Julie Littman — page 2

The coffee franchise has appointed Stacey Pool as Chief Growth Officer to oversee unit development and market expansion for its 320-location system.

Maria Cacciapuoti has worked at the chain since 2015 and will partner with franchisees to modernize the guest and team experience.

Domino's order counts rose in Q2 2026 due to third-party delivery

Traffic at Taco Bell and fast casual chains with salad-heavy menus took a significant hit due to the cyclosporiasis outbreak tied to bagged lettuce.

Jersey Mike’s has begun a road show for its proposed initial public that puts Jersey Mike’s valuation is about $8 billion.

With more info coming out on the cause of the outbreak, traffic could improve in the days ahead.

Jersey Mike's and Inspire Brands plan IPOs, signaling renewed investor confidence

Amazing Brands acquires Hot Dog on a Stick for $8 million.

Dairy Queen hires Phil Crawford as CTO to modernize tech.

The frozen custard and steakburger franchise aims to surpass 600 units by pivoting toward endcap and in-line restaurant models to reduce initial investment costs for franchisees.

Taco Bell is scaling its voice AI to nearly 900 locations as parent company Yum Brands continues its aggressive push into proprietary restaurant technology platforms.

With consistent gains in unit count and systemwide sales since 2020, Jersey Mike’s is positioning itself for a major public market debut.

New data from Placer.ai shows QSR foot traffic dropped 4.4% in May, while full-service restaurants saw a slight uptick in visits.

The Blackstone-backed chain is nearing 1,800 units following double-digit sales growth and a 25% increase in loyalty program participation.

Large franchisee Southpaw has expanded its portfolio to over 200 units following the acquisition of 43 Taco Bell locations in Ohio from Mas Restaurant Group.

The burger giant has appointed the former Potbelly executive to lead its financial and strategy functions following the termination of its previous CFO.

The pizza giant’s current COO and 15-year company veteran Joe Jordan will take the helm this October following Russell Weiner’s move to executive chairman.

In addition to $9.99 bowls, the chain debuted breakfast frittatas, new cold beverages and seasonal salads with premium ingredients such as shrimp.

Since May, the chain has entered three agreements to offload over 100 restaurants to franchisees as it works to raise capital to pay down debt.

Summit Acquisitions, a firm made up of tenured operators, will oversee operations and growth strategy as the brand emerges from bankruptcy.

When Christophe Poirier was appointed new chief concept officer at KFC U.S.

Russell Holland, who has served as interim CDO since February, will support the chain’s aggressive growth as it expands past 1,000 units.

The drive-thru coffee chain has reached 777 units so far and has more than 250 stores in its pipeline, gaining on its rival’s footprint of nearly 1,200 stores.

Wetzel's and Cold Stone partner for co-branded units, aiming for 17 new locations this year