130 stories · last 7 days by relevance
Restaurant marketers are increasingly using AI tools with access to sales and POS data to inform campaign strategy, not just content creation, though the practice raises data-security questions.
Scooter's Coffee has expanded to 555 drive-thru locations while competitors like Dutch Bros and 7 Brew pursue aggressive site acquisition and Black Rock navigates public markets, signaling sustained i
Loyalty programs alone are insufficient to boost visit frequency at QSRs; making loyalty interactions more relevant to individual customers is needed to drive repeat visits.
Houston TX Hot Chicken is opening a second U.K. location in London's Brunswick Centre through a master franchise agreement with PizzaExpress, signaling potential for U.S. hot chicken concepts to gain
AI-powered drive-thru displays often fail because operators prioritize automation over integration with existing systems; success requires connecting menu boards to broader restaurant workflows.
Rosati's Pizza announced plans to open 11 new locations within 90 days.
Wetzel's Pretzels and sweetFrog, both franchise brands, plan to open a co-branded location in Texas.
Los Tacos No. 1 secured investment from TSG Consumer Partners to fuel expansion, signaling investor confidence in the NYC-based Mexican concept's growth potential.
Research indicates that expanding restaurant chains demonstrate stronger digital visibility across search, reviews, social platforms, and AI compared to contracting chains, suggesting that growth and
Red Robin has refranchised 108 restaurants to three operators, generating $89.4 million in proceeds, with eight additional closures planned through fiscal 2026—a shift that signals the chain's retreat
TGI Fridays is expanding into the Balkans through a partnership with Devolli Group to open 10 restaurants, signaling continued international growth in emerging markets.
KFC Global appointed Amy Ellis Durini as Chief Brand Officer in a newly created role, reporting to CEO Scott Mezvinsky starting November 2026, to lead global brand strategy and loyalty initiatives.
Kayla Edidin has taken a majority stake and COO role at Red Door Brands following a challenging period for the franchise operator, signaling a leadership transition aimed at stabilizing the company.
Franchised chains are outperforming company-operated models on Wall Street — a signal that asset-light structures are reshaping how investors value restaurant growth.
California regulators penalized Dickey's Barbecue Pit for deceptive practices toward franchise entrepreneurs, signaling enforcement of disclosure standards in the QSR franchise sector.
Erbert & Gerbert's is opening two new campus locations at the University of Central Missouri and Indiana Wesleyan University, operated through Sodexo, extending the brand's reach into college foodserv
An Oklahoma Taco Bell franchisee with 23 units is adopting Oscar AI, an operational intelligence platform, to help restaurant leaders identify performance improvement opportunities.
US Foods launched Menu IQ, a tool that analyzes photographs of handwritten recipes to calculate food costs within minutes, addressing a pain point in restaurant operations.
Restaurant operators can use data and AI to gain visibility across multi-unit systems while preserving human judgment in decision-making, suggesting that technology works best as a complement to opera
Sbarro's CEO credits brand repositioning and expansion into convenience stores and international markets with enabling the chain to open over 100 units annually for the past four years.
The Coffee Club is pursuing franchise expansion as its growth strategy.
PAR Technology launched Guest360, a guest data platform that tracks restaurant customers across transactions regardless of loyalty program enrollment, designed to work with its existing Punchh loyalty
Sbarro's CEO discusses the brand's turnaround as the 70-year-old pizzeria moves beyond its mall-based legacy, signaling renewed strategic focus in a competitive casual dining market.
Grimaldi's is expanding its presence in Southwest Florida.
Evergreens, a Seattle-based fast-casual chain founded in 2012, has launched a franchise program targeting 12 Western states, signaling a shift from company-operated growth to franchisee-led expansion.
McDonald's loyalty program collects granular customer data including visit frequency predictions and churn scores, illustrating how QSR operators now build detailed behavioral profiles that extend wel
Little Caesars opened its first military base location last year and now has four additional units planned across U.S. Navy installations, signaling expansion into a new channel with captive, high-fre
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Burger King is running a weeklong promotional series for Royal Perks members from September 14–20, anchored around National Cheeseburger Day with daily deals including a free Rodeo Burger and buy-one-
Evergreen is offering reduced royalty rates to attract its first franchisees, with the chain's top-performing company-owned locations (excluding airports) averaging over $1.45 million in annual sales
WOWorks, which operates six restaurant brands including Saladworks and Zoup!, has opened 23 locations year-to-date with 15 more in development, signaling continued momentum in its multi-brand expansio
Mellow Mushroom is pursuing franchise expansion in Indianapolis, signaling confidence in the market's growth trajectory.
Franchisors balancing national brand consistency with local franchisee marketing effectiveness — a key lever for system-wide performance and franchisee retention.
Sbarro, marking its 70th anniversary, is undergoing a turnaround after years of decline, signaling that legacy casual-dining concepts can reinvent themselves through strategic repositioning beyond the
A recent ruling involving Starbucks has highlighted tensions between maintaining brand standards and complying with labor rights obligations.
Denny's launched a Fall Fest Menu nationwide featuring autumn-themed dishes with apple and pumpkin offerings.
Former fitness entrepreneur Steele Smiley exited his 900+ franchise fitness business to launch CRISP & GREEN, a healthy fast-food brand now operating 53 locations; the move signals entrepreneur convic
Panera modified its rewards program structure, signaling an effort to deepen customer retention through revised earning mechanics.
SoundHound AI and Acrelec have partnered to develop AI-powered drive-thru technology, signaling continued investment in voice-ordering automation for quick-service restaurants.
Aggregate of seasonal menu drops and single-franchise openings — illustrative of mid-market promotional activity but no systemic operator insight.
Huddle House is offering franchising discounts to attract multi-unit operators, as the chain seeks to reverse recent net closures and boost unit growth.
Dickey's Barbecue Pit incurred a $36.8K regulatory fine and $700K arbitration loss, signaling potential franchise relationship or compliance challenges within the chain.
Canadian Tire and Tim Hortons have launched a partnership to enhance their loyalty programs.
Chicken Salad Chick has opened in West Virginia, marking its expansion into 26 states.
Haidilao has adopted Infobip's data-driven personalization platform to enhance its global loyalty program, suggesting the chain is investing in customer retention tools as it expands internationally.
Foodservice automation is becoming economically viable for hospitality operations.
Chowbus and Maple have partnered to offer multilingual voice AI ordering technology to restaurants.
Jollibee is celebrating a decade in Canada with a promotional campaign and plans to open 26 additional restaurants, signaling continued confidence in the market despite competitive quick-service press
Fast Casual Executive Summit (Oct. 4-6 in Arlington, Texas) will explore how integrating fragmented tech systems into a unified customer view can improve returns for fast casual brands.
Rosati's Pizza plans to open 11 locations within 90 days, signaling accelerated franchise expansion momentum for the Chicago-style pizza chain.