Industry Analysis Articles
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Chipotle’s venture update spans farming, sourcing and biometric payments
Chipotle’s July update spans six portfolio companies. Earlier announcements distinguish venture investment from restaurant trials and operating adoption.
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.
On The Border’s Operator Announces Liquidation After June Closures
OTB Hospitality says it filed Chapter 7 after closing company restaurants, a year after Pappas’ acquisition. Independent franchise locations remain outside the filing.
Shipley Signs a Three-Store Cincinnati Agreement With the Koettings
The Koetting family’s Ohio agreement targets a first Shipley shop for early 2027, followed by two more through 2029.
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.
Ghai’s Houston Taco Bell purchase changes its geographic mix
Ghai bought 44 Houston Taco Bells. Its CEO’s geographic rationale and Taco Bell’s beverage plans explain the appeal of expanding within a familiar brand.
Nana’s Green Tea plans its first company-run U.S. flagship
Pasadena would add direct company operation to a U.S. business already developed through franchises, with no opening date yet announced.
HEAL’s Toronto plan adds a company store to franchise growth
The planned Queen Street West opening sits alongside 39 reported open locations and a much larger development pipeline.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.