First Bite

A U.S. federal judge in Texas blocked the broadened National Labor Relations Board joint employer rule that was introduced in October and would have made franchisees and franchisors jointly liable for labor terms and conditions such as union contracts, pay, scheduling, and more. The rule, which was supposed to have gone into effect Monday, would have revived and updated an Obama-era rule that was...

Taco Bell now seems to be adjusting its strategy for younger consumers. Starting March 21, Taco Bell will offer a new Cantina Chicken Menu. With this menu launch, the company projects to use more than 2.5 million additional pounds of produce in 2024. Not only is this new menu aimed at capturing younger consumers’ protein preferences, it was also created to “tackle misconceptions” about only being...

Last fall, President Biden announced a proposed crackdown on “junk fees” or misleading consumer-facing surcharges that are usually included in the fine print before a purchase is made. The Federal Trade Commission’s proposed trade regulation rule would require businesses to include all required fees in the original listed price. While media attention on this proposed crackdown had initially focuse...

KFC’s newest restaurant in Rome, Italy, marks the company’s 30,000th global location. The company announced the milestone, noting that a new KFC location opens somewhere in the world every 3.5 hours on average. In 2023, KFC opened nearly 2,7000 restaurants across 96 countries, a 10% development pace and setting a brand development record. More than 80% of unit growth came from 15 publicly tra...

Potbelly just introduced a new six-pack cookie box, available in-store or digitally. In a statement, Potbelly’s CMO David Daniels said, “Our fans have an insatiable love for our cookies and now we’re making it easier for them to enjoy together with others, share as a gift, or save for later.” In late 2022, Subway also launched six- and 12-pack “Cookie Bundles,” along with the debut of its  li...

Noodles & Company CEO Drew Madsen outlined his plan to turn around the fast-casual chain during an earnings call to discuss a punishing fourth quarter for the chain. Madsen, who had been appointed interim CEO in November  following the departure of his predecessor Dave Boennighausen ,  was named the company’s permanent CEO right before the call . Total revenue in the quarter ended Ja...

Data collection is more important than ever for restaurant operators, and with so many sources out there — from POS systems to delivery platforms, and from loyalty programs to digital surveys — the potential data mine is infinite. But information collection is not just a numbers game; quality and utility are just as important. According to the December 2023 Market Leader Report from Nation’s Resta...

Last week, Panera Bread unveiled its “biggest menu transformation in history,” including nine new items and reimagined recipes and portion sizes, for a total of 20 menu updates. The new menu items include sandwiches like the Toasted Italiano sandwich with Black Forest ham, soppressata and provolone; and salads like the Southwest Chicken Ranch with romaine lettuce, grilled chicken, Ranch dressing,...

The restaurant business continues to normalize since the Covid-19 pandemic devastated the industry four years ago. But as the bumpiness of the supply chain, staffing levels, permitting delays, and food costs start to smooth out, one major challenge remains: Many employees are not OK. According to the  American Psychological Association , 50% of adults ages 18–34 reported a mental illness in 2...

One of the hottest beverage trends at the moment originated in Utah and spread with the help of social media. “Dirty soda” is a sparkling beverage with something creamy added to it — often milk or half-and-half, but also non-dairy options such as coconut cream. In its current form, the menu platform gained traction with the help of Swig, a 63-unit beverage concept based in Lehi, Utah, and now larg...

One of the takeaways from Dine Brands’ earnings call Wednesday morning is that its Applebee’s system plans to close 25 to 35 restaurants this year. Dine Brands CEO John Peyton notes that this is not a right-sizing effort but rather a “deliberate effort to allow franchisees to close unprofitable restaurants, where the market may have moved away from them.”

In the late 1980s, Edna Morris was leading human resources at Hardee’s and was asked by a reporter to be interviewed for a story about women in the restaurant industry. The reporter also asked if she knew of any other women who would be willing to go on the record. The task was more daunting than she expected it would be. “It was hard. I did find some. They existed, but we didn’t know each other,”...

Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. is continuing to struggle under new leadership, as new CEO Julie Felss Masino talked about a long road ahead to recovery and long-term profitability for the Lebanon, Tenn.-based casual-dining brand. Cracker Barrel reported a 4% decline in traffic and modest same-store restaurant sales growth of 1.2% with a more than 5% decline for retail sales for the second q...

CAVA is continuing to ride high after its IPO debut in June. The fast-casual restaurant company released its Q4 and fiscal year earnings on Monday and the results bucked the industry trends that have so far emerged during earnings season.

After suffering from delivery stagnation in the post-pandemic era, Domino’s Pizza appears to have finally found its footing again after implementing its multi-pronged “Hungry for More” strategy. The Ann Arbor, Mich.-based pizza chain reported 2.8% U.S. same-store sales growth for the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, 2023, largely attributable to growth of both its delivery and carryout sectors, thoug...

After the Atlanta-based restaurant company formerly known as Focus Brands  announced its rebranding  to GoTo Foods on Tuesday during the company’s annual conference in Las Vegas, CEO Jim Holthouser offered some details on exactly what to expect in the days and years ahead. Although daily operations won’t change much for franchisees and employees as the company moves to a more platform-ba...

Chefs Jennifer Hwa Dobbertin, Reuben Asaram, and Lawrence Smith have all crafted impressive resumes in their respective hometowns of San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Pheonix. But, as is often the case in the restlessly creative world of culinary, they all want more. For now, Dobbertin, a repeat 2023 and 2024 James Beard Award semi-finalist, is busy running Best Quality Daughter, which she first open...

This past Valentine’s Day there was a trend among limited-service restaurants. Several high-profile companies turned one or a few units into fine-dining experiences. Shake Shack launched a pop-up at two Los Angeles restaurants to promote its new Korean-style menu on Valentine’s Day called the “Swicy Date Night Experience” — “swicy” being a combination of sweet and spicy, two common Korean flavors....

Texas Roadhouse CEO Jerry Morgan ended the company’s Q4/full-year earnings call Thursday evening with an enthusiastic “Yeehaw.” Given the company’s results, this didn’t seem out of place at all. For Q4, the Louisville, Ky.-based casual dining company’s comp sales were up 9.9% at company-owned restaurants and 8.9% at domestic franchise restaurants. Those comp sales were driven by 5.1% traffic growt...

In 2024, it’s becoming harder than ever to be a successful franchisee. On top of ongoing rising food costs and labor shortages, federal and local legislation is cracking down on businesses while expanding worker rights and protections. This year, 25 states introduced or will introduce new minimum wages, with six states increasing their minimum wages to either match or surpass $15 (California, Conn...

Shake Shack is testing combo meals for the first time at some of its drive-thrus, as well as 8-ounce mini-shakes and sundaes at select restaurant locations, CEO Randy Garutti said during a conference call announcing the chain’s fourth quarter and annual earnings. Garutti said the limited-service industry has already established that customers like combo meals, such as sandwiches, fries, and a drin...

Rick Diamond spent most of his career working as an accountant but, like so many others, decided he wanted to be his own boss after Covid hit and started thinking about franchising. Coincidentally, Emily was visiting family in Utah, which gave her the opportunity to visit Crumbl's very first store – a log cabin-like location that opened in Logan, Utah, in 2017. She loved everything about the conce...

For a free burger promotion on Monday, February 12, burger chain Carl’s Jr. went big. Like Super Bowl ad big. The chain ran an ad at the game that was a fighter jet scene reminiscent of the  Top Gun  films with pilots rushing to get their free burger. Carl’s Jr. announced it would be giving away free Western Bacon Cheeseburgers to its loyalty program the day after the Super Bowl. Custome...

Taco Bell held its inaugural Live Más Live event Friday in a popup space on the Las Vegas Strip, harnessing a little extra energy from the city amid its Super Bowl revelry.

We’ve spent a lot of time in recent years talking about chicken. Justifiably so — demand for the protein surpassed beef as younger consumers in particular prefer chicken’s health-halo, versatility, and portability.  But during all of this, a number of chains have been reworking their burgers, pouring time and money into upgrading the sandwiches themselves, as well as the equipment used to mak...