Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. has made another major acquisition of Wendy’s locations. The 57 fast food restaurant are in four southern states: Arkansas, Missouri, Mississippi and Tennessee. Neither the seller or the price Meritage paid were disclosed. “We are delighted to welcome 1,600 new employees from our expanded Wendy’s footprint across four states,” said Chief… read more

What is the future of the restaurant industry? The answer will be driven by customers’ appetite for delivery, sustainability and increasingly experience-focused dining. That’s according to Michael Schaefer, the head of food and beverage research at Euromonitor International, who offered the predictions in a speech on the final day of the National Restaurant Association Show… read more

Shares of Texas Roadhouse soared to record highs as investors digested the casual dining company’s better-than-expected first-quarter results. While Texas Roadhouse surprised analysts with the numbers, how it got there was far from complicated, executives explained in a conference call. “… we’ve just keep doing what we’re doing, which is [being] very protective of our… read more

Not even the rocking chairs and knickknacks at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. are immune to the disease spreading through the retail sector. The Lebanon, Tenn.-based chain of roadside family-dining restaurants, which includes retail areas, said that same-store retail sales fell 4.7 percent in the third quarter ended April 28. That was considerably worse… read more

Granite City Food & Brewery Ltd. announced that Richard H. Lynch (Dick), a member of its Board of Directors, has been appointed as the company’s Chief Executive Officer. Interim CEO, Rob Doran, will continue to serve as a member of Granite City’s Board of Directors. Lynch is a restaurant industry veteran who served as the… read more

Chipotle Mexican Grill announced that it has hired Scott Boatwright as chief restaurant officer, a position where he will work with the company’s senior restaurant leadership team to oversee restaurant operations for Chipotle’s nearly 2,300 North American restaurants. Boatwright comes to Chipotle from Arby’s Restaurant Group, where he served as senior vice president of operations…. read more

The Cheesecake Factory Incorporated announced that Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer W. Douglas Benn will retire from the Company on July 7, 2017. He will be succeeded by Matthew Clark, who brings over 11 years of experience with the Company, most recently serving as Senior Vice President, Finance and Strategy.  “On behalf of… read more

LoneStar Restaurant Supply, a division of ABC Hotel and Restaurant Supply, Inc., announced the promotion of Drew Mallett to Corporate Chef and appointment of industry veteran Ken Harrison as Business Development Manager. Drew Mallett is based out of the South Central Region of Texas and brings a unique combination of corporate and culinary experience. He… read more

Denny’s has named Michael Furlow, an industry veteran with more than 30 years of experience, as its new CIO and senior vice president of information technology. The move comes as Spartanburg, S.C.-based Denny’s puts more attention towards maximizing tech strategies. “Technology is critical to restaurants today, and Michael will be a welcome and instrumental member of… read more

Yum! Brands, Inc. announced that Christopher M. Connor was elected to its Board of Directors at the Company’s annual meeting of shareholders. “Chris’ executive leadership and global retail experience make him a strong addition to the Yum! Brands Board,” said Robert Walter, Non-Executive Chairman of Yum! Brands. “We are thrilled to have Chris join us… read more