Trending this week: Dairy Queen is giving cash to franchisees that open new locations

This week on Nation's Restaurant News, the top story was “Dairy Queen is giving cash to franchisees that open new locations.” The Minneapolis-based treat chain said on Wednesday announced a new incentive program, giving franchisees who open one of the brand’s Grill & Chill fast-food units a $150,000, lump-sum payment, provided they open the location on time.

In other news, Tilman Fertitta is about to add a lot more hotels and casinos to his hospitality empire. The business mogul’s Fertitta Entertainment has a deal to acquire the giant Caesars Entertainment in a deal valued at $17.6 billion, comprised of $5.7 billion in cash and $11.9 billion in assumed debt.

Also, so much for Starbucks using AI to count the milk in its inventory. The coffee shop giant said it is ending its use of an automated program to count inventory. The company said the decision was designed to shift to a single, consistent process for all its inventory counts.