How Golden Chick defined its identity to compete in a crowded category
Golden Chick is launching a new marketing campaign, loyalty program, and digital-first strategy to compete in the competitive chicken tender category.

69 stories · last 7 days by relevance
Golden Chick is launching a new marketing campaign, loyalty program, and digital-first strategy to compete in the competitive chicken tender category.

Thanx has integrated its first-party ordering system directly into Square's POS platform, combining Thanx's ordering interface with Square's commerce infrastructure.

Despite access to unprecedented guest data, restaurants struggle to retain customers, suggesting that loyalty programs alone may not drive repeat visits without translating data into personalized expe

Pizza Ranch has selected NCR Voyix to manage restaurant operations across its system, signaling a shift toward modernizing point-of-sale and back-office infrastructure.
Nearly half of U.S. diners switched their favorite restaurant last year, up from 33 percent the prior year—a shift that signals growing customer volatility and potential vulnerability in restaurant lo
Inspira Global has completed its acquisition of Restaurant Brands Asia, the operator of Burger King in India.
Artistry Restaurants acquired Hickory Tavern in early 2025, a 20-unit Carolina chain that has operated for nearly three decades; the article signals the new ownership sees growth potential rooted in i

Wendy's is investing in digital sales, AI-powered ordering, and menu innovation to address weak customer traffic.
Restaurants are treating in-store audio as a trackable engagement channel alongside other customer touchpoints like loyalty programs and mobile apps, signaling a shift toward measuring and optimizing
Inspira has provided ₹1,800 crore in credit financing to fuel a Burger King India acquisition, signaling continued consolidation activity in the Indian QSR market.
Eric Knott, who scaled PDQ as COO before becoming CEO of Kansas City-based Tiki Taco, joined Restaurant Tech Trends to discuss growth discipline learned from both successes and failures.
Quick-service restaurants are receiving a higher share of citations in AI search results compared to fast-casual chains.
Uber is pausing its European food delivery expansion while it pursues an acquisition of Delivery Hero, signaling a strategic shift toward consolidation over organic growth in the region.
Zeus Street Greek attributed its private equity partnership to rising operational costs.
Yum! Brands has sold Pizza Hut to LongRange Capital, a Connecticut-based investment firm, for $2.7 billion, marking a major portfolio shift for the parent company.
Birdcall is pursuing Midwest expansion supported by technology and real estate capabilities.
A franchisee of a popular pizza chain has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy.
Several major restaurant franchisees executed significant acquisition and divestiture deals in the first half of the year, including Red Robin selling company-owned stores and Mas Restaurant Group off

Restaurant operators are adopting voice AI technology to capture phone call data as a way to recognize and engage customers across locations, suggesting the phone channel may become a key loyalty and

Domino's is expanding its global presence while prioritizing digital ordering channels.
Wendy's agreed to a franchise deal in China targeting up to 1,000 restaurants, signaling a potential growth avenue as the company navigates continued domestic traffic challenges.
Restaurant technology adoption remains a critical challenge; even sophisticated software fails to deliver value without consistent team engagement, according to a discussion with Decision Logic's CEO
GoTab has acquired Fishbowl, a guest marketing and loyalty platform, to expand its restaurant commerce ecosystem that includes POS, ordering, payments, and mobile solutions.
American Express acquired TheFork for $700 million as part of a broader wave of restaurant-tech dealmaking in June.

An iconic breakfast dining chain has closed over 150 locations.
A California steakhouse chain is closing locations gradually.
MarginEdge added real-time cost management, AI forecasting, and back-office automation capabilities to its platform.
Sweet Tomatoes, the salad-bar chain that liquidated during the pandemic, is planning a comeback.
A Mountain Mike's franchisee in Medford filed for bankruptcy amid debt pressures, signaling potential financial strain within the chain's franchise system.
Restaurant brands are increasingly centering their apps around loyalty programs, personalization, and direct customer engagement rather than just order-ahead convenience, signaling a shift toward usin
Social-first growth playbook — organic content scaled The Taco Spot to 400-unit pipeline, showing how brands can use owned channels to accelerate franchising velocity.

Restaurants are increasingly treating catering as a dedicated sales channel rather than an ad-hoc service, suggesting a shift toward more systematic catering operations and revenue capture.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar's CEO Jeff Chandler discusses the burger chain's sale to Founders Table Restaurant Group on a restaurant finance podcast.

Commerce media platforms struggle with measuring ad impact due to probabilistic attribution and modeled incrementality, but in-store data offers a potential solution to verify whether digital ads tran

ezCater is positioning its platform to help restaurants access workplace catering demand through enhanced connectivity features.
Operators who share physical space face pressure to align menus across brands, raising operational and brand-consistency questions.
A Popeyes franchisee facing bankruptcy is divesting most of its restaurant locations.

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation partnered with American Express and Resy to launch a free leadership development program featuring James Beard Award-winning restaurateurs as

El Fenix's parent company acquired another restaurant chain.
AmRest is continuing international expansion while reinforcing its restaurant platform.
Two Upstate restaurant brands are being combined through an acquisition.
Franchise M&A activity persisted into Q2 2026 with continued private equity interest, suggesting capital availability remains a driver of consolidation in the sector.

A podcast episode explores how restaurants can use guest recognition and personalization technology to improve customer loyalty, addressing what the source frames as widespread guest retention challen
Berkshire Hathaway exit from restaurant holdings signals major investor pessimism on casual dining and influences broader market sentiment.
Edgy marketing campaigns produce mixed results across brands like Liquid Death, Pepsi, Burger King, and Starbucks South Korea, with experts attributing outcomes to whether a brand has built sufficient
Resy faces criticism over its reservation platform interface, signaling potential friction in how diners book at restaurants and suggesting the market may be opening to alternatives.

A Toast survey of 1,466 U.S. adults found that 64% of guests discovered new restaurants in 2025, suggesting diners are increasingly balancing exploration with loyalty to established favorites.
QSR Magazine examines key integration challenges for restaurant leaders acquiring new brands, though the snippet does not specify which acquisition or integration issues are highlighted.
Peter Piper Pizza is testing a redesigned prototype location in Mesquite, Texas that combines its longstanding family appeal with modern digital features and expanded adult amenities, signaling an eff

Virtual brand operator insights on scaling ghost-kitchen concepts — useful for brands testing delivery-only extensions, but niche unless you're actively exploring the model.