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People & Culture Articles

Browse all people & culture articles from QSR Pro

47 articles in People & Culture

AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
Showing 1–18 of 47
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75
People & Culture•March 2026

Popeyes Appoints Chris Padoan as COO, Expands Field Team 75% in Turnaround Push

Restaurant Brands International named Burger King veteran Chris Padoan as Popeyes COO and expanded the chain's field operations team by 75%, the latest moves in a turnaround effort after four consecutive quarters of same-store sales declines.

QSR Pro Staff•6 min read•1
Chicken
People & Culture•March 2026

Chicken Salad Chick's Millennial and Gen Z Franchisee Surge Signals a New Franchise Model Preference

Chicken Salad Chick named Jill Thomas CMO as the brand reports a record 2025 with nearly 100 new franchise deals and a pipeline surpassing 300 units, driven by younger entrepreneurs seeking structured ownership.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read•1
59
People & Culture•March 2026

Yum Brands After Gibbs: Chris Turner Inherits a 59,000-Restaurant Empire and an Unfinished AI Transformation

Chris Turner stepped into the Yum Brands CEO seat in October 2025 after three decades of operational DNA built by David Gibbs. A financial architect taking the wheel of the world's largest fast food company by unit count raises real questions about execution versus analysis, especially as Yum's AI bet scales toward 60,000 locations and Pizza Hut bleeds stores.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read•2
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

Starbucks Workers United: Four Years Without a Contract and the March 2026 Proposal That Could Break the Deadlock

Starbucks Workers United filed a comprehensive contract proposal on March 13, 2026, reigniting stalled negotiations that have dragged on for four years without a first contract. For QSR operators watching from the sidelines, the Starbucks labor standoff is the most consequential union story in the industry's modern history.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read
Restaurant
People & Culture•March 2026

The Restaurant CEO Pay Gap: What Top Chain Executives Earn vs. the Workers Serving the Food

When McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski earned $19.2 million in 2024, the crew members at the counter made around $14 an hour. That gap is wider than most industries, and it's becoming a real operational problem for chains struggling to hire and retain staff.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read
Chili's
People & Culture•March 2026

Chili's Wants to Turn General Managers into Owners, and It Could Reshape Company-Operated QSR

CEO Kevin Hochman is studying a profit-sharing ownership model for GMs modeled on Texas Roadhouse's managing partner structure. If it works, it could redefine unit-level leadership across company-operated chains.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

The Restaurant General Manager Shortage Is the Real Labor Crisis of 2026

While the industry obsesses over hourly wages, GM salaries have surged 12% in a single year. The real labor crisis in QSR is not finding crew members. It is finding the experienced operators who can run a $2-3 million restaurant.

QSR Pro Staff•7 min read
$20
People & Culture•March 2026

California's $20 Fast Food Wage, Two Years Later: Higher Prices, Fewer Jobs, and an Automation Accelerant

Two years after AB 1228 imposed a $20 minimum wage on California fast food workers, new UC Santa Cruz research shows higher prices, reduced employment, and accelerated automation.

QSR Pro Staff•8 min read•1
Inside
People & Culture•March 2026

Inside Chick-fil-A's Operator Selection: How 0.25% of Applicants Get Chosen

The selection process, interview stages, what they look for, and why operators can't own multiple stores. Harder than Harvard, more selective than MIT, and structured to filter for a rare combination of traits.

QSR Pro Staff•11 min read
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

The QSR Labor Market in 2026: Where the Workers Actually Went

The restaurant industry lost 29,700 jobs in February 2026 alone. Turnover still exceeds 100% annually at many chains. Wages rose 6.3% in 2024 and keep climbing. Here is what the BLS data and industry reports actually show about the QSR workforce.

QSR Pro Staff•8 min read•2
Women
People & Culture•March 2026

Women in QSR Leadership: Progress and Problems

Female CEOs, franchisees, and executives - the numbers and the stories. Why progress is slow, where barriers remain, and which chains are actually changing.

QSR Pro Staff•5 min read
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

QSR Hiring in 2026: What's Changed Since the Labor Shortage

Wages, benefits, scheduling tech, and applicant quality. The shortage didn't end - it restructured. Current state of the market and what actually works.

QSR Pro Staff•5 min read
Franchisee
People & Culture•March 2026

The Franchisee-Franchisor Relationship Crisis

Subway, McDonald's, and Burger King lawsuits exposing the power imbalance. Why franchisees are organizing, what's broken in the model, and which systems actually work.

QSR Pro Staff•6 min read
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

QSR Diversity and Inclusion Report 2026

C-suite demographics, franchisee diversity, and DEI programs by chain. What's real vs performative, the wealth gap in franchise ownership, and which brands are actually changing.

QSR Pro Staff•8 min read
General
People & Culture•March 2026

The General Manager Crisis in QSR

GM turnover, compensation gaps, and burnout. Why this is the most important role in the restaurant, what's driving the talent shortage, and which chains are solving it.

QSR Pro Staff•8 min read
Employee
People & Culture•March 2026

QSR Employee Training Programs Ranked

McDonald's Hamburger University, Chick-fil-A's leadership program, Taco Bell's Start with Us. An honest ranking of who actually invests in people and who doesn't.

QSR Pro Staff•9 min read
2026
People & Culture•March 2026

The Real Cost of Restaurant Turnover in 2026

Cornell research puts restaurant turnover costs at $5,864 per employee. With industry turnover hovering at 150%, a single 25-person location can lose $150,000 or more per year to churn. Here is who is winning retention, what actually works, and what is just theater.

QSR Pro Staff•9 min read
Employee
People & Culture•March 2026

Why QSR Employee Retention Programs Keep Failing

QSR turnover exceeds 130% annually. The industry spends billions on recruitment. Most retention programs do not work. The data on what actually does work is clear, but most operators ignore it.

employee retentionturnoverQSR workforce
QSR Pro Staff•10 min read•2,524
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