New Restaurants are Starting to Open in the Pandemic A lot of discussions have been held and predictions shared when it comes to restaurant closures and COVID-19. And, generally, talk of expansion and openings is framed against a post-pandemic backdrop—a world where big chains get bigger and well-capitalized brands flood the real estate left behind…. read more
QDOBA Mexican Eats continues to grow its non-traditional footprint across universities, airports, and other venues where a premium is placed on convenience, speed, quality, and value. Since August, the Brand has opened eight locations on college campuses across the country, including the University of Cincinnati, University of Nebraska —Lincoln, Purdue University, University of Pittsburgh—Bradford, ASU… read more
Michael Lapid Joined the Brand in October of Last Year. How has delivery progressed? How does the delivery customer during the pandemic compare to the one before? How much of this is new customers versus core? While many locations participated in third-party delivery at a local level, we rolled out third-party delivery systemwide to accommodate… read more
Digital Innovation Keys the Progress Tropical Smoothie Cafe has been one of the industry’s true COVID-19 success stories. The brand’s same-store sales ballooned 19.5 percent, year-over-year, in Q3—a company record. Year-to-date comps are 3.4 percent higher than 2019 levels. Meanwhile, it opened 75 restaurants and is on track to surpass 85 by year’s end. Perhaps… read more
Red cups are returning to Starbucks. Starbucks announced that its holiday menu returns on Friday, November 6. That means drinks including the Peppermint Mocha, Toasted White Chocolate Mocha, and Eggnog Latte are back on the menu, as well as four new festive “red cup” designs. The chain is also giving away free reusable, collectible holiday… read more
The coronavirus pandemic has upset consumers’ usual breakfast habits, leading fast-food Wendy’s has become the rare restaurant company to lure customers to its restaurants for breakfast even during the coronavirus pandemic. In the last eight months, consumers broke their old breakfast habits and began eating the early morning meal at home, spurred on by office… read more
Economic recovery for restaurants remains uncertain, National Restaurant Association CEO Tom Bené says The uncertain economic recovery for restaurants in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has slowed in recent months, posing more hurdles for operators. In September, 32 states reported losses in restaurant jobs, and industry employment remained about 2.3 million positions below pre-COVID-19… read more
Though Red Robin Gourmet Burgers is experiencing same-store sales improvements in recent months, the casual-dining chain is still struggling with plunging visits due to dine-in restrictions tied to COVID-19. Same-store sales for the quarter ended Oct. 4, decreased 25.1% driven by a 24.6% decrease in guest traffic. Average check declined by 0.5%, driven, in part,… read more
Before the pandemic again, gender equity was still a challenge in leadership positions within the restaurant industry with only 22% of women in leadership positions (as compared with 47% of women in entry-level positions). But with the onset of COVID-19, that gap grew even wider as women have to increasingly choose between a changing situation… read more
Inspire Brands, a holding company backed by the Roark Capital Group, a private equity firm, is purchasing Dunkin’, which also owns Baskin-Robbins. Inspire already owns 11,000 Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Jimmy John’s, and other restaurants. Inspire, which will take on Dunkin’s debt in the deal, plans to acquire outstanding Dunkin’ shares at $106.50 apiece…. read more