Canadian coffee and donut chain with growing US presence
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.
March 24, 2026
Five Restaurant Brands International executives sold 435,191 shares worth $31.83 million in a three-month window that coincided with QSR stock reaching its highest point in a year. The coordinated selling raises questions investors need to weigh against management's confident 2028 growth targets.
March 24, 2026
Marc Lore's Wonder has raised $600 million at a $7 billion valuation and acquired Grubhub for $650 million, building a food hall concept that promises to solve what ghost kitchens never could. The model is ambitious, the expansion pace is aggressive, and the implications for QSR operators are significant.
March 24, 2026
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.
March 24, 2026
Smithfield Foods is buying Nathan's Famous for approximately $450 million, converting a licensing arrangement into outright ownership. The deal raises pointed questions about supplier-operator relationships, franchise economics, and whether vertical integration is becoming the supply chain strategy of choice for the industry's biggest players.
March 24, 2026
Dine Brands is betting its future on a dual-branded Applebee's-IHOP concept that generates up to 2.5x the revenue of standalone locations. With 80 open by year-end and a target of 900 over the next decade, this is the biggest format experiment in casual dining.
March 24, 2026