
How Chili's won 21 straight quarters by perfecting the basics
Over the past several years, Chili’s has become the comeback king of the casual-dining sector.
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,

Over the past several years, Chili’s has become the comeback king of the casual-dining sector.

Dutch Bros and 7 Brew bid on Salad and Go sites

Starbucks launches Pumpkin Spice Latte on August 25, after competitors.

With cyclospora and salmonella tied to fresh produce, it has been a rough summer for salad-heavy concepts like Sweetgreen and the now-defunct Salad and Go — not to mention Taco Bell.

Subway requires franchisees to extend hours and review store closures

TGI Fridays CEO Ray Blanchette plans to expand the brand globally and digitally

Restaurant chains debut new sandwiches with creative builds and sauces.
7 Brew and Dutch Bros bid on Salad and Go locations

Inspire Brands wins Global Restaurant Leader of the Year award

During Papa Johns second quarter earnings call last week, CEO Todd Penegor said the company’s transformation is taking longer than expected as he reported a 8.3% same-store sales decline.

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

Popeyes turnaround plan, which includes a sharpened focus on both operations and the core menu, is right on track, according to Josh Kobza, CEO of parent company Restaurant Brands International.

Texas Roadhouse becomes largest US casual-dining chain with 755 locations.

Wendy's new CEO addresses brand's quality degradation and sales decline

The fast-casual chain introduced the new line of salad-filled wrap sandwiches earlier this year, hoping it would help turn around same-store sales and traffic that plummeted to negative double-digits in the first quarter.

Dutch Bros buys 65 Salad and Go locations for $105 million

Logan's Roadhouse introduces offbeat menu items like the Uncrustables Burger.
“The bite” may not have launched Burger King’s comeback this year, but it certainly didn’t hurt.

Salad and Go closes 70 locations despite positive consumer sentiment.

Five months into the job as CEO at Portillo’s, Brett Patterson on Wednesday outlined some of the shifts in strategy that he believes will right the ship for the fast-casual brand.

Shake Shack gets activist investor Starboard Value amid earnings guidance issues.

Outback Steakhouse co-founder Tim Gannon says turnaround is on track with 1.4% same-store sales rise.
For years, guests have been flooding Cava’s inboxes with requests to add seafood as a protein choice on the menu.

Yum Brands executives spent plenty of time last week discussing Taco Bell’s recovery plan from the July cyclospora outbreak implicating the chain’s lettuce supplied by Taylor Farms as a potential source.