Shake Shack looks to broaden its reach: The burger chain plans to more than quadruple its footprint in the coming years while preserving its status as a premium brand.
QSRs resume the value wars in 2025: McDonald’s, Taco Bell, and Wendy’s are among the many fast-food chains leaning on deals to drive traffic.
Serve Robotics stockpiles cash ahead of planned expansion: The company aims to have 2,000 delivery robots on the streets by 2025’s end.
The minimum wage will rise in 23 states next year: That will eat into retailer and restaurant margins, leading some to hike prices at a time when consumers are incredibly price sensitive.
Green shoots emerge in the restaurant industry: After a challenging 2024, executives have reason for optimism in the year ahead.
QSRs may need to evolve to better serve online orders: Pizza Hut and McDonald’s are both testing new store formats focused on digital and drive-thru customers.
Key stat: Price inclination for food away from home was up 3.8% YoY in October 2024, higher than the 1.1% increase in inflation for food at home, according to data from the US Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics.
McDonald’s will focus on “McValue” in 2025: The fast-food chain plans to extend its $5 value menu and add deals as the QSR price war rages on.
McDonald’s value focus paid off in Q3: But challenges remain as the company needs to dig out from the recent E. coli outbreak.
Consumers still think fast food is too expensive, despite the value meal wars: While deals are boosting foot traffic in the short term, operators face long-term difficulties as customers either trade up to fast-casual chains or pull back entirely.
DoorDash is the latest delivery platform to turn to streaming to boost membership sign-ups: The company will offer DashPass subscribers free access to Max’s ad-supported tier in a bid to boost sign-ups and grow sales.
Uber and DoorDash report double-digit growth as customers prioritize convenience: Order frequency rose in Q2 thanks to both companies’ membership programs and growing selections of merchants.
McDonald’s sales fell for the first time since 2020: The company’s overreliance on price hikes led it to lose its “value leadership” positioning. Reestablishing that role is the key to its turnaround.
The nation’s largest fast- food chains race to the bottom: Taco Bell and Sonic joined Starbucks, McDonald’s, Burger King, and Wendy’s in rolling out low-cost value meals to attract cost-conscious consumers.
US consumers keep spending: Better-than-expected results from Abercrombie, Dick’s Sporting Goods, and Cava demonstrate that shoppers are willing to splurge on some nice-to-have items.
41% of US restaurant operators are planning to use AI for sales forecasting and scheduling, while 33% are using the tech for personalized marketing, according to December 2023 data from Restaurant365.
“The restaurant industry is still reeling from the impact of the pandemic,” our content director Becky Schilling said on an episode of “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast. On top of that, inflation and economic uncertainty has made for a tough four years. In face of these persisting challenges, restaurants are turning to AI and unified commerce solutions to improve the customer experience, build loyalty, and supercharge personalization.
On today's podcast episode, in our "Retail Me This, Retail Me That" segment, we discuss why the restaurant industry is facing another year of uncertainty and how restaurants are boosting loyalty. Then, for "Pop-Up Rankings," we rank the top restaurant loyalty programs. Join our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analyst Blake Droesch and senior director of media content Becky Schilling.
Instacart and Uber team up to keep DoorDash at bay: Instacart hopes the deal will protect its grocery business and widen consumer appeal, while Uber looks for new customers.