# September 2026 Articles

> Source: https://qsr.pro/archive/2026/09
> Publisher: QSR Pro


QSR Pro coverage for September 2026.

- [El Pollo Loco plans New York entry with three franchise partners](https://qsr.pro/articles/el-pollo-loco-new-york-franchise-development-queens-2026) — The company says its first regional lease is signed in Queens, with an opening targeted for mid-2027.
- [Dunkin brings cold foam to Zero for Halloween](https://qsr.pro/articles/dunkin-zero-cold-foam-halloween-october-rewards-2026) — The seasonal drinks build on earlier beverage launches, with an October afternoon bonus for Boosted members.
- [Menufy survey: Diners would check menus after AI recommendations](https://qsr.pro/articles/menufy-survey-ai-restaurant-recommendations-menu-checks) — Respondents would check menus and websites after AI recommendations. Google’s documentation explains discovery eligibility and menu publishing.
- [Square links Apple Maps place cards to restaurant ordering](https://qsr.pro/articles/square-apple-maps-restaurant-ordering-september-2026) — Square’s September 24 update connects its Dashboard to Apple Business, adding tools to manage restaurant listings and ordering links.
- [CAVA’s training plan at 500 restaurants](https://qsr.pro/articles/cava-opening-teams-training-500-restaurants-september-2026) — Opening specialists and manager development support the expansion.
- [Five Guys says its 2,000th restaurant has 150-language kiosks](https://qsr.pro/articles/five-guys-citywalk-2000th-restaurant-kiosks) — Five Guys says its CityWalk kiosks offer ordering in 150 languages. Universal’s venue preview advertised breakfast sandwiches and indoor and outdoor seating.
- [Restaurant Workers in Survey See Several Paths to Advance](https://qsr.pro/articles/restaurant-workers-survey-career-advancement-current-other-employers) — Surveyed workers see career opportunities with current and other employers.
- [SBA's October 1 acquisition rules: earnings, equity and the $3 million test](https://qsr.pro/articles/sba-october-1-2026-acquisition-rules-restaurant-buyers) — The updated SBA manual separates initial acquisitions from qualifying expansions, ties earnings reviews to the business purchase price and sets conditions for equity contributions.
- [Taco Bell adds daily games and Friday prize entries](https://qsr.pro/articles/taco-bell-bid-on-luxe-daily-games-prize-drawings) — Rewards members can turn virtual paddles into entries for weekly prize drawings.
- [Restaurant outlook forecasts modest purchasing-power growth](https://qsr.pro/articles/restaurant-association-september-2026-purchasing-power-outlook) — The Association forecasts 0.5% growth in real disposable income for 2026. Its separately released survey describes restaurant use and spending choices.
- [Scooter’s Coffee connects app and marketplace ordering through Olo](https://qsr.pro/articles/scooters-coffee-olo-app-marketplace-ordering-september-2026) — June’s marketplace setup and September’s app migration show how Scooter’s connects digital ordering with store systems.
- [Wendy’s operator Meritage plans closures, Fast Company reports](https://qsr.pro/articles/meritage-wendys-operating-objection-september-2026) — Fast Company reports planned closures as Meritage’s bankruptcy proceedings continue.
- [Pizza Inn signs a 10-buffet development agreement](https://qsr.pro/articles/pizza-inn-10-buffet-development-agreement-2026) — The first five openings are anticipated in fiscal 2027.
- [Starbucks plans 250 North American closures](https://qsr.pro/articles/starbucks-250-north-america-closures-september-2026) — Starbucks estimates $300 million in restructuring charges and lowers its global net-opening forecast to about 440.
- [KPOT picks Deliverect for marketplace orders and menus](https://qsr.pro/articles/kpot-deliverect-marketplace-orders-menu-management) — KPOT plans a network deployment. Deliverect’s general tools connect shared menus with local exceptions, editing permissions and channel publishing.
- [Wendy’s made an emo album for its parking lot](https://qsr.pro/articles/wendys-emo-album-parking-lot) — Six tracks, real musicians and a Frosty funeral.
- [Decision Logic launches Vitals and ShiftFlow](https://qsr.pro/articles/decision-logic-vitals-shiftflow-performance-mobile-tasks) — Decision Logic says Vitals tracks performance and ShiftFlow organizes mobile tasks.
- [How restaurant workers can ask Giving Kitchen for crisis support](https://qsr.pro/articles/giving-kitchen-crisis-assistance-restaurant-workers) — Ahead of September 25, Giving Kitchen is pointing food-service workers toward existing crisis assistance and community resources.
- [KFC Canada's Kwench rollout pairs equipment and site work](https://qsr.pro/articles/kfc-canada-kwench-equipment-site-work) — Elevate outlines a program to equip and prepare more than 200 Canadian KFC restaurants.
- [Arby’s promotes Loaded Rewards](https://qsr.pro/articles/arbys-loaded-rewards-checkout-points) — Points connect restaurant purchases and digital orders.
- [Bad Ass Coffee moves headquarters to Lexington](https://qsr.pro/articles/bad-ass-coffee-lexington-headquarters-distribution) — A new distribution center supports East Coast and destination stores.
- [Chipotle pilots food-safety platform with Palantir](https://qsr.pro/articles/chipotle-palantir-food-safety-risk-pilot) — The company’s September statement outlined a pilot to consolidate restaurant risk information and guide follow-up.
- [Slutty Vegan adds Cincinnati to Soul Republic’s Ohio plans](https://qsr.pro/articles/slutty-vegan-cincinnati-soul-republic-ohio) — Soul Republic’s third announced Ohio market follows its plans for Columbus and Cleveland.
- [DonorLink connects Toast food donations to volunteer pickups](https://qsr.pro/articles/donorlink-toast-food-donations-volunteer-pickups) — Food Rescue US links Toast donation records to local pickups, following a 2023 grant initiative.
- [McDonald’s plans $8.5 billion in franchise support](https://qsr.pro/articles/mcdonalds-next-franchise-support) — Rent relief and capital backing would help fund restaurant upgrades.
- [Aspire’s first food-service trainees serve a practice lunch](https://qsr.pro/articles/aspire-food-service-training-paid-internships) — Aspire’s first food-service cohort handled a three-course lunch, from taking orders to resetting tables, as part of its preparation for restaurant jobs.
- [KFC UK Made Cereal. It Wants You to Add Gravy.](https://qsr.pro/articles/kfc-uk-surreal-cereal-gravy) — Chicken-flavored cereal meets a gravy boat.
- [Presto connects drive-thru voice orders to Toast](https://qsr.pro/articles/presto-connects-drive-thru-voice-orders-to-toast) — How menu management, voice generation and POS connections bring spoken orders into restaurant operations.
- [Dunkin’s coffee gets an L.L.Bean sweater. Humans are next.](https://qsr.pro/articles/dunkin-llbean-matching-coffee-sweaters) — The coffee gets dressed first.
- [Carl’s Jr. wants proof you threw away your crown](https://qsr.pro/articles/carls-jr-crown-photos-angus-maximus-promotion) — Carl’s Jr. limited burger offers to the first 100 eligible entries.
- [7 Brew outbids Dutch Bros for 72 Salad and Go drive-thrus](https://qsr.pro/articles/dutch-bros-salad-and-go-site-assets-agreement-august-2026) — 7 Brew won the August 31 auction for 72 closed Salad and Go leases. Dutch Bros declined to raise its bid. The court has not approved the sale.
- [Thrive put a Goodwill coach in nine restaurants](https://qsr.pro/articles/thrive-goodwill-success-coach-wichita-applebees) — More than 80 of about 300 Wichita employees used the coach in year one.
- [Meritage files for Chapter 11, plans to keep restaurants operating](https://qsr.pro/articles/meritage-chapter-11-restaurant-operations-september-2026) — The Wendy’s operator is seeking financing and court approval for employee payments.
- [Tropical Smoothie plans cafe and digital refresh](https://qsr.pro/articles/tropical-smoothie-cafe-brand-digital-refresh) — Cafe branding changes begin in coming weeks; a redesigned web and app experience follows over several months.
- [Brinker targets 30 annual restaurant openings by fiscal 2029](https://qsr.pro/articles/brinker-30-annual-restaurant-openings-fiscal-2029) — Brinker’s development plans pair new restaurants with remodel investment. It forecast fiscal 2027 capital spending of $265 million to $285 million.
- [Hunt Brothers, GoMart and Così outline three partner formats](https://qsr.pro/articles/hunt-brothers-gomart-cosi-partner-formats) — Pizza inside stores, restaurant endcaps and licensed catering bring different operating arrangements.
- [Qvinci launches RoyaltyHub for franchise billing](https://qsr.pro/articles/qvinci-launches-royaltyhub-franchise-billing) — The platform connects royalty invoices and payments.
- [Crunchtime brings prep and waste logging to kitchen screens](https://qsr.pro/articles/crunchtime-connected-kitchen-prep-waste-tasks) — The September launch connects tasks, inventory and reporting.
- [&pizza removes kiosks and AI ordering](https://qsr.pro/articles/andpizza-removes-kiosks-ai-ordering) — The chain cites lost interaction with guests.
- [Higher-income households account for most restaurant spending](https://qsr.pro/articles/higher-income-households-restaurant-spending-september-2026) — New Census income figures and the restaurant association's analysis show how higher-income households contribute to spending on meals away from home.
- [7shifts Brings Employee Training Into Its Restaurant HR Platform](https://qsr.pro/articles/7shifts-employee-training-premium-courses-manager-review) — Course completion still leaves managers responsible for assessing practical skills.
- [Chipotle Targets Full Apprentice Coverage by the End of 2027](https://qsr.pro/articles/chipotle-apprentice-coverage-target-management-development-2027) — Chipotle aims to extend Apprentice coverage from roughly three-quarters of restaurants to every company-owned location by end-2027.
- [Taco Bell Foundation's 2026 Grants Reach 700 Nonprofits](https://qsr.pro/articles/taco-bell-foundation-2026-community-grants-local-nominations) — Applications require an invitation from the foundation.
- [Dunkin’s Tennis Campaign Connects Drinks, Merchandise and Rewards](https://qsr.pro/articles/dunkin-tennis-menu-head-amex-rewards-september-2026) — An upcoming app points offer follows restaurant tennis collectibles, an announced HEAD collection and a public Grand Central pop-up.
- [WOWorks’ Franchise Incentives Reward Scale, but Cash Timing Matters](https://qsr.pro/articles/woworks-franchise-incentive-tiers-fee-refunds-royalty-relief-2026) — WOWorks ties franchise fee reductions, refunds and royalty relief to development commitments. Operators need to put the incentives on the same calendar as their openings.
- [Jersey Mike’s Q2 shows sales growth and a complicated earnings comparison](https://qsr.pro/articles/jersey-mikes-q2-2026-sales-digital-advertising-earnings) — Comparable sales rose 2.3% as Jersey Mike’s expanded, while advertising timing and corporate costs complicate the second-quarter profit comparison.
- [Dunkin’s Fall Campaign Moves From Breakfast to Afternoon Lattes](https://qsr.pro/articles/dunkin-fall-campaign-earle-espresso-spice-girls-2026) — A creator meal, capped espresso codes and a four-hour latte offer give customers three ways to participate in Dunkin’s fall campaign.
- [Food-Service Payrolls Rebound in the First August Jobs Estimate](https://qsr.pro/articles/august-2026-food-service-payrolls-first-estimate-revisions) — The September 4 release estimated 59,000 additional food-service jobs. Original release tables also show how July’s decline changed in revision.
- [Massachusetts cites Dunkin operator and staffing firms over worker pay](https://qsr.pro/articles/massachusetts-nmg-dunkin-staffing-wage-citations-september-2026) — The $1.46 million assessment covers restitution for 100 employees and state penalties, with findings involving classification, pay and assignment notices.
- [Pilot completes Wendy’s kiosk rollout at 78 travel-center restaurants](https://qsr.pro/articles/pilot-wendys-78-restaurants-kiosk-rollout-september-2026) — Pilot’s completed Wendy’s deployment connects travel-center restaurants to brand ordering options within its wider food and digital program.
- [Wendy’s Halloween offer pairs coupon books with meal collectibles](https://qsr.pro/articles/wendys-halloween-boo-books-frosty-frights-september-2026) — Boo! Books, scheduled Frosty Frights toys and a planned app-exclusive toy use different participation rules within Wendy’s seasonal program.
- [Pesce reopens Lexington Dunkin with Jimmy John’s under one roof](https://qsr.pro/articles/pesce-lexington-dunkin-jimmy-johns-marrett-reopening-2026) — The Marrett Road reopening restores a historic Dunkin and adds Jimmy John’s, with the operator describing training work and planned delivery.
- [Dunkin and Febreze launch Walmart-exclusive coffee and bakery scents](https://qsr.pro/articles/dunkin-febreze-walmart-scent-collection-september-2026) — Dunkin’s Walmart-exclusive Febreze range follows earlier Native and Flipz launches, with scent-specific formats and separate retail channels.
- [July Food-Service and Lodging Hires Nearly Matched Departures](https://qsr.pro/articles/july-2026-jolts-hospitality-hires-separations-openings) — July accommodation and food-service hires nearly matched separations. The September JOLTS release shows why stable headcount can still require substantial recruiting.
- [Riko’s buys two franchise restaurants without adding system locations](https://qsr.pro/articles/rikos-merrick-levittown-franchise-buyback-september-2026) — Riko’s completed its purchase of Merrick and Levittown restaurants August 31. The transfer changes ownership within a 13-location system as another Long Island site remains planned.