 210,000 temporarily closed businesses reopened during Q3, according to the latest Yelp Economic Average report.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 23, 2020 -
72% of franchisees have enhanced delivery, drive-thru amid the pandemic, study shows
The shift toward delivery and online ordering — which now make up 39% of sales compared to 20% in 2019 — is expected to be long lasting especially as consumer adoption grows, according to TD Bank.
By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 22, 2020 -
Chipotle could exceed $2.5B in digital sales in 2020
The fast casual chain's digital sales grew just over 200% to $776 million during the third quarter and made up nearly half of total sales. So far this year, digital sales are almost $2 billion.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 22, 2020 -
Restaurant operating profits will rise 15% in 2021, Moody's predicts
Conditions are expected to continue to slowly improve in the next 12 to 18 months due to easing dine-in restrictions, but the ratings agency also cautioned that more closures are on the horizon.
By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 21, 2020 -
Former Sweetgreen employee alleges he was sexually harassed, misgendered
The plaintiff, a transgender man, said a co-worker "showed him pornographic pictures, told other employees they were dating and that the plaintiff was her property," according to the complaint.
By Lisa Burden • Oct. 20, 2020 -
Wisconsin Applebee's franchisee is latest to file Chapter 11
The franchisee, which operates 25 units, was appointed a receiver last week, but instead chose to file for bankruptcy to keep its restaurants open and 600 employees on the job.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 20, 2020 -
Del Taco is planning a drive-thru-only restaurant model
With the Mexican QSR recouping lost dine-in sales through off-premise channels, the chain is in the final stages of a new prototype that removes the dining room and requires less real estate.
By Alicia Kelso • Oct. 19, 2020 -
Deep Dive
How ghost kitchens are helping major restaurants recoup lost revenue
Chains like Famous Dave's and Brinker International were already moving toward delivery-only concepts pre-pandemic, allowing them to more quickly deploy and expand these concepts compared to other restaurants.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 19, 2020 -
P.F. Chang's continues takeout-only expansion with NYC launch
CEO Damola Adamolekun said its three new To Go locations in the Big Apple is part of a larger strategy to reach a more urban population.
By Julie Littman • Oct. 19, 2020