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QSR INDEXMCD 292.41 +0.8%SBUX 84.12 −1.2%YUM 148.77 +0.4%QSR 68.90 +1.1%CMG 48.15 −0.3%DPZ 421.55 +2.1%WING 244.63 +3.4%SHAK 96.20 −0.7%WEN 14.02 +0.2%69 CHAINS TRACKED · UPDATED DAILY
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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
Category:AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
47 articles|645 total published
people
People & Culture

The Restaurant General Manager Shortage Is the Real Labor Crisis of 2026

While the industry obsesses over hourly wages, GM salaries have surged 12% in a single year. The real labor crisis in QSR is not finding crew members. It is finding the experienced operators who can run a $2-3 million restaurant.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Starbucks Workers United: Four Years Without a Contract and the March 2026 Proposal That Could Break the Deadlock

Starbucks Workers United filed a comprehensive contract proposal on March 13, 2026, reigniting stalled negotiations that have dragged on for four years without a first contract. For QSR operators watching from the sidelines, the Starbucks labor standoff is the most consequential union story in the industry's modern history.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Popeyes Appoints Chris Padoan as COO, Expands Field Team 75% in Turnaround Push

Restaurant Brands International named Burger King veteran Chris Padoan as Popeyes COO and expanded the chain's field operations team by 75%, the latest moves in a turnaround effort after four consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Chicken Salad Chick's Millennial and Gen Z Franchisee Surge Signals a New Franchise Model Preference

Chicken Salad Chick named Jill Thomas CMO as the brand reports a record 2025 with nearly 100 new franchise deals and a pipeline surpassing 300 units, driven by younger entrepreneurs seeking structured ownership.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

The General Manager Crisis in QSR

GM turnover, compensation gaps, and burnout. Why this is the most important role in the restaurant, what's driving the talent shortage, and which chains are solving it.

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

QSR Hiring in 2026: What's Changed Since the Labor Shortage

Wages, benefits, scheduling tech, and applicant quality. The shortage didn't end - it restructured. Current state of the market and what actually works.

MAR 20, 2026 · 5 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Chili's Wants to Turn General Managers into Owners, and It Could Reshape Company-Operated QSR

CEO Kevin Hochman is studying a profit-sharing ownership model for GMs modeled on Texas Roadhouse's managing partner structure. If it works, it could redefine unit-level leadership across company-operated chains.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Women in QSR Leadership: Progress and Problems

Female CEOs, franchisees, and executives - the numbers and the stories. Why progress is slow, where barriers remain, and which chains are actually changing.

MAR 20, 2026 · 5 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

Yum Brands After Gibbs: Chris Turner Inherits a 59,000-Restaurant Empire and an Unfinished AI Transformation

Chris Turner stepped into the Yum Brands CEO seat in October 2025 after three decades of operational DNA built by David Gibbs. A financial architect taking the wheel of the world's largest fast food company by unit count raises real questions about execution versus analysis, especially as Yum's AI bet scales toward 60,000 locations and Pizza Hut bleeds stores.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

QSR Diversity and Inclusion Report 2026

C-suite demographics, franchisee diversity, and DEI programs by chain. What's real vs performative, the wealth gap in franchise ownership, and which brands are actually changing.

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
people
People & Culture

The Franchisee-Franchisor Relationship Crisis

Subway, McDonald's, and Burger King lawsuits exposing the power imbalance. Why franchisees are organizing, what's broken in the model, and which systems actually work.

MAR 20, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
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