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Popular Articles

The most-read analysis and research across QSR Pro. See what operators, franchisees, and investors are reading right now.

All TimeThis MonthThis Week
industry
Industry Analysis

Buc-ee's: How a Gas Station Became America's Most Beloved QSR Destination

Individual Buc-ee's locations generate M-M annually, 5-10x typical gas stations. The chain operates 50+ stores with 100-120 gas pumps each, legendary bathrooms, and brisket sandwiches that drive cult loyalty. This isn't a gas station. It's a phenomenon.

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
Category:AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
180 articles|645 total published
industry
Industry Analysis

Gong cha Buys Back 170 U.S. Franchise Locations to Fuel National Push

Gong cha's acquisition of master franchise rights covering 170 U.S. locations signals a structural shift in how the global bubble tea leader plans to control its American growth.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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.

MAR 25, 2026 · 5 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

GLP-1 Weight Loss Drugs Are Quietly Rewriting QSR Menus in 2026

From Shake Shack's GLP-1 friendly 'Good Fit' menu to Smoothie King's dedicated drug-user section, chains are engineering menus around a growing cohort of Americans on weight loss medications. Operators who ignore this shift do so at their own risk.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

MCL Restaurant and Bakery Shrinks to Seven Locations After 76 Years of Cafeteria-Style Dining

MCL, once a 30-location Midwest cafeteria institution, is closing five more units this month and citing years of declining sales. What the chain's collapse reveals about America's dying cafeteria format.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Why Subway Went From 45,000 Stores to 37,000 - And What Happens Next

The complete story of how the largest franchise system in history collapsed. Dollar footlongs, franchisee revolts, market saturation, and the $9.6 billion Roark Capital acquisition that inherited the mess.

MAR 20, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Taco Bell's Global Ambitions and the Art of Menu Innovation

Taco Bell hit $1 billion in annual operating profit, announced plans to enter nine new countries, and promised to double its menu innovation in 2025. The Yum! Brands subsidiary is executing one of the most aggressive growth strategies in QSR.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The 2026 Chicken Sandwich Wars: Why Every Major QSR Chain Is Doubling Down on Poultry

With ground beef hitting $6.69 per pound and the U.S. cattle herd at a 75-year low, QSR chains are racing toward chicken with an urgency that goes beyond trend-chasing. From McDonald's Chicken Big Mac to Taco Bell's poultry pivot to Raising Cane's 1,000th location, the competitive dynamics of 2026 are reshaping how every operator thinks about protein.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Panda Express vs Wingstop: Two Models, One Question

Panda Express runs 2,200+ company-owned locations generating $6.2 billion in U.S. sales. Wingstop operates 3,056 mostly franchised restaurants with $5.3 billion in systemwide sales. Both are growing fast, but their business models could not be more different. Which one is actually better?

MAR 20, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Wendy's Is Closing Up to 350 U.S. Locations. Here's What Went Wrong.

Wendy's posted its worst same-store sales decline since the pandemic and is now closing up to 358 U.S. restaurants in the first half of 2026. A breakdown of what went wrong: breakfast underperformance, value messaging failures, leadership instability, and franchise economics that no longer work.

MAR 24, 2026 · 10 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Wingstop's 10,000-Unit Vision: Inside the Fastest-Growing Wing Chain's Global Playbook

Wingstop opened 493 net new restaurants in 2025, reaching 3,056 locations at a 19.2% unit growth rate that outpaces almost every major QSR brand. With 2026 guidance set at 15-16% more global unit development and a long-term vision of 10,000 locations, the Dallas-based wing chain is building a case that it belongs in the same conversation as Domino's and Subway.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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.

MAR 25, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Real Reason McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken

A $900 million lawsuit, an FTC investigation, and the story of how copyright law turned soft serve maintenance into a federal case. Inside the Taylor Company monopoly and the right-to-repair battle that followed.

MAR 20, 2026 · 10 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

KFC's American Decline: How the Original Chicken Chain Fell to Fifth Place

KFC, the chain that invented fast-food fried chicken in America, has fallen to fifth place among US chicken chains. Consumer spending dropped 4% to $4.34 billion as Raising Cane's and Wingstop surged past the Yum Brands stalwart, exposing structural problems no LTO can fix.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Inside Shake Shack's Company-Owned Strategy

Shake Shack reported $1.45 billion in total revenue for 2025 and opened 85 new Shacks system-wide, all while keeping its domestic restaurants company-owned. The strategy defies conventional QSR wisdom, and the numbers show why it works.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
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