The Latest

  • Grubbrr's kiosks on display at the National Restaurant Association Show in 2024.
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    Aneurin Canham-Clyne/Restaurant Dive
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    8 restaurant industry trade shows to attend in 2025

    This year is brimming with restaurant conferences and trade shows covering key issues for the sector, from franchising strategy to economic forecasts.

    Updated Jan. 31, 2025
  • A Starbucks barista pours foamed milk into a cup.
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    Courtesy of Starbucks
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    Starbucks cuts less popular drinks, plans 30% menu reduction

    Several Frappucinos, the Royal English Breakfast Latte and the White Hot Chocolate are getting the axe next month to reduce complexity and make space for experimentation.

  • Overly busy restaurant
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    JazzIRT via Getty Images
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    What’s the restaurant outlook for 2025?

    Price-sensitive diners and rising food and labor costs are pushing chains to refine their value propositions, setting the stage for cutthroat competition.

  • A photo of an IHOP sign
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    Bruce Bennett via Getty Images
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    IHOP in-houses creative as part of bid to return to cultural relevance

    A Guinness World Record attempt that involves creating 20,000 pancakes is the first major marketing effort under new leadership. 

  • An image of chicken wings, tacos, French fries and chicken tenders from Hurricane Grill & Wings
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    Retrieved from Fat Brands on February 25, 2025
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    Franchisees sue Hurricane Grill & Wings over mismanagement of marketing funds

    Operators claim the chain and owner Fat Brands haven’t used the funds to advertise, leading to declining franchisee profitability.

  • A woman is closing a paper bag with a round black sticker that says delivery. The woman is wearing a yellow shirt and black apron.
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    Dimensions via Getty Images
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    Uber Eats vs. DoorDash: Inside the legal battle between ‘two titans’ of delivery

    Uber Eats wants a more level playing field for first-party delivery contracts, and accuses DoorDash of intimidating partner restaurants that want to team with multiple aggregators.

  • Wooden seats and tables inside a Cava. In the background there is a make line with digital menu boards.
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    Courtesy of Cava
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    Cava’s traffic growth streak continues

    CFO Tricia Tolivar attributed its sales success to a mix of factors ranging from improved in-store experience to low price increases.

  • A building with a drive-thru that is blue and white. Signage says Just Salad.
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    Courtesy of Just Salad
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    Just Salad raises $200M to boost unit growth

    The salad chain, which has about 90 units and a $1 billion valuation, is looking to expand beyond its core markets.

  • An image of fried chicken with hot sauce on top.
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    Courtesy of Dave's Hot Chicken
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    Dave’s Hot Chicken debuts catering program

    The company expects the channel, offered via ezCater, to make up as much as 10% of its business within a year.

  • An image of the top of a silver car that contains a rectangular logo with a red square and blue square.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Domino’s targets long-term growth with loyalty, website and app upgrades

    Loyalty membership reached 35.7 million at the end of 2024, and the restaurant chain will launch a revamped website and app in 2025 to boost growth.

  • A beige building with a yellow "M" and white "McDonald's" sign.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    McDonald’s adds Krispy Kreme doughnuts in NYC, bagel sandwiches nationwide

    The menu moves could help the Golden Arches recover from a traffic shortfall triggered by an E. coli outbreak late last year.

  • A Jack in the Box sign looms ominously from behind a hedge.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Jack in the Box CEO resigns

    Darin Harris has taken a position outside of the restaurant industry, and EVP and CFO Lance Tucker will temporarily assume CEO duties.

    Updated Feb. 24, 2025
  • A rendering of a building with a logo that says Golden Corral Favorites
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    Permission granted by Golden Corral
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    Golden Corral reinvents its fast casual spinoff

    Over a year after it launched Homeward Kitchen, the buffet chain will rebrand it as Golden Corral Favorites, with a menu highlighting signature items.

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    Michael M. Santiago via Getty Images
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    DoorDash to pay $16.75M in New York tips settlement

    The aggregator did not admit to any wrongdoing in the settlement, which concerned tipping practices terminated in 2019.

  • A photograph of a yellow sign with Denny's in red.
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    Justin Sullivan via Getty Images
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    Denny’s adds surcharge to meals with eggs

    The price of this additional charge will be determined on a market-by-market and restaurant-by-restaurant basis reflecting the bird flu’s regional impact.

  • A photograph of a black sign that says "Starbucks Coffee Company" in front of a brick building.
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    David Ryder via Getty Images
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    Starbucks lays off 1,100 corporate workers

    The coffee giant is cutting about 6.9% of its non-retail staff, and is shifting corporate hiring to prioritize in-office roles.

  • A photo of a smiling person sitting at a table, about to bite into a burrito. A sign on the wall behind them says Laredo Taco.
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    Courtesy of 7-Eleven
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    3 foodservice moves 7-Eleven has already made in 2025

    While North America’s largest c-store retailer begins building hundreds of food-focused stores, it’s also making more immediate changes to its menu.

  • An image of the top of a silver car that contains a rectangular logo with a red square and blue square.
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Domino’s expects third-party delivery to be $1B sales driver

    The pizza chain’s partnership with Uber Eats represented 3% of sales last year, and Domino’s is pursuing additional delivery aggregator deals. 

  • A photograph of a man wearing a gray suit.
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    Courtesy of Church's Texas Chicken
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    Church’s Texas Chicken appoints CEO

    Roland Gonzalez, who served as COO for the past two years, takes over at the chain as it aims to grow systemwide sales from $1.5 billion to $2 billion.

  • An image of Pinstripes
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    Courtesy of Pinstripes
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    Pinstripes CFO departs, company explores strategic alternative

    The eatertainment brand saw same-store sales fall 7.7% last quarter, and failed to maintain a leverage ratio required by a financing covenant.

  • An image of a woman with short brown hair smiling in front of a gray background. She is wearing a red shirt.
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    Courtesy of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
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    Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf hires Taco Bell vet as president, head of Americas

    Tara Hinkle, who also spent over a decade at Starbucks, will oversee the chain’s growth strategy in the Americas.

  • An exterior image of a Shake Shack restaurant
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    Brandon Bell via Getty Images
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    Shake Shack to open kitchen innovation lab in Atlanta this year

    The company will test equipment and layouts at the lab without having to build new restaurants, accelerating the rollout of processes and optimizations.

  • Outback Steakhouse exterior
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    Courtesy of Bloomin' Brands
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    Bloomin’ Brands lays off 100 corporate employees

    The cuts at its Tampa, Florida, support center represent a 17% reduction and follow corporate layoffs at Dine Brands, Starbucks and Denny’s.

  • Exterior of a Potbelly restaurant
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    Permission granted by Potbelly
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    Q&A

    What’s behind Potbelly’s unit growth momentum

    The chain, which has signed over 300 store deals since it began accelerating franchising in 2022, aims to grow from roughly 440 units to over 720.

  • An image of Joe Christina, CEO at Tijuana Flats.
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    Permission granted by Tijuana Flats
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    Noodles & Company hires Joe Christina as president and COO

    Christina, formerly CEO at Tijuana Flats, joins the chain as it embarks on a long-term menu overhaul and turns the corner on sales struggles.