Showing 1–20 of 28 articles
U.S. food-service sales reached $92.9 billion in September. Earlier results at McDonald’s and Wendy’s show how larger checks can support sales and cushion rising costs.
Rent relief and capital backing would help fund restaurant upgrades.
Skye Anderson’s new U.S. role joins restaurant operations, development and company stores with technology and supply oversight, alongside two global leadership changes.
From McDonald's to Wendy's to Taco Bell, AI voice ordering is moving from pilot to large-scale deployment across the drive-thru lane
Rising water costs, mandatory restrictions, and supply chain pressures are forcing QSR brands to rethink operations in the driest region of the country
From competitive conquesting to predictive targeting, proximity-based promotions are becoming a core QSR marketing strategy
Mobile represents 60% of all digital restaurant orders. Starbucks drives 59% of U.S. sales through its app. McDonald's has 210 million loyalty users. The QSR transaction is moving permanently to the phone.
McDonald's is opening 9,000 stores by 2027. Starbucks added 791 net new locations in fiscal 2025. The battle for the next billion QSR customers is being fought outside the United States.
McDonald's hit its 2025 packaging deadline. Starbucks is still chasing its cup problem. Here's the real progress report.
Royalties are just the beginning — the real cost of being a franchisee is buried in marketing funds, tech fees, and line items most operators never question
With food costs up 30%+ since 2019, the brands winning on margin aren't just raising prices — they're ruthlessly optimizing what's on the menu and how it's positioned
The industry's obsession with crew-level turnover is masking a more expensive problem — the managers who train and retain those crews are leaving even faster
The line between quick service and fast casual is disappearing — and that changes everything about how the industry competes
Starbucks, Chipotle and McDonald’s illustrate different operating arrangements.
While national brands spend billions on TV spots and celebrity endorsements, savvy franchisees are proving that hyperlocal tactics — from school spirit nights to geofenced mobile ads — deliver outsized returns on modest budgets
Contactless payments have conquered the counter. Now palm scanners, facial recognition, and crypto are vying for what comes next. A clear-eyed look at the technologies delivering ROI — and the ones still searching for a use case.
While McDonald's languishes at the bottom of satisfaction rankings, regional powerhouses are proving that disciplined growth, owner-operator culture, and geographic identity are the real competitive moats in QSR.
With traffic declining and middle-income consumers fleeing to grocery stores, the Big Three burger chains are locked in the most aggressive value battle since the dollar menu era
Inside the corporate universities and tuition programs reshaping what it means to work in quick service
From Wendy's savage roasts to Chipotle's billion-view challenges, QSR brands are rewriting the rules of digital engagement — and turning followers into foot traffic