All Articles

Coffee Prices Hit Record Highs and QSR Chains Are Scrambling: Inside the 2026 Global Coffee Crisis

Brinker International's $6.25 Billion Comeback: How Chili's Big Smasher Turned a Casual Dining Chain Into QSR's Biggest Threat

The NRA's $1.55 Trillion Forecast and the 42% Profitability Crisis: Inside the 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry Report

The Great Restaurant Closure Wave of 2026: Who Is Shutting Doors and Why

El Pollo Loco's Breakout Moment: How a Regional Chicken Chain Is Finally Expanding Beyond California

Restaurants Take Their Case to Congress: Swipe Fees, Immigration, and the USMCA Fight

Oil Hits $107 a Barrel and Restaurants Brace for Impact: How the Iran Conflict Is Reshaping QSR Economics

Burger King Fires Its Mascot, Admits Past Failures, and Bets $700 Million on a Brand Reset

Fat Brands Files for Bankruptcy: Inside the $1.5 Billion Collapse of a QSR Empire

Chipotle's Record Expansion Meets Margin Pressure: Inside the Q4 2025 Results and What They Signal for Fast Casual

Chipotle opened a record 334 restaurants in 2025 and grew revenue 5.4% to $11.9B, but restaurant-level margins contracted to 23.4%. The fast-casual leader faces a new equation.

Raising Cane's Hits 1,000 Restaurants and Is Not Slowing Down: Inside the Fastest-Growing QSR Story in America

Raising Cane's opened its 1,000th restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard in March 2026. The privately held chain plans 100+ new locations this year as it targets 1,600 total and top-10 QSR status.

DoorDash Completes $3.9 Billion Deliveroo Acquisition, Cementing Global Food Delivery Dominance

DoorDash's $3.9B acquisition of Deliveroo, completed in October 2025, gives the company a presence across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. The food delivery market consolidation accelerates.

California's $20 Fast Food Wage, Two Years Later: Higher Prices, Fewer Jobs, and an Automation Accelerant

Two years after AB 1228 imposed a $20 minimum wage on California fast food workers, new UC Santa Cruz research shows higher prices, reduced employment, and accelerated automation.

Miso Robotics Acquires Zignyl as the $28 Billion Restaurant Automation Market Heats Up

Miso Robotics' Zignyl acquisition signals a new phase in restaurant automation. The global market is projected to hit $28B in 2026, with robots making everything from fries to salads.

Starbucks Posts First Comparable Transaction Growth in Eight Quarters as Niccol's Turnaround Takes Hold

Starbucks delivered 4% global comparable sales growth in Q1 FY2026, with $9.9B in revenue. U.S. transaction growth turned positive for the first time in two years.

RBI’s 2025 growth and Burger King’s remodel plan

Year-end results and restaurant investment plans, explained.

Wendy's Project Fresh Hits a Wall: U.S. Same-Store Sales Drop 11.3% as the Turnaround Stalls

Wendy's reported an 11.3% decline in U.S. same-restaurant sales in Q4 2025, with global systemwide sales falling 8.3% to $3.4B. Digital grew 12.4%, but is it enough?

Inside Chick-fil-A's Operator Selection: How 0.25% of Applicants Get Chosen

The selection process, interview stages, what they look for, and why operators can't own multiple stores. Harder than Harvard, more selective than MIT, and structured to filter for a rare combination of traits.