The Week in Restaurants

2026 will be another challenging year, but restaurants are ready. That was one takeaway from the annual ICR investor conference held earlier this week in Orlando.  On this week's episode of The Week in Restaurants, we talk about other happenings at the conference, including a much-anticipated presentation by Fat Brands. We also talk about Dutch Bros' acquisition of Clutch Cafe and what it...

More Salad and Go locations are Salad and Gone. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants examines the drive-thru salad chain, which closed its remaining locations in Texas and Oklahoma. We discuss why that concept has struggled.  We also talk about protein. A dozen restaurant chains have introduced new protein items this week. What’s behind that trend and is i...

What were the biggest stories of 2025? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants should probably be renamed The Year in Restaurants.  We discuss the biggest stories of the year. We talk about the industry’s value war. Challenges in the fast-casual sector. The Hooters bankruptcy. And the impact of immigration on the industry.  And as always, Senior Technology Ed...

Cracker Barrel’s tough quarter has resulted in some layoffs. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants examines the family-dining chain’s tough quarter and its corporate restructuring, which is resulting in layoffs. In addition, we discuss the bankruptcy filing of Pieology and what it says about the state of fast-casual pizza chains. Meanwhile, Hardee’s sued an...

Subway has a new loyalty program, but it is too generous? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at Subway’s new Sub Club loyalty program, which gives users one free footlong sandwich with the purchase of three. Franchisees say it’s too generous and piles on too many discounts.  We also look at Noodles & Company, which has taken numerous steps to r...

Panera Bread is hoping better food and service will help it rise again. On this episode of The Week in Restaurants, the weekly news discussion podcast from Restaurant Business, we talk about the new turnaround plan at the fast-casual bakery/cafe chain after years of declines. We also discuss the latest developments at Cracker Barrel, where shareholders backed CEO Julie Masino but ousted a board me...

This week’s episode of the restaurant news discussion podcast looks at challenges in the fast-casual sector, Starbucks’ holiday sales and takeaways from RFDC.

Denny’s is getting taken private and Pizza Hut could be next. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the sale of Denny’s to a group of investors this week and what that deal means.  We also talk about Yum Brands putting Pizza Hut on the market, what it says about the brand and the pizza market in general. It was a huge week of earnings so we also so...

Tariffs are taking a bite out of the restaurant business. In this week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants, we look at the most recent slate of industry earnings. There were some fascinating results from Chipotle, Starbucks, Shake Shack and Restaurant Brands International. We discuss those earnings.  In addition, we look at Greg Flynn’s agreement to develop 7 Brew...

The third quarter ended with a whimper for restaurant chains. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at what we’re expecting to hear from the various segments within the industry as third-quarter reports are revealed. We also talk about the Trump Administration’s aggressive deportation efforts and how that has impacted the industry nationwide. And Joe...

Del Taco is getting a new owner. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the $115 million sale of Del Taco by Jack in the Box, just four years after Jack bought the Mexican chain for a lot more than that.  In addition, Waymo is getting into delivery. We discuss what this means for the restaurant industry and the future of delivery.  Domino’s had some...

Here comes more restaurant rebrands. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the rebrands at Domino’s and Long John Silver’s, and what those rebrands mean for the companies.  Senior Tech Editor Joe Guszkowski also talks about rebrands later in the podcast on Tech Check. Speaking of marketing, Wendy’s hired a consulting firm run by a very interesting...

A slowing economy is adding to the restaurant industry’s woes. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants examines the state of the economy, with a weakening labor market and heavy deal-seeking by consumers.  We also look again at Starbucks’ closures, and what they say about the state of the chain right now.  In addition, we discuss the evolving strategy of the...

Starbucks is closing stores and cutting more jobs.  On this episode of The Week in Restaurants, Restaurant Business Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski and Executive Editor Lisa Jennings break down some juicy news, including those latest Starbucks moves. They also discuss a stealthy new beverage concept from Chick-fil-A, and give a quick review of some of the new drinks at McDonald's. Also, they dig...

Another growth chain is de-growing. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Businss podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the 41 restaurant closures of Salad and Go, which is more than a quarter of the drive-thru chain’s locations. We discuss why the chain is closing those locations.  We also talk Cracker Barrel, which gave us a peek at the fallout from their rebranding blowup.  US Foods and Perf...

On this week’s episode of The Week in Restaurants, we discuss the surprising sale of Potbelly to RaceTrac, and why it is a sign of the growing competition between restaurants and c-stores. We also talk about Portillo’s, which is slowing development plans and ditching breakfast as it looks to focus on the fundamentals at its restaurants.  And we get into some new data on restaurant delivery, prepar...

Anybody want to buy some Noodles? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the potential sale process at Noodles & Company, which has not quite fulfilled the promise it had when it went public more than a decade ago.  We also talk about closures at Smokey Bones and what that says about the chain, and about the barbecue sector.  In addition, we tal...

Is this Cracker Barrel logo saga finally over? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business news discussion podcast The Week in Restaurants examines the apparent resolution of the Cracker Barrel branding issue. The family-dining chain opted to go back to the old logo. Will it quell the firestorm? We also look at “slop bowls,” and whether the bowl boom is over. Or whether it’s just beginning. And...

Expect the value wars to last a few more months. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at McDonald’s plan to cut the prices of its bundled meals to 15% off the cost of the items individually. We talk about why that will lengthen the value wars.  Bravo Brio filed for bankruptcy. Why are some full-service chains going bankrupt and others are reporting 3...

What has happened to the fast-casual sector? This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the suddenly weaker state of the fast-casual sector. Several chains have reported slowing sales, including stalwarts like Cava, Chipotle and Wingstop. What’s going on? Chili’s, meanwhile, continues to thrive and extended its incredible run. We look at what’s driving...

Casual-dining restaurants are outpacing fast-food chains again. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the differing directions that casual-dining and fast-food chains are going in. This has been a big earnings week. A bunch of limited-service restaurants have reported weak results, including KFC, Pizza Hut, Jack in the Box and Del Taco. McDonald’s...

Starbucks appears to be making some progress.  This episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants features a discussion on Starbucks fiscal third-quarter earnings, in which its sales declined again but which included some “green shoots” pointing at a turnaround. Tesla has a new restaurant in Los Angeles. And Wingstop reported something it hasn’t done all that often in its life...

Earnings season is upon us, and the early returns from Chipotle weren’t great. On this edition of The Week in Restaurants, we discuss the burrito chain’s tough second quarter, and why it may need to do more to prove it’s a good value. We also talk about an attack on Cracker Barrel’s diversity, equity and inclusion policies by a pro-Trump legal group. It’s the first restaurant chain to become a tar...

A potential deal could shake up food distribution. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants features a discussion on a potential big deal between distributors US Foods and Performance Food Group. US Foods, the nation’s third-largest distributor, may buy PFG, the second-biggest.  In addition, Red Robin has a new CEO and a new management plan. We talk about that...

Worried about what no tax on tips means for your restaurant? Don’t sweat it, because we have you covered on this edition of The Week in Restaurants. We discuss how the new Trump administration policy could create some headaches for restaurant operators. We also look at how a wave of bankruptcies last year impacted the full-service segment, before touching on some surprising CEO news from Wendy&#39...