Popular Articles

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.

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 Drive-Thru Innovation: Multi-Lane, AI Ordering, and Conveyor Belts

Miso Robotics Acquires Zignyl in the $28 Billion Race to Automate Restaurant Kitchens

The maker of Flippy just bought a workforce management platform, signaling that the future of kitchen automation isn't just robots replacing workers. It's a single integrated platform managing robots, labor, and operations together. Here's what operators need to know.

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

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.

The QSR Autonomous Delivery Map: Where Robots and Drones Are Delivering Restaurant Orders in 2026

DoorDash's Dot robot made its first delivery in Fremont, California on March 5, 2026, joining Serve Robotics, Grubhub, and Zipline in a live deployment race across U.S. cities. Here is which platforms are operating where, what the unit economics look like, and what QSR operators need to do now.

Wingstop's Digital-First Playbook: Can 70% Digital Sales Reshape QSR Unit Economics?

Wingstop's digital sales mix hit 73.2% in Q4 2025, one of the highest penetration rates in QSR. The six-year arc from 39% to 73% has fundamentally altered the brand's labor model, throughput capacity, and expansion calculus. Here's what it means for the industry.

Why Korean Fried Chicken Is Taking Over American QSR

Korean fried chicken chains grew from 200 to 500+ U.S. locations in six years. Bonchon (120+ stores), bb.q Chicken (50+), and Pelicana (40+) are expanding aggressively. Double-frying, thin crispy skin, and gochujang glazes are winning customers from KFC and Popeyes.

Starbucks Goes South: Inside the 250,000-Square-Foot Nashville Bet Reshaping QSR Corporate Strategy

Starbucks is building its largest corporate outpost outside Seattle in Nashville, hunting for 250,000 square feet to house supply chain operations and up to 2,000 workers. The move follows a $1 billion restructuring, 500 store closures, and 1,100 corporate layoffs. For QSR operators watching the corporate migration south, the playbook is becoming impossible to ignore.

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

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.

How Culver's Quietly Became the Midwest's Most Profitable Franchise

Culver's average unit volume hit $3.69 million in 2024, with locations near interstates generating $3.7 million. The chain grew to over 1,000 locations while keeping its franchise model uniquely operator-focused. Here is how butter burgers built a billion-dollar system.

QSR Mergers and Acquisitions 2026: Who's Buying Whom

Inspire Brands, JAB Holdings, and Restaurant Brands International control 100,000+ locations. Private equity owns more QSR brands than ever. The consolidation wave shows no signs of slowing.

One in Four Restaurants Now Uses AI: What the NRA's 2026 State of the Industry Report Reveals

The National Restaurant Association's 2026 State of the Restaurant Industry report found 26% of operators now use AI-related tools, with marketing leading adoption and customer ordering lagging far behind. Here's what the data actually shows about where the industry stands.

Whataburger: why Texas won't share its burger chain

How BDT Capital turned a regional cult favorite into a controlled national expansion - 88 new stores in 2024, $3.54M AUV, and a $6B+ valuation built on Texas identity.