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Popular Articles

The most-read analysis and research across QSR Pro. See what operators, franchisees, and investors are reading right now.

All TimeThis MonthThis Week
industry
Industry Analysis

The GLP-1 Effect: How Weight Loss Drugs Are Reshaping Fast Food Demand

A Cornell study found households on GLP-1 medications cut fast food spending by more than 5% within six months. With projections showing GLP-1 users could account for 35% of all food and beverage spending by 2030, the QSR industry faces a demand shift it cannot ignore.

MAR 20, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
Category:AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
604 articles|645 total published
industry
Industry Analysis

Dave's Hot Chicken and Roark Capital: A Billion-Dollar Bet on Becoming the Next Wingstop

Roark Capital paid roughly $1 billion for a 245-unit Nashville hot chicken chain in June 2025. The math only makes sense if you understand the Wingstop playbook Roark has already run once before, and why Dave's Hot Chicken might be the one brand positioned to repeat it.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Popeyes Is in Trouble: Sales Down Four Straight Quarters, Its Biggest Franchisee Just Filed Bankruptcy

Six years after the chicken sandwich that broke the internet, Popeyes is facing a very different kind of attention. Same-store sales fell for four consecutive quarters in 2025, and Sailormen Inc., one of the chain's largest franchisees with 136 locations across Florida and Georgia, filed Chapter 11 in January 2026 with $342 million in liabilities against $232 million in assets.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

White Castle and SoundHound Prove Voice AI Works: 20% Fewer Errors, 90-Second Times

White Castle's deployment of SoundHound's voice AI across its drive-thru lanes produced a 20% reduction in order errors and an average service time of 90 seconds per vehicle. The numbers give the industry the concrete proof point it has been waiting for.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
marketing
Marketing & Growth

Chipotle's Tattoo BOGO Set an All-Time Single-Day Sales Record. Here's the Playbook Behind It.

Chipotle's one-hour tattoo BOGO on March 13 drove the highest single-day sales in the chain's history across 4,000+ locations. Here is the flash-window marketing formula that generated 12 million impressions.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Gong cha Buys Back 170 U.S. Franchise Locations to Fuel National Push

Gong cha's acquisition of master franchise rights covering 170 U.S. locations signals a structural shift in how the global bubble tea leader plans to control its American growth.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Real Reason McDonald's Ice Cream Machines Are Always Broken

A $900 million lawsuit, an FTC investigation, and the story of how copyright law turned soft serve maintenance into a federal case. Inside the Taylor Company monopoly and the right-to-repair battle that followed.

MAR 20, 2026 · 10 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Denny's Just Went Private for $620 Million. Here Is What TriArtisan's Turnaround Playbook Looks Like.

Denny's completed its $620 million sale to a consortium led by TriArtisan Capital Advisors on January 16, 2026, ending nearly three decades as a public company. The deal loaded $335 million in new debt onto a chain already managing thin margins and declining traffic, and the buyer's track record with TGI Fridays and Hooters raises pointed questions about what comes next for 1,500 franchisees.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
marketing
Marketing & Growth

Chick-fil-A at 80: Inside the Biggest Marketing Push in the Chain's History

Chick-fil-A is marking its 80th anniversary with a yearlong campaign the company calls the biggest promotional push in its history. Behind the retro cups and Golden Fan Cups lies a calculated strategy to defend its position as McDonald's most dangerous competitor while addressing its first growth deceleration in over a decade.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

The Fried Chicken Boom: Why Chicken Chains Are Adding 750+ New Locations in 2026

While overall QSR franchise growth has stalled at 0.5%, fried chicken chains are on a tear. Dave's Hot Chicken, Wingstop, Slim Chickens, and Raising Cane's are collectively planning 750+ new locations in 2026, fueled by favorable protein economics, cult-level brand loyalty, and white space in markets that legacy burger chains already saturated.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

The Restaurant-Grocery Price Gap Is Widening: What It Means for QSR Traffic in 2026

USDA projects food-away-from-home prices to rise 3.7% to 4.6% in 2026, while grocery inflation is forecast at just 1.7%. The widening gap is changing how middle-income consumers spend their food budgets, and QSR operators are caught in the middle.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
marketing
Marketing & Growth

What the NRA's 28 FABI Award Winners Tell Us About Where QSR Menus Are Headed

The 2026 FABI Award winners signal a decisive turn in foodservice product innovation: protein is king, global flavors are moving mainstream, and plant-based has lost its grip on the industry's attention.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Taco Bell's RING Strategy: How Cantina Chicken and a $3 Million AUV Target Are Rewriting the QSR Playbook

Taco Bell posted 7% same-store sales growth in 2025 while most QSR chains struggled. Its RING strategy targets $3 million AUVs, $5 billion in Cantina Chicken sales, and 10,000 units. Here is how the chain plans to get there.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

The Real Math on Alcohol in QSR: What Taco Bell's Cantina Shortfall Reveals

Taco Bell projected 300-plus Cantinas by 2022. About 50 exist in 2026. The gap between ambition and reality reveals why alcohol's 80% gross margins don't translate to QSR profits at scale, and why the real beverage opportunity is non-alcoholic.

MAR 28, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
operations
Operations & Management

Outback Steakhouse's $50 Million Turnaround Bet: Steak Quality, Smaller Sections, and Managing Partners

Bloomin' Brands is pouring $50 million into Outback Steakhouse in 2026, splitting it across steak upgrades, a new service model, managing partner investment, and a digital-first marketing shift. Here is where every dollar is going and whether it can close the gap with LongHorn and Texas Roadhouse.

MAR 25, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

How Much Does a Captain D's Franchise Cost in 2026?

Captain D's franchise costs $1,005,600 to $1,223,600 (excluding real estate). As the leading seafood QSR with 540 locations, the brand targets Southeast markets with battered fish and shrimp focus.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

Restaurants Are Losing $20 Billion a Year to Missed Phone Calls. AI Is Finally Fixing It.

Over 40% of restaurant phone calls go unanswered during peak hours, costing the industry an estimated $20 billion annually. A new wave of AI phone ordering platforms is turning that dead air into revenue, and the economics are hard to argue with.

MAR 25, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Why QSR Franchisees Are Going Bankrupt in 2026: The Hidden Crisis

Across the country, franchisees are quietly filing for bankruptcy, defaulting on loans, and walking away. Rising costs, margin compression, and overleveraged operators who can't service their debt. This is the crisis nobody's talking about.

MAR 20, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
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