The overall industry’s sales cooled to 3%, marking the fourth consecutive year of deceleration, but pizza was the only category in the red. Quick-service pizza sales have been coming back down to earth since the category’s pandemic highs. In 2025, however, the category slipped below the surface, registering a 0.3% year-over-year sales slide following a… read more

Michelle Hook, who worked at Portillo’s for over five years, will oversee financial operations at the fast casual chain as it works toward reaching 1,500 units. Dive Brief: Shake Shack appointed Michelle Hook as its chief financial officer, effective May 11, the company said in a Thursday press release. Hook most recently served as CFO… read more

The Windy City is a restaurant-rich town. Here are a few places to check out that are brand new and (mostly) ready to be discovered. The National Restaurant Show in Chicago is not just about eating random bites and sips in McCormick Place. Chicago offers a wealth of fabulous dining and drinking opportunities. So save… read more

Sales among limited-service burger chains remained weak in 2025 amid consumer weakness and a shift to chicken or other items. But higher-quality growth chains are grabbing share and making noise. It’s tough to be a burger chain these days. Beef costs are through the roof amid one of the most extensive value pushes the industry… read more

Canadian restaurant operator Foodtastic also has grown Inspire Brands’ Jimmy John’s portfolio across Canada. Inspire Brands and Foodtastic are partnering on a master franchising agreement that will bring hundreds of Dunkin’ locations to Canada. The first new unit could open as soon as later this year, with more details to come as development progresses. Foodtastic… read more

The 28 food and beverage products receiving the award target the needs of today’s operators, menus and consumers The National Restaurant Association Show has named 28 products as recipients of the 2026 Food & Beverage (FABI) Awards. Ten awardees were singled out by the judges as FABI Favorites for standing above the rest in targeting… read more

CHICAGO (April 29, 2026) — Ali Group, which operates in North America under the Welbilt brand, today announced a series of leadership appointments effective May 11, impacting its global organization and North American operations, including changes at Ali Group North America, BUNN and ACP, Inc. (ACP), which includes the Amana Commercial, Menumaster Commercial and XpressChef… read more

At the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, five C-level executives shared the ins and outs of growing their brands. Consistency, quality, reassessment, respect for roots, customer experience and building strong teams—these are some of the keys to successful growth, according to five C-level chain executives who shared speedy versions of their stories on stage Monday… read more

Mustafa Husain, former VP of restaurant technology engineering, will replace Valerie Ashbaugh starting May 1. Dive Brief: McDonald’s SVP and U.S. CIO Valerie Ashbaugh will depart at the end of April, the company said in a Tuesday announcement. The executive is leaving after less than a year as CIO, ending a five-year stint at the… read more

Operators in Texas claim adding Applebee’s to existing IHOP restaurants broke development exclusivity agreements. Dive Brief: Applebee’s franchisees Apple Texas Restaurants and Apple Houston Restaurants have sued the franchisor for allegedly violating the exclusivity portions of their franchisee agreements with dual-branded IHOP/Applebee’s units, court records show. The operators say one open dual-branded restaurant and two… read more