A major expansion of home delivery is helping Tim Hortons slowly inch its way out of a months-long sales slump. Tim Hortons’ parent Restaurant Brands International Inc. on Thursday reported that the coffee chain’s comparable sales are now showing declines of around 25 per cent, an improvement on the early days of the pandemic. The… read more
Food & Beverage News
Papa John’s Continues to Reach Unprecedented Sales
Papa John’s North American same-store sales skyrocketed 33.5 percent in May, eclipsing a company record it just set in April. The figure is more than four times higher than what the company captured in January and more than six times higher than what it reached in February. The pizza chain is coming off a month… read more
Popeyes and its Chicken Sandwich are Still Soaring
Popeyes took a slight dip in the second half of March, as sales ran flat, year-over-year. But the COVID-19-fueled slowdown didn’t last. The brand’s wildly popular chicken sandwich proved to be pandemic proof. Parent company Restaurant Brands International revealed in a securities filing Thursday that the chicken chain’s comparable sales jumped into the “positive low-40s”… read more
Here’s Why Restaurants Reopening could be Good News for Summer Jobs
It’s a sharp contrast from trends in recent months. Prior to the pandemic, a historically tight labor market was pushing employers to get creative to find and keep talent. But if restaurants are able to win back customers, the summer jobs could follow. One in six restaurant businesses operate on a seasonal basis, and they depend… read more
The Pandemic has Cost Restaurants 5.9 Million Jobs
The industry lost three decades’ worth of employees in just six weeks as states closed dining rooms and restaurants closed their doors and laid off workers. The global pandemic and state closures of dine-in service have cost the restaurant industry 5.9 million jobs, wiping out three decades’ worth of employees in just over six weeks,… read more
Ruth’s Chris is Reopening Dining Rooms, Using QR Codes for Reading Menus
Ruth’s Hospitality Group is reopening steakhouse dining rooms this month at 12 of its 86 company operated restaurants in Texas, Florida and Tennessee, the fine dining chain announced Friday during its first quarter conference call. The re-openings come as more than a dozen franchise restaurants have already reopened dining rooms at limited seating capacity ranging from 25% to… read more
STK and Kona Grill Brands Begin Reopening Dining Rooms with Help of Paycheck Protection Program Loans
The parent to the STK and Kona Grill chains has reopened 11 restaurant dining rooms, following social distancing and other guidelines, with another five to return to dine-in service on Monday, officials with The One Group Hospitality Inc. said while reporting first-quarter results. An additional five to 10 restaurants are expected to reopen dining rooms… read more
Wingstop Names Former Chief Experience Officer Stacy Peterson Androes as Technology chief
Wingstop, which is faring well amid the coronavirus pandemic, has appointed former Chief Experience Officer Stacy Peterson Androes as the chain’s new chief technology officer. Androes is returning to the company after leaving in 2019 to work at Service King, a collision repair company based in Texas. Her role was never replaced at Wingstop. Prior to… read more
Steak ‘n Shake Permanently Closed 57 of its Restaurants Nationwide
Biglari Holdings Inc. announced in its first quarter that Steak ‘n Shake’s revenue plunged by $59 million compared to the same time period in 2019 as its restaurants were limited to accepting takeout, drive-thru and delivery orders. “The COVID-19 pandemic had an adverse effect on our restaurant operations,” Biglari said in its quarterly report. Recent Stories… read more
Popeyes Enters China Market in Hope that Virus Fear is Passing
Even after the deadly pathogen caused a record collapse in the country’s restaurant sector, China will become the fast-food chain’s second-largest market in two-to-three years, Raphael Coelho, chief executive officer of Popeyes China, said in an interview Tuesday. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns the Burger King… read more