Domino's leaning on fortressing to improve delivery, not third-party aggregators

CEO Ritch Allison admitted in an earnings call that third-party delivery growth has hurt the chain's same-store sales, but believes the threat will soon dissipate since these partnerships eat into restaurant profits. 

By Julie Littman • April 24, 2019

Papa John's opens 2,000th overseas store as competition intensifies

The chain is growing international units in the double-digits as it struggles domestically, but Pizza Hut and Domino's also are eyeing global markets.

By Alicia Kelso • April 24, 2019

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

Postmates adds 1K cities, reaches into 50 states

With the delivery company now nationwide, it will be better positioned to compete with the likes of DoorDash, Grubhub and Uber Eats. 

By Julie Littman • April 24, 2019

How McDonald's super sizes its data for an optimized supply chain

The restaurant giant will use artificial intelligence to change its drive-thru menus, enabling new capabilities behind the scenes in demand planning.

By Craig Guillot • April 23, 2019

'Welcome to Walmart. May I take your order?'

With popular local and fast casual chains siphoning off mealtime dollars, some grocers have brought the likes of Wahlburgers and Rapid Fired Pizza into stores.

By Lauren Manning • April 23, 2019

McDonald's reportedly adding international favorites to US menus

A leaked memo obtained by Business Insider revealed the chain's next menu items will include the McExtreme Bacon Burger from Spain and the Stroopwafel McFlurry from the Netherlands.

By Julie Littman • April 23, 2019

Shift Change: McDonald's hires franchise exec; Chick-fil-A adds new board members

This week's Shift Change highlights executive changes at McDonald's, Chick-fil-A, Dutch Bros Coffee, El Pollo Loco, CKE Restaurants and Black Bear Diner. 

By Julie Littman • April 18, 2019

Having to share personal data turns consumers away from loyalty programs, study says

Conversely, 76% of surveyed Americans said they would be more likely to join a program that required just their name and phone number.

By Laura Klepacki and Emma Liem • April 18, 2019

Bite Squad expands breakfast delivery service

Third-party aggregators and restaurants are adding more delivery options to capture additional revenue from the growing morning daypart. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 18, 2019

McDonald's cutting premium burgers from menu

Following its reduction to its late-night menu, the fast food chain is cutting its Signature Crafted Recipes from its menu, a strategy that falls in line with its desire to shorten drive-thru times. 

By Julie Littman • April 17, 2019

Godiva to open 2,000 cafes in next 6 years

The chocolatier is entering a segment crowded by Starbucks, Dunkin' and Panera, but hopes to glean 40% of its sales from these cafes by 2025. 

By Julie Littman • April 17, 2019

McDonald's bets personalization will keep diners lovin' it

The fast food giant's $300 million acquisition of Dynamic Yield reflects growing diner demand for engaging, digitally tailored brand interactions, says Wi5 CEO Prask Sutton. 

By Prask Sutton • April 16, 2019

Restaurants adding surcharges to cover healthcare costs

Despite the added price, diners have been willing to pay additional fees that go toward employees' healthcare costs, paid time off and other benefits. 

By Alicia Kelso • April 16, 2019

Starbucks launches $1.3M 'Cup Fund' for UK recycling programs

Launched in partnership with environmental charity Hubbub, the fund will offer individual grants of up to $131,000 to support paper cup recycling initiatives in at least 10 U.K. locations.

By Rina Li • April 15, 2019

Shift Change: Kona Grill appoints interim CEO; Subway gets a new CIO

This week's Shift Change highlights executive changes at Subway, Kona Grill and Farmer Boys. 

By Julie Littman • April 12, 2019

Rethinking the brand experience beyond space and size

Without designing for experience, an overemphasis on size will leave customers hungry for more, says innovation agency T3's president Ben Gaddis.

By Ben Gaddis • April 12, 2019

Uber Eats preps to expand into grocery, cloud kitchens in light of IPO

With Uber going public, its food delivery service is primed for growth so long as competition doesn't continue to eat into its market share. 

By Julie Littman • April 12, 2019

KFC parodies influencers with CGI hipster Colonel Sanders

The chain handed its Instagram account over to the "Virtual Influencer Colonel" and partnered with Dr. Pepper, TurboTax and Old Spice for the campaign.

By Robert Williams • April 11, 2019

It's not just McDonald's — restaurant CIOs are hungry for tech

"It's hard to look cool if you've got a pager that was from the 1980s still in use," said the founder of Aaron Allen & Associates. 

By Samantha Schwartz • April 11, 2019

Uber Eats boosts delivery tracker transparency with colorful animations

The redesigned platform includes a five-step tracking bar and a "latest arrival time by" update in addition to the typical order ETA.

By Kevin Whiteley • April 11, 2019

Navigating workforce shortages in the restaurant industry

By better managing variable costs, investing in labor-saving technology like digital kiosks and cross training employees, chains can improve retention, says Paul Dodd, SVP of sales at Compeat.

By Paul Dodd • April 10, 2019

Jeni Britton Bauer on how simple goals can create a splendid brand

The founder of Jeni's Spendid Ice Creams shares what it takes to build a brand into a cult favorite, how to encourage creativity and what to look for in a team. 

By Emma Liem Beckett • April 10, 2019

Dig Inn lands $20M led by Danny Meyer-backed investor, will expand into full-service

The farm-to-table plans to open a sit-down location in New York City, in a move that bucks the industry trend of casual dining chain's launching fast casual concepts to drive growth. 

By Kevin Whiteley • April 10, 2019

Even with more teenage workers, restaurants struggling to fill positions

The number of employees from 16 to 19 years old is back up to 2007 numbers, but is expected to shrink in the long term, according to the National Restaurant Association's latest industry report.

By Alicia Kelso • April 10, 2019

Burger King settles lawsuit with franchisee from rodent video

The fast food chain had sued operator Fritz Management to stop using its brand name in 37 locations in Texas, claiming negative media attention following viral videos of rodents in a kitchen is causing sales to decline. 

By Alicia Kelso • Updated May 16, 2019