
MRM Research Roundup: Road Trips, Cheese Obsessed, and Burger Bucks
New report shows limited-service restaurants saw a significant sales decline in April as rising energy costs impacted consumer dining habits.
McDonald's is a company in Burnaze's franchise knowledge graph, mentioned since 1969. 1,860 stories link here, each summarized from the original publisher. - McDonald’s has linked its loyalty program with Uber to enhance customer engagement [[38c873]] - The company is targeting former pharmacy sites for new drive‑thru locations amid very low vacancy rates in growth markets [[120e48]] [[e86562]] - McDonald’s is testing two value‑menu formats—mix‑and‑match bundles versus preset combos—in roughly 1,900 U.S. restaurants, with a national rollout planned for early 2027 [[d7bb31]] - The firm plans to deploy AI‑powered ordering in all drive‑trus by 2027, potentially saving 50 weekly labor hours, though some franchisees question its appeal [[fad124]] - McDonald’s is rolling out a new entry‑level, value‑focused menu and digital promotion strategy to revive sluggish sales [[f448a1]] - The initiative is led by CEO Chris Kempczinski and CFO Ian Borden, and the company is expanding its specialty‑beverage platform to include Red Bull products [[f448a1]] Filed under Restaurants / Burger.
Also known as McDonald's USA

New report shows limited-service restaurants saw a significant sales decline in April as rising energy costs impacted consumer dining habits.
WOWorks, the parent company of Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh, The Simple Greek, Barberitos and Zoup!

Greg Flynn skipped the dotcom rush to bet on franchising. He now runs more than 3,000 outlets across seven brands and three countries.

These strategic appointments are pivotal to the company’s ongoing franchise growth strategy. WOWorks, the parent company of Saladworks, Frutta Bowls, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh,
“We are thrilled to welcome James to our leadership team and to promote Nolan, who has demonstrated exceptional commitment as both a franchisee and an operator,” said WOWorks CEO Kelly Roddy.

QSR operators see merch as a loyalty frontier with 80 percent of consumers finding joy in fandoms.

- Beverage Trends - Quick Service - News Cinnabon upgrades its coffee program in a bid for more frequency The Atlanta-based cinnamon roll chain will start serving Seattle’s Best Co

The cultural play comes several years after the chain tapped Boyz II Men to remix the tune in an effort to double down on ‘90s nostalgia.

- Operations - Quick Service - News McDonald’s can’t meet its 2030 emissions targets The fast-food chain also fell short of a packaging goal, citing events beyond its control, but

Guthrie's Golden Fried Chicken Fingers has 60 years of experience
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Guthrie’s CEO Tom Carr discusses leveraging the brand's sixty-year legacy to drive growth in the competitive chicken-finger segment.

The coffee giant is ending its computer vision inventory counting system — which employees called “unreliable” — in favor of traditional stock-keeping methods, Reuters reported.

- Executives - Quick Service \\ \\ Take-Away with Sam Oches features interviews with CEOs and founders of restaurant companies big and small, sharing their stories and ideas for th

The fast-food giant is testing cold brew and flavored foams in select markets as it moves toward a $5 billion annual beverage revenue goal.

Mature restaurant brands are diversifying menus beyond core offerings to capture market share amid flat industry traffic and intense value competition.

This is from the weekly restaurant finance newsletter The Bottom Line.

GLP-1s, international crises and consumer demand for novelty have made limited-time items an ever more important part of restaurant menu playbooks.

Top burger chains like Shake Shack outperformed the market through aggressive menu innovation and brand-specific limited-time offerings beyond their core burger products.

A new report examines how mobile ordering is reshaping quick-service restaurant operations, drive-thru tech, and the overall guest experience across major brands.

With its shift to third-party logistics complete, the company is focusing on refranchising, improving operations, growing digital sales and making better doughnuts.

Restaurant brands are increasingly adopting hybrid delivery strategies that balance the reach of third-party platforms like Uber Eats with the control of in-house systems.
Upstart concepts with high-quality reputations are gaining market share as legacy burger chains struggle with rising beef costs and anemic sales growth.

The beverage challenger reports strong same-store sales growth and targets 1,000 locations as it scales alongside industry giants like Dutch Bros and 7 Brew.
Culver's and Shake Shack gain market share with 14.2% and 15.2% growth