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Industry Analysis Articles

186 PIECES · UPDATED DAILY

All Finance & Economics Industry Analysis Marketing & Growth Operations & Management People & Culture Technology & Innovation

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Industry AnalysisSEP 1, 20263 MIN READ

July Food-Service and Lodging Hires Nearly Matched Departures

July accommodation and food-service hires nearly matched separations. The September JOLTS release shows why stable headcount can still require substantial recruiting.

Industry AnalysisAUG 20, 20263 MIN READ

Wonder Sets a First Launch Site for Salt Hank’s After Acquisition

Salt Hank’s planned entry into Wonder begins with one location and continued culinary leadership. The test is whether the product can travel with its reputation.

Industry Analysis

Oldest

Yum's Q2 Digital Sales Figures Exclude Pizza Hut

Yum's nearly $9 billion digital-sales figure excludes Pizza Hut. Consistent brands and ordering definitions matter when comparing adoption.

Industry AnalysisJUL 2, 20264 MIN READ

June’s Hospitality Jobs Decline Calls for a Closer Look at Summer Hiring

June’s employment report points to weaker seasonal hiring. Restaurant staffing decisions still depend on local demand, shift coverage and retention.

Industry AnalysisJUN 11, 20263 MIN READ

May producer prices show energy outpacing food inflation

Producer energy prices rose faster than food prices in May. Restaurant buyers need invoice weights and contract terms to estimate their own cost changes.

Industry AnalysisAPR 10, 20263 MIN READ

The Restaurant–Grocery Inflation Gap Widened Even as Menu Inflation Eased

March’s CPI shows why slowing menu inflation does not automatically improve the comparison with groceries, and why the gap says little about restaurant profit.

Industry AnalysisMAR 25, 20267 MIN READ

The Confidence Gap: Restaurant Operators Expect Growth in 2026. Their Customers Have Other Plans.

Nearly nine in ten restaurant operators say they are optimistic about 2026. Meanwhile, 68% of consumers are cutting back on dining out and spending $25 less per week than they did last summer. The gap between what operators believe and what customers are doing has never been wider.

Industry AnalysisMAR 25, 20267 MIN READ

Beyond Meat Faces Delisting as QSR Partners Quietly Exit Plant-Based Menus

Beyond Meat received a Nasdaq delisting warning in March 2026 after its stock traded below $1 for 30 consecutive days. The company's collapse from a $14 billion peak now threatens the supply chain for restaurant chains that built menus around its products.

Industry AnalysisMAR 25, 20267 MIN READ

Salad and Go Cut Its Store Count in Half. The Turnaround Playbook Is a Lesson for Every Fast-Growing Chain.

The drive-thru salad chain went from 146 locations to 71 in less than a year. New CEO Mike Tattersfield says the brand was growing just for growth's sake. Here is what operators can learn from one of the sharpest contractions in recent QSR history.

Industry AnalysisMAR 25, 20265 MIN READ

Counter Service Is Steve Ells' Second Act. This Time, the Tech Is the Point.

The Chipotle founder and a Peloton cofounder are building a sandwich chain on proprietary technology. Four Manhattan locations in, Counter Service is a test case for whether data-driven infrastructure can scale real food the way Chipotle once did.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20268 MIN READ

15% of U.S. Restaurants Face Closure Risk in 2026, BBI Data Shows

Black Box Intelligence data flags 15% of U.S. restaurants as closure risks in 2026, up from earlier estimates of 9% for full-service operators alone. With 42% of operators reporting unprofitable operations in 2025 and food costs still 35% above pre-pandemic levels, the shake-out has begun.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20269 MIN READ

Restaurant Industry H1 2026: No Catalysts in Sight, Say Analysts

Industry consultant John Gordon's March 2026 assessment is blunt: there are no visible catalysts to shift the current conditions facing restaurant operators. With $1.55 trillion in projected sales masking flat traffic, 1,000+ chain closures, and margin compression on every front, the first half of 2026 is shaping up as a grind.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20269 MIN READ

McDonald's Race to 50,000: Inside the Biggest Expansion Bet in QSR History

McDonald's plans to open more than 8,000 new restaurants by the end of 2027, reaching 50,000 locations worldwide. The ambition is historic, and the risks are just as large as the opportunity.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20267 MIN READ

The Mediterranean Menu Invasion: Why Legacy Chains Are Chasing CAVA's Fast-Casual Playbook

Jimmy John's launched a gyro LTO on March 5, 2026, becoming the latest legacy chain to chase the Mediterranean wave CAVA turned into a billion-dollar category. For operators, the trend raises real questions about who wins when everyone borrows the same playbook.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20268 MIN READ

White Castle's Texas Gambit: Why the Slider Icon Is Finally Crossing the Red River

White Castle will open its first-ever Texas location at Grandscape in The Colony this summer, marking only the chain's seventh outpost outside the Midwest and a calculated bet on the nation's most competitive QSR battleground.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20268 MIN READ

International Pizza Expo 2026: What the World's Largest Pizza Trade Show Reveals About a $46 Billion Industry

The International Pizza Expo returns to Las Vegas this week with 10,000 professionals, 500 exhibitors, and a competitive landscape that mirrors the industry itself: winners pulling away while weak operators struggle to survive.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20267 MIN READ

Record Beef, Cheap Eggs: The Protein Cost Divergence Reshaping QSR Menus

Beef hit $9.64 per pound in February, the highest price ever recorded. Eggs are projected to fall 27.4% this year. The widest protein cost gap in decades is forcing operators to rethink menu engineering, daypart strategy, and pricing architecture.

Industry AnalysisMAR 24, 20267 MIN READ

One in Eleven Full-Service Restaurants Could Close This Year. Here's the Data.

Black Box Intelligence data shows 9% of full-service restaurants are at risk of closure in 2026, with 3% already past the point of no return. The format divergence between fast casual and traditional sit-down dining is accelerating.

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