
Big flavors pop on menus
Lazy Dog and others debut spicy and fruity menu items
Restaurant Business is a publication in Burnaze's franchise knowledge graph, mentioned since 2016. 741 stories link here, each summarized from the original publisher. * El Pollo Loco CEO Liz Williams and P.F. Chang's CEO Jim Mazany will discuss brand transformation in an executive exchange session, focusing on driving innovation and growth while staying true to their brand roots and values [[2026-10-30 Leader to Leader, An Executive Exchange Session - The Foundation of an Influenti (a256ad)]]. * DoorDash has proposed a $17 billion acquisition of Instacart, a grocery delivery company, which could increase its dominance in the delivery market and give it more leverage over restaurants and supermarket brands [[2026-10-30 How will the DoorDash-Instacart deal affect restaurants (1bb87d)]]. * Christine Barone, CEO of Dutch Bros, is being honored as the 2026 Restaurant Leader of the Year for leading Dutch Bros to significant growth and transforming the drive-thru experience [[2026-10-30 Restaurant Leader Of the Year Award and Fireside Chat (52fca0)]]. * Burger King's King Jr. meals have seen a 40% sales growth, driven by adults, with the company's same-store sales rising 8.4% in the U.S. last quarter [[2026-10-30 More Burger King customers are getting kids’ meals, and not just kids (555035)]]. * NCR Voyix has launched Aloha Next, a modern and nimble POS system, which is being tested by Bruster's Ice Cream and will be rolled out to its 230 locations by the end of next year [[2026-10-30 NCR Voyix rolls out a more modern Aloha (af35d7)]]. * Chipotle's recruitment of Fernando Machado as chief brand officer has led to successful marketing campaigns, including the 100 Creators campaign and limited-time offers like Pollo Asado and Chili Lime Chips [[2026-10-29 Chipotle’s BOGO barrage is paying off (ba27cf)]]. * Nelson Peltz's Trian Fund Management has made an official offer to buy Wendy's for $7.35 per share, a 20% premium from the company's closing price on Tuesday [[2026-10-29 Nelson Peltz tries buying low on Wendy’s (260d6f)]]. * PopUp Bagels, a bagel concept, ranked first in the 2026 Future 50 list after starting its first drive-thru in 2021 and expanding to 23 locations through franchising by 2025 [[2026-10-29 PopUp Bagels (a10830)]]. * Qahwah House, a Yemeni coffee cafe, has expanded to 29 locations across the US with $28.8 million in sales, a 56% year-over-year increase [[2026-10-29 Qahwah House (7e8b08)]]. * Prince Street Pizza, founded by the Morano family in 2012, has expanded across the US and Canada with a menu featuring traditional and specialty pizzas [[2026-10-29 Prince Street Pizza (bb00e2)]]. * Toastique's founder Brianna Keefe opened the chain's first location in Washington, D.C. and has since expanded to over 65 locations nationally through franchising [[2026-10-29 Toastique (578b8c)]]. * Mexican Sugar Cocina,

Lazy Dog and others debut spicy and fruity menu items

On Thursday, just before the holiday weekend, the sandwich chain Jersey Mike’s filed its IPO documents, promising one of the biggest initial public offerings the restaurant industry has seen, certainly in terms of valuation.

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Can a salad chain thrive in the ever-changing world of healthy eating?