The Association forecasts 0.5% growth in real disposable income for 2026. Its separately released survey describes restaurant use and spending choices.
Starbucks estimates $300 million in restructuring charges and lowers its global net-opening forecast to about 440.
New Census benchmarks shrink the estimated market but leave the 2026 growth forecast intact.
Brinker’s development plans pair new restaurants with remodel investment. It forecast fiscal 2027 capital spending of $265 million to $285 million.
USDA projects food-away-from-home prices to rise 3.7% to 4.6% in 2026, while grocery inflation is forecast at just 1.7%. The widening gap is changing how middle-income consumers spend their food budgets, and QSR operators are caught in the middle.
New EY-Parthenon data shows one in four consumers feeling worse off financially. Circana forecasts sub-1% traffic growth for 2026. The gap between winning and losing chains is accelerating.
Brinker International lifted its fiscal 2026 revenue forecast to $5.76-$5.83 billion after Chili's posted its sixth consecutive quarter of double-digit same-store sales growth, outpacing the casual dining industry by hundreds of basis points while its fast-food rivals scrambled to respond.
A new Research and Markets report pegs the global fast food market at $658.85 billion in 2025, with a projected rise to $868.19 billion by 2030 at a 5.7% CAGR. The growth is real, but the story behind the numbers is more complicated than any single headline figure suggests.
Wendy’s August capital decision lowers its quarterly payout while a cash-flow reconciliation and prior guidance clarify what remains undecided.
An earlier 85-store transfer explains most of the company-restaurant revenue decline. Comparable sales and North America commissary figures need separate readings.
WOWorks ties franchise fee reductions, refunds and royalty relief to development commitments. Operators need to put the incentives on the same calendar as their openings.
A data-driven look at the three structural forces that permanently reset quick-service pricing — and what operators and investors need to understand about the new baseline
Since 2019, the cost of eating at a quick-service restaurant has climbed nearly 40%, far outpacing grocery inflation and general CPI. What many consumers assume is temporary gouging is actually the product of three compounding, structural cost increases — food commodities, labor, and occupancy — none of which show meaningful signs of reverting.
Data analytics, billion-dollar unit volumes, and drive-thru-only formats are transforming the battle for prime restaurant locations
The quick service restaurant industry's most successful chains are deploying sophisticated location analytics and unprecedented unit economics to secure premium real estate. With Chick-fil-A stores averaging over $9 million in annual volume, these brands can justify lease rates that leave competitors on the sidelines.
The U.S. cattle herd has shrunk to its smallest size since 1951. With beef prices surging past records and no relief in sight for years, burger chains face a fundamental question about their business model.
Quarterly revenue was $123.5 million, including an extra operating week.
The International Franchise Association projects QSR franchise growth below 0.5% in 2026, the weakest showing of any major franchise sector. With food costs 36% above pre-pandemic levels, labor costs up 35%, and tariffs hitting supply chains, operators are cutting menus and switching suppliers rather than signing new leases.
Wendy's posted its worst quarterly same-store sales performance in years, with U.S. comps down 11.3% in Q4 2025. Interim CEO Ken Cook is betting on Project Fresh, a new value menu, and hundreds of closures to reset the brand.
September feedlot flows fell; inventory barely changed year-over-year.
Cracker Barrel’s June outlook improved, but adjusted earnings remained below last year. Its filing separates traffic, retail margins and a litigation gain.
Commission rates are just the beginning. Data loss, operational friction, and brand damage push the true cost of aggregator delivery far higher than operators expect.
Beyond the 25-30% commission, third-party delivery aggregator contracts impose hidden costs on QSR franchise operators: lost customer data, operational friction, quality control problems, and contractual constraints that reshape unit economics.
Net income down 44%, revenue declining, and a new interim CEO — Wendy's bets on technology and international growth to reverse course
Wendy's Q4 2025 results told a brutal story: net income fell 44% to $26.5 million, revenue dropped to $543 million, and U.S. same-restaurant sales declined. The company's response — Project Fresh — aims to overhaul operations, but the stock dropped 4.26% in pre-market trading after the earnings beat. What's going wrong at Wendy's, and can the turnaround plan fix it?
A practical guide to franchise fees, performance disclosures, renewal terms and the questions to record before signing.
Restaurant insurance premiums have doubled in four years. For single-unit franchisees already running on thin margins, it's becoming the cost that breaks the business.
While operators obsess over food costs and labor, insurance premiums have quietly become one of the fastest-rising expenses in QSR. Small franchisees are watching their general liability, property, and workers' comp costs eat into already-thin margins — and for many, selling is becoming the only math that works.
Completed restaurant transfers preceded Red Robin’s five-year refinancing. Its pricing and coverage tests account for debt and rent.
New data from AlixPartners' Proprietary Pricing Platform reveals that menu prices outpaced inflation across 90,000 locations, but transaction values fell behind. With gas at $3.94 a gallon and Oxford Economics projecting the slowest consumption growth since 2013, the restaurant pricing playbook is being rewritten in real time.
Chipotle posted its first negative annual same-store sales since 2016, with traffic declining in all four quarters of 2025. Rather than join the industry's value meal arms race, the chain is betting on protein premiums and a stepped-up LTO calendar to win customers back. The strategy is a high-stakes test of whether brand equity can outweigh price sensitivity in a softening consumer environment.
The restaurant industry is projected to hit $1.55 trillion in sales in 2026. But 42% of operators lost money last year. The gap between top-line growth and bottom-line reality is the defining challenge of this era in foodservice.
Canadian beef now carries a 25% import duty, some seafood products have tripled in price, and the full cost wave hasn't hit yet. Here's what QSR operators need to know before the dam breaks.
QBG’s latest sales ranking sits alongside a documented expansion of field leadership, training capacity and new-store opening support.
After scaling back its troubled McDonald's partnership, Krispy Kreme is showing genuine progress on a capital-light refranchising strategy. Q4 2025 numbers suggest the model is beginning to work.
NDCP’s July extension runs through 2056. Original 2012 documents explain how consolidation and purchasing savings were intended to support flat pricing.
The International Franchise Association projects total franchise output to exceed $920 billion in 2026, yet QSR unit growth is stalled at just 0.5%. Here is where the money is actually flowing, and what it means for operators and investors trying to figure out what to do next.
Earnings calls are choreographed performances. CEOs spin, obfuscate, and bury the important information. Here's how to decode the language, spot the red flags, and find the truth underneath.
Traffic and margins rose at company-owned Chili’s restaurants. Annual labor figures explain how sales growth spreads costs.
Freddy’s advertises a lower starting investment for in-line restaurants. Earlier formats show how that comparison depends on the service channels included.