
Chicken and cheese take the lead on menus
Cheese and chicken lead menu innovations at chains like Culver's and Shake Shack.
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,

Cheese and chicken lead menu innovations at chains like Culver's and Shake Shack.

McDonald's had $55 billion in sales last year despite negative consumer sentiment.

Scooter’s Coffee needed a better way to manage incoming DoorDash delivery orders, and fast.

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at our investigation into closures and layoffs at Crumbl .

The same-store sales performance across the industry can best be described as “choppy” of late, particularly amid a heavy value environment.

Dave’s Hot Chicken wants more drones and robots delivering its food.

Chris Caldwell became CIO of Brinker International in 2024, just as Brinker-owned Chili’s was beginning to mount its remarkable comeback.
Crumbl closes 57 locations as sales decline 32% year over year

The California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) has fined a California-based seafood chain $120,000 for selling franchises without the proper registration or documentation.

Fogo De Chão CEO Barry McGowan credits McDonald's job for leadership style

McDonald’s has another pricing problem. Or maybe it’s a semantics problem.

Diafa aims to be the largest luxury restaurant operator with 133 venues.
Deep inside McDonald’s Chicago headquarters is a nondescript room with glass doors that at first seems like a glorified storage room.

Andy's Frozen Custard offers seasonal flavors like Pumpkin Pie Concrete.

A new report this week from the consulting firm Revenue Management Solutions (RMS) found continued sharp differences in the dining habits of higher-income and lower-income consumers.

With pumpkin-flavored food and drinks arriving in August, it’s not such a big surprise to see Halloween-themed menu items in September.

Wendy's has low consumer ratings despite being sixth largest US restaurant chain.
Executives with fast-food chains hoping for relief from the low-traffic environment in the next few years did not get any encouraging words from McDonald’s executives last week.

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

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast The Week in Restaurants looks at the Investor Day presentation at the fast-food giant, which announced $8.5 billion in investments behind its “Next” program.

A third of restaurants were not profitable in the first half of the year

Goop Kitchen plans to grow with pickup and delivery format

In the year 2026, quick-service restaurants’ biggest competitors aren’t each other — they’re convenience stores.

Burger King is pumping the brakes on drive-thru AI after finding that some customers don’t like ordering from a robot.