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| Chains like KFC, Taco Bell and El Pollo Loco are embracing kiosk technology to increase average tickets, streamline ordering and reduce labor costs. Burger King is also expanding its kiosk presence in U.S. restaurants, with over 50% already equipped in international locations. Yum! Brands plans substantial kiosk penetration by 2026. Yum! Brands CFO Christopher Turner called this an “exciting area of growth,” during the company’s November earnings call. |
| KFC U.S. is testing a discounted “Taste of KFC” Meal for $20 at selected Texas locations, featuring six pieces of fried chicken, sides like Mac & Cheese, Coleslaw, Mashed Potatoes and Gravy, Sweet Corn and four biscuits. This contrasts with the existing $20 Fill Up Box, offering four pieces of chicken, 12 nuggets, Secret Recipe French Fries, four biscuits and choice of four dipping sauces. |
| KFC Japan is set to launch Ninniku Crispy, a fried chicken variant specially seasoned to complement beer and other alcoholic drinks. The dish is based on the Colonel’s Crispy recipe but enhanced with extra garlic and soy sauce, finished with a garlic-flavor oil sauce. The release coincides with Japan’s year-end party season. KFC offers a “Cheers Bucket” with three Ninniku Crispy and four Original Recipe fried chicken for 1,680 yen. Individual pieces cost 290 yen, with a three-piece pack priced at 600 yen. |
| Pizza Hut Canada is offering free pizzas on December 4 as part of its Repizza campaign celebrating the launch of the Handcrafted Crust pizzas. Customers can trade in an empty pizza box from any pizzeria for a new box containing a Handcrafted Crust pizza, limited to the first 100 customers at each store, with one pizza per customer. Approximately 50,000 free pizzas will be distributed nationwide. |
| Pizza Hut U.K. has introduced its first tearers line, featuring the Cheesy Garlic Tearer with cheese between layers of signature pan dough and a garlic sprinkle and the Cinnamon Tearer topped with cinnamon sugar, served with a chocolate dip. The tearers range is designed for sharing and aims to bring people together. |
| KFC and Taco Bell Australian restaurant operator Collins Foods delivered strong first-half sales, with the help of price increases. Collins Foods on Tuesday said net profit rose to $50.5 million over the period, up from $11m a year earlier. Revenue rose 14.3 per cent to $696.5m, with the company declaring a fully-franked dividend of 12.5¢ a share. |
| Taco Bell India has opened its first fully digital restaurant in Kolkata’s Park Street. The restaurant features three digital kiosks for customers to order their Mexican-inspired favorites, such as tacos, burritos and combos. This marks Taco Bell’s foray into a fully digital dining experience, integrating technology to enhance customer convenience. |
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| Sticker shock over high fast-food prices is becoming a social media trend, causing concern for Democratic strategists and economists who struggle to convey a positive economic message. A viral TikTok video showing a man paying $16.10 for a special burger at McDonald’s has been recirculated, reflecting public discontent with rising costs. Despite inflation concerns, the economy has strong indicators, with consumer spending driving a 5% GDP growth last quarter. |
| Jack in the Box is focusing on development as a key strategy for growth, with a franchise development program that has contributed to the company’s first net new unit growth since 2019. The brand has signed 90 agreements for 389 restaurants, expanding into new markets like Mexico, Florida, Arkansas, Montana and Wyoming. The recent entry into Salt Lake City and Louisville, Ky., has shown early success with four new tech-forward Crave image prototype restaurants averaging over $100,000 in weekly sales. |
| Starbucks plans to establish an Environmental, Partner and Community Impact board committee to enhance governance, ensure compliance with regulations and standards and hold the company accountable for environmental and social commitments. The committee will oversee internal and external reporting tools, including Starbucks’ annual Global Environment and Social Impact Report. Beth Ford, CEO of Land O’Lakes, will chair the independent committee. Despite the initiative, Starbucks has faced ongoing labor disputes and unionization efforts. |
| For the 2023 holiday season, Shake Shack is offering a trio of limited-edition shakes inspired by characters from the new Trolls Band Together movie. The Trolls-themed shakes include Poppy’s Sugar Cookie Shake, featuring sugar cookie frozen custard with cookie dough pop candy; Branch’s Chocolate Peppermint Shake, blending vanilla and chocolate frozen custard with mint fudge; and Viva’s Cinnamon Roll Shake, with hand-spun cinnamon roll frozen custard swirled with gold frosting. |
| In October, restaurant sales and traffic performance rebounded, with same-store sales growing by 1.4%, and same-store traffic declining by -2.1%, the strongest since March. Despite economic challenges, consumer resilience and a desire to maintain restaurant visits have contributed to better-than-expected traffic numbers. Limited-service restaurants continue to outperform full-service segments, with quick service and fast-casual among the top three in the industry for both same-store sales and traffic growth in October. |
| The percentage of Americans working from home has settled at just over 40% of the full-time workforce, thanks to “hybrid” office arrangements where people split the week between the office and home. The implications for restaurants, including where and how consumers are dining out, have been substantial. The “donut effect” on big U.S. cities, where workers have abandoned central areas for suburbs, has impacted foot traffic and spending patterns. |
| IHOP is introducing eight limited-time offers (LTOs) inspired by the movie “Wonka” in collaboration with Warner Bros. Pictures. The LTOs include savory and sweet options, with a focus on the color purple, a significant theme in the movie. Some highlights include Wonka’s Perfectly Purple Pancakes, Daydream Berry Biscuit, Hoverchoc Pancake Tacos, Dreamy Lemonade, Scrumdiddlyumptious Strawberry Hot Chocolate and Fantastical Wonka Burger. |
| Savory, a private equity firm that invests in emerging restaurant concepts, has announced two key promotions. Tyler Nelson has been appointed President of Savory, and Richie Stevens is now Vice President of Finance for Savory Fund. These promotions come at a time of high growth for the firm, which recently announced its 11th portfolio investment with Houston TX Hot Chicken and has over 70 restaurant openings planned for 2024. |
| Church’s Texas Chicken has partnered with Goodwill of North Georgia for the “Celebrating Generosity” holiday initiative. The collaboration runs from November 27 to December 10, encouraging people to donate lightly used goods to select Goodwill stores near participating Church’s Texas Chicken restaurants in Metro Atlanta. Donors will receive a bounce-back coupon for a free 3-Piece Tenders Meal, including a regular classic side, a Honey-Butter Biscuit and a 22 oz. drink, valid through December 31. |
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