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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
technology
Technology & Innovation

Presto Raises $10M as Drive-Thru Voice AI Enters Its 'Prove It' Era

Presto Automation closed a $10 million funding round as the drive-thru AI sector moves from pilot theater to deployment accountability. With McDonald's IBM experiment now a cautionary tale, operators are demanding hard numbers on accuracy, labor savings, and rollout speed.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
Category:AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
605 articles|645 total published
finance
Finance & Economics

How Much Does a Jimmy John's Franchise Cost in 2026?

Jimmy John's franchise investment ranges from $366,200 to $728,200. Owned by Roark Capital, the brand focuses on delivery speed and operational simplicity with 2,695 locations.

MAR 20, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Domino's Nine-Quarter Same-Store Sales Streak Reshapes the Pizza Category

Domino's posted 3.7% U.S. same-store sales growth in Q4 2025, extending a nine-quarter streak that has redrawn competitive lines across the $46 billion U.S. pizza market. As Pizza Hut sheds 250 locations and Papa John's winds down 300, the gap between the category leader and the rest of the field keeps widening.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The QSR IPO Pipeline: Who's Going Public Next

Cava's IPO tripled in value. Wingstop returned 20x. Portillo's struggled. Several major chains are eyeing public offerings: Panera (complicated by debt), Raising Cane's (no rush), and others. Here's the pipeline and what makes a successful QSR IPO.

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Chicken Sandwich Wars Are Over. Here's What Won.

Popeyes lit the match in August 2019. Six years later, Chick-fil-A's systemwide sales have grown from $10.5 billion to $22.7 billion. McDonald's chicken became its fastest-growing protein. Popeyes itself still struggles with franchisee profitability. The war reshaped the entire $63.7 billion U.S. chicken QSR segment.

NOV 4, 2025 · 8 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

The Restaurant Tech Delusion: Why 53% of CEOs Think Systems Work While Only 17% of Operators Agree

Qu's seventh annual Restaurant Technology Benchmark Report reveals a striking gap between C-suite confidence and operational reality: 53% of CEOs report no major system instability affecting their brand, while only 17% of their own operational leaders agree. The report is a warning shot for any chain betting on AI to solve problems their foundational systems cannot yet handle.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

International Pizza Expo 2026: What the World's Largest Pizza Trade Show Reveals About a $46 Billion Industry

The International Pizza Expo returns to Las Vegas this week with 10,000 professionals, 500 exhibitors, and a competitive landscape that mirrors the industry itself: winners pulling away while weak operators struggle to survive.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Plant-Based QSR Bust: What Went Wrong

Beyond Meat's stock is down 90% from peak. Impossible shelved its IPO. Most QSR chains quietly removed plant-based items. The revolution that was supposed to replace meat fizzled. Here's the autopsy: overestimated markets, price premiums, taste gaps, and novelty fatigue.

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

CKE's Multi-Vendor AI Experiment: What Carl's Jr. and Hardee's Learned from Testing Three Drive-Thru Systems

CKE Restaurants tested Presto Automation, OpenCity's Tori, and Valyant AI simultaneously across its Carl's Jr. and Hardee's drive-thrus. The results offer a rare, side-by-side look at what actually works in AI order-taking, and why the multi-vendor approach may be the smartest move in a market with no clear winner.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

Roy Rogers' Tech Bet: How a 38-Unit Chain Is Using Unified Commerce to Compete With the Giants

Roy Rogers Restaurants has selected Qu as its technology partner to unify ordering, kitchen execution, and menu management across all 38 locations. The move is a case study in why legacy regional brands can't afford to keep running fragmented tech stacks.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

QSR Stock Performance 2026: Who's Winning on Wall Street

McDonald's, Chipotle, Yum, Wingstop, CAVA, and Shake Shack are all public QSR stocks. But they're playing entirely different games - and Wall Street is making very different bets on who wins.

MAR 20, 2026 · 10 MIN READ
operations
Operations & Management

Texas Roadhouse Keeps Defying Gravity: Traffic Gains, Tech Upgrades, and the 50th Bubba's 33

Texas Roadhouse posted 3.5% comp growth in Q1 2026 while peers bleed traffic, opened its 50th Bubba's 33, and keeps proving that from-scratch food and equity-driven management are the most durable competitive advantages in casual dining. Here's what operators at every price point can learn from their model.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
operations
Operations & Management

Johnny Carino's Bets Its Future on a Bar-Forward Prototype. Here's the Strategy.

The nearly 30-year-old Italian casual dining chain is debuting a 6,000 square foot bar-forward prototype in Laredo, Texas. With 20 draft beers, craft cocktails, and fire pits, it's a bet that beverage-driven traffic can reverse casual dining's structural decline.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
operations
Operations & Management

Portillo's Strategic Reset: How a Chicago Icon Choked on Its Own Expansion

Portillo's raised $466 million in its 2021 IPO on promises of 920 locations. Four years later, the stock has lost 90% of its value, a CEO is gone, and an activist investor forced a full strategic pivot. The story of what went wrong is a lesson every regional chain operator needs to read.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
operations
Operations & Management

Bojangles All-Day Breakfast Goes Nationwide: What Operators Can Learn From the Boldest Daypart Bet of 2026

Bojangles expanded made-from-scratch all-day breakfast to every standalone location on March 12, 2026. Here is what the move means for unit economics, kitchen operations, and the broader daypart war.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Shake Shack's Profitability Pivot: How a Burger Chain Is Building Its Biggest Pipeline While Cutting Costs

Shake Shack is guiding for 55-60 new company-operated Shacks in 2026, the largest development pipeline in company history, while simultaneously cutting average net build costs below $2 million. The combination is reshaping the chain's unit economics and putting it on a credible path to 23%-23.5% restaurant-level margins.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

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?

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Global QSR Market Is on Track to Hit $520 Billion by 2033: Where the Growth Actually Lives

The global quick service restaurant market was valued at $323.46 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $520 billion by 2033. But the headline number obscures a more complicated story about where real growth is happening, which markets are saturated, and what operators and investors should actually watch.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
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