With markets roiled once again over the coronavirus pandemic, public restaurant companies saw their share prices continue to slide. At midday, the Dow 30 was down more than 9%, the Nasdaq down more than 8% and the S&P 500 — which triggered a technical halt in trading earlier Thursday, following another one Monday — was… read more

Leaders at restaurant chains began reaching out to customers via email about the coronavirus, providing information on how their companies are responding to the pandemic. Every brand emphasized heightened cleaning and hygiene standards. At McDonald’s, that includes “enhancing our McDelivery procedures to ensure order packaging remains safe” before it’s filled, according to a letter sent… read more

McDonald’s has canceled its in-person biennial convention for its worldwide franchisees due to the coronavirus outbreak. The four-day event, scheduled for April, was supposed to take place in Orlando, Florida. It will now occur virtually. CFO Kevin Ozan told analysts on the earnings call in January that the convention typically costs between $25 million to… read more

Early day impacts from the coronavirus outbreak are starting to show for restaurant operators. Industry insights platform Black Box Intelligence released Wednesday a special update outlining some of COVID-19’s effect so far. It’s the first of what Black Box said will be weekly snapshots monitoring the situation. The next is planned for March 17. Here… read more

The restaurant industry is home to more than 15 million trained and skilled employees in restaurants across the country serving the public every day. The restaurant industry is open and the tables at America’s 1+ million restaurant and foodservice locations are always a great place to gather with friends and family. To ensure that restaurants… read more

From the addition of plant-based menu options to local sourcing and sustainable takeout packaging, restaurants have been tackling sustainability issues with gusto — and the industry as a whole is taking its role as steward of sustainability seriously. “Faced with constantly evolving challenges including production methods, sourcing and waste management, chefs are striving to improve… read more

Red Robin Gourmet Burgers CEO Paul Murphy cracked open the casual chain’s playbook Tuesday to reveal the next steps in the burger concept’s turnaround plan, including the rollout of Donatos-brand pizza to its 550 units within three years. The introduction will cost the company and its franchisees about $91 million all told, or roughly $165,000… read more

Executives of Papa John’s International, Inc. in fiscal 2020 expect strong earnings per share companywide and continued improvement in North American comparable store sales growth, but in late February the coronavirus appeared to have affected the company’s stock price negatively. The coronavirus has affected 210 restaurants in China, which has the company anticipating a negative… read more

Jeremy Biser recalls growing up in Western Maryland, where going to Roy Rogers was a treat. Biser is now executive vice president of the 52-year-old Western-themed brand, which oversaw nearly 650 restaurants at its peak back in the late 1980s. The company began 2020 with 48 units—24 company-owned and 24 franchised—but Biser believes there’s an… read more

Operators across the country know recruiting employees is a challenge, especially in this tight labor market. With the right training, underserved young adults — unemployed, not in school — can be set up to succeed in front- and back-of-house positions in everything from quickservice to tableservice operations. How do we connect employers with these potential… read more