Popular Articles

Fatburger Opens in Paris: First of 30 Locations Planned Across France by 2028

FAT Brands is pushing Fatburger into France with 30 units targeted by 2028, starting with a new location near Paris. The expansion raises a pointed question for the industry: can a financially distressed franchisor build a winning international presence while fighting through Chapter 11 at home?

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

142 articles|645 total published

QSR Pro Staff•6 min read•1

Burger King's $350 Million China Bet: RBI and CPE Target 4,000 Restaurants by 2035

Restaurant Brands International has completed a joint venture with CPE that injects $350 million into Burger King China, targeting 4,000 locations by 2035. With CPE taking 83% ownership and a 20-year master development agreement in place, this is the biggest QSR international expansion bet of 2026.

Chick-fil-A's Daybright Cafe Is Its Biggest Strategic Bet in Decades

Chick-fil-A is testing a standalone beverage concept called Daybright, its first venture outside the core chicken restaurant format. With Starbucks in turnaround mode and the U.S. specialty beverage market worth over $48 billion, the timing could not be better.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read•1

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.

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.

How Indian QSR Brands Are Disrupting the Market

Haldiram's generates .5B+ annually. Rebel Foods operates 450+ cloud kitchens globally. Wow! Momo has 600+ locations. India's QSR market is projected to hit B by 2028, growing 4x faster than the U.S. These brands are the future of global QSR.

McDonald's Big Arch Gamble: Why the World's Biggest Chain Is Betting on Premium Burgers

McDonald's launched the Big Arch on March 3, but early traffic data tells a more complicated story. The premium burger generated just a 2.2% visit lift, far below recent LTOs. Here is what it means for the chain's strategy.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read•1

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.

The GLP-1 Effect: How Weight Loss Drugs Are Reshaping Fast Food Demand

A Cornell study found households on GLP-1 medications cut fast food spending by more than 5% within six months. With projections showing GLP-1 users could account for 35% of all food and beverage spending by 2030, the QSR industry faces a demand shift it cannot ignore.

QSR Pro Staff•10 min read•1

The Great QSR Bifurcation: Why the Gap Between Winners and Losers Is Widening in 2026

Only one-third of restaurant brands saw positive comp sales in 2025, and 2026 is shaping up as the year the middle disappears. The gap between QSR's strongest performers and its struggling chains is turning into a chasm, driven by consumer spending polarization, digital investment gaps, and a brutal new calculus on value.

The FTC's Record $17 Million Franchise Settlement: What Every QSR Franchisor Needs to Know

The FTC just secured a $17 million settlement against Xponential Fitness, the largest monetary recovery in a franchise case in FTC history. The violations have nothing to do with fitness and everything to do with how franchisors sell franchises. QSR brands should read the complaint carefully.

QSR Pro Staff•9 min read•1

Brian Niccol's Starbucks Turnaround: How 'Back to Starbucks' Delivered the First Traffic Growth in Two Years

Starbucks posted its first U.S. transaction growth in eight quarters under CEO Brian Niccol. The playbook is surprisingly simple: faster drinks, fewer menu items, and a $600 million bet on people.

QSR Pro Staff•9 min read•1

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.

Zaxby's franchise review: chicken competition and Goldman Sachs ownership

941 locations, $2.66M AUV, and Goldman Sachs pushing expansion. Can Zaxby's compete with Raising Cane's and Chick-fil-A in an overcrowded chicken segment?

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read•1

Taco Bell's RING Strategy: How Cantina Chicken and a $3 Million AUV Target Are Rewriting the QSR Playbook

Taco Bell posted 7% same-store sales growth in 2025 while most QSR chains struggled. Its RING strategy targets $3 million AUVs, $5 billion in Cantina Chicken sales, and 10,000 units. Here is how the chain plans to get there.

Slim Chickens: the fast-growing chicken tender franchise

270 locations, 57.7% revenue growth in 3 years, and 96% franchised. How Slim Chickens competes with Raising Cane's in the chicken tender wars.