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| Nation’s Restaurant News highlighted Taco Bell’s “restless creativity,” showcasing the chain’s six-decade legacy of irreverent marketing and innovative menu approaches. The brand has maintained its distinctive personality, consistently taking unconventional marketing and menu risks. Despite leadership changes, Taco Bell’s commitment to originality has remained intact, making it one of the largest U.S. restaurant brand with over $13 billion in 2022 sales from 7,000+ locations. |
| Pizza Hut Singapore is offering a chance to win a year’s supply of pizza by finding golden tickets in Cheesy Bites pizza boxes until Dec 31. Three golden ticket winners receive S$50 weekly credit for a year, with one winner having the opportunity to create and name a Pizza Hut pizza. Additionally, gamers can participate in Pizza Dash for a shot at prizes like a Pizza Hut gaming laptop, iPhone 15 and AirPods Max by collecting game offerings quickly. |
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| McDonald's announced it is implementing over 50 tweaks to its burgers in the U.S., including its Big Mac, marking the company's most significant upgrades to its core menu in decades. The changes include cooking the two all-beef patties in smaller batches for a more uniform sear, adding more special sauce, rethinking lettuce, cheese and pickles for freshness and meltiness and introducing a buttery brioche bun with randomly scattered sesame seeds. The move is a response to increased competition in the burger market, especially from higher-end fast-casual chains. The company's U.S. same-store sales increased 10.3% in 2022. |
| Chick-fil-A has secured the second spot in a ranking of 300 consumer brands for service levels, surpassed only by The UPS Store. The chain consistently outperforms other restaurant brands in customer service ratings by third-party assessments. Other notable restaurant brands in the top 50 included Raising Cane’s, In-N-Out and Texas Roadhouse. The ranking was based on consumer feedback collected by HundredX and Forbes, evaluating service speed, problem resolution, personal interaction and provided service. |
| Martha Stewart is collaborating with Dunkin’ once again, this time to promote the chain’s new Martini shaker and glasses, available on ShopDunkin.com from Dec. 1. Dunkin’ Rewards members get early access. Stewart shared a Dunkintini recipe, a spin on the popular Espresso Martini, featuring Dunkin’ espresso, vodka and coffee liqueur. The Martini Shaker is priced at $25, and glasses are $20 each. |
| Wingstop is introducing the “Sweet or Heat” card game designed to bring couples together over their shared love of flavor. This limited-edition game, designed for pairing with Wingstop’s Maple Sriracha wings and chicken sandwiches, will be released to the first 350 fans in the U.S. at SweetorHeat.com on Thursday, 12/7, starting at noon EST. |
| QDOBA Restaurant Corporation has successfully closed a $305 million whole business securitization through Qdoba Funding LLC. The transaction aims to optimize QDOBA’s capital structure for sustained growth and achieve significant interest expense savings. The funds will primarily be used to refinance existing senior debt facilities, support corporate initiatives such as remodeling over 80 corporate restaurants and introduce digital menu boards in 150 locations. |
| Subway is set to celebrate National Cookie Day on December 4 by introducing its first-ever footlong cookie in Toronto. Customers can choose from three exclusive flavors inspired by Subway’s sandwiches: Green Goddess with pistachio spread, shaved coconut, green apple and caramel; Little Italy featuring ricotta and chocolate chip spread, fresh berries, lemon juice and icing sugar; and Great Canadian with caramel-maple spread, blueberry jam, butter tarts, pecans and bacon. |
| Inspire Brands has undergone a corporate realignment, organizing its structure into three key areas: brands, commercial and company restaurants and growth. This move is intended to leverage its shared services platform across diverse brands like Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s and Sonic Drive-In. Executives Scott Murphy and Dan Lynn were promoted to key roles, with Murphy appointed Chief Brand Officer overseeing all U.S. brands and Lynn becoming Chief Commercial and Restaurant Officer responsible for the operations of the company’s 2,200 company-owned restaurants. |
| The restaurant real estate market is facing challenges, including high demand, low inventory and soaring costs. To navigate this environment, brands are adjusting their strategies. Some are incorporating timeline “buffers” to account for delays in construction, supplies and permits. Others are becoming more selective with site choices, turning to conversions or exploring new, smaller prototypes. Brands like Darden are adopting a patient approach, being willing to wait for costs to align., while Jack in the Box is implementing a “value engineering” program to reduce development costs. |
| BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse CEO Greg Levin highlighted that consumers are seeking deflation and are still comparing prices to 2019. While consumer health remains in the middle, with good balance sheets, the shock of higher prices compared to four years ago persists. Although BJ’s refrained from increasing prices in 2022 during inflation spikes, the chain is catching up to inflation with an 8% menu price hike this year. Levin noted that he anticipates pricing returning to more typical 2% to 4% increases in 2024. |
| Cracker Barrel Old Country Store reported a 0.5% decrease in same-store restaurant sales for the first quarter, despite a 6.8% menu price increase. The decline, attributed to a traffic drop of over 7%, led to a 68% decrease in net profits to $5.5 million. Retail shop sales also fell by 8.1%. The CEO emphasized a focus on marketing, operational excellence and guest experience to drive improved performance in the coming quarters. |
| California is set to raise the hourly minimum wage for fast food workers to $20 on April 1, impacting major restaurant chains. The wage increase stems from a deal between industry groups, California Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration and the Service Employees International Union. Major chains like Chipotle and McDonald’s plan menu price hikes to offset labor costs. Jack in the Box aims to rely on pricing and loyalty, while Shake Shack explores efficiency improvements and staffing changes to navigate the wage hike’s impact. |
| In response to staffing concerns and protests by unionized baristas, Starbucks is introducing a new feature in January that allows shift supervisors and managers to pause mobile orders. This move comes as baristas have expressed dissatisfaction with persistent understaffing and the challenges of managing simultaneous in-person and mobile orders. Mobile ordering accounts for 27% of Starbucks’ U.S. sales, and the new feature aims to address concerns by allowing managers to temporarily disable mobile orders during high-volume periods or when staffing issues impact the customer experience. |
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