Popular Articles

Yum Brands Closes 2025 With a 27% Profit Surge and 4,500 New Restaurants Worldwide

Yum Brands posted a 27% jump in Q4 net income to $535M, opened 4,500+ new KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut locations in 2025, and hiked its dividend 6%.

The Drive-Thru Is Being Redesigned from the Ground Up

Multi-lane configurations, mobile pickup windows, AI-powered order verification, and accuracy scales are transforming the fast food drive-thru. After 75 years with essentially the same design, the industry's most important channel is getting a complete overhaul.

The FTC's Record $17 Million Franchise Settlement: What Every QSR Franchisor Needs to Know

The FTC just secured a $17 million settlement against Xponential Fitness, the largest monetary recovery in a franchise case in FTC history. The violations have nothing to do with fitness and everything to do with how franchisors sell franchises. QSR brands should read the complaint carefully.

The Tariff Whiplash: How the IEEPA Ruling and Section 122 Pivot Are Creating New Supply Chain Uncertainty for QSR

The Supreme Court struck down IEEPA-based tariffs in February, then the White House pivoted to Section 122 authority within four days. For QSR procurement teams, the legal ground has never shifted faster.

Freddy's Frozen Custard: the premium burger value play

550 locations, $1.88M AUV, and 70% of new openings from existing franchisees. How Freddy's combines burgers and custard for franchisee profitability.

Darden Winds Down Bahama Breeze: What the Brand's Exit Reveals About Portfolio Strategy

Darden Restaurants is permanently closing 14 Bahama Breeze locations and converting the remaining 14 to other concepts. The decision, announced February 3, 2026, is a case study in how large casual dining operators make brand lifecycle decisions when traffic trends and market positioning no longer add up.

How Portillo's Is Scaling Its Cult Following Beyond Chicago

Portillo's reported $732 million in fiscal 2025 revenue across 102 locations, but same-restaurant sales declined 3.3% in Q4. The Chicago icon is rethinking its expansion playbook under new leadership, and the numbers tell a complicated story.

Chipotle Opens Its First Restaurant in Mexico: A Calculated Gamble on the Country That Inspired It

Chipotle Mexican Grill is entering Mexico for the first time in 2026, selling American-interpreted Mexican food to the nation that invented the original. The irony is obvious. The business logic, though, is worth examining carefully.

Restaurants Take Their Case to Congress: Swipe Fees, Immigration, and the USMCA Fight

El Pollo Loco's Breakout Moment: How a Regional Chicken Chain Is Finally Expanding Beyond California

Wendy's Is Shrinking in America and Betting Big on Mexico

While closing up to 600 U.S. restaurants, Wendy's is signing franchise agreements for 60+ new locations in Mexico. The strategic logic behind the pivot, and what it means for the chain's long-term trajectory.

Panera's Energy Drink Comeback Is a Bet on Menu Credibility

After pulling the Charged Lemonade amid wrongful death lawsuits, Panera Bread is re-entering the beverage space with a reformulated, lower-caffeine lineup. The move signals a broader menu reset as new management works to win back lost ground at the second-largest fast-casual chain in the country.

Papa John's Plans 300 Store Closures While Betting Big on a Turnaround

Papa John's will shutter roughly 300 underperforming North American locations by end of 2027, with 200 closures targeted for this year alone. New CEO Todd Penegor, who previously led Wendy's through its own reset, is cutting dead weight while laying the groundwork for what the company hopes will be a durable recovery.

Noodles & Company Is Doubling Its Planned Closures. Can It Stay Above 400 Locations?

The fast-casual pasta chain more than doubled its 2026 closure target to 35 restaurants. After shedding 42 locations in 2025, Noodles & Company could fall below 400 units for the first time in years.

The Plant-Based QSR Bust: What Went Wrong

Beyond Meat's stock is down 90% from peak. Impossible shelved its IPO. Most QSR chains quietly removed plant-based items. The revolution that was supposed to replace meat fizzled. Here's the autopsy: overestimated markets, price premiums, taste gaps, and novelty fatigue.

19-Unit Starbird Signs 36-Store Texas Deal to Triple Its Footprint

A California super-premium chicken chain just signed its biggest development deal ever, with a Texas auto dealership empire as the franchisee.