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QSR INDEXMCD 292.41 +0.8%SBUX 84.12 −1.2%YUM 148.77 +0.4%QSR 68.90 +1.1%CMG 48.15 −0.3%DPZ 421.55 +2.1%WING 244.63 +3.4%SHAK 96.20 −0.7%WEN 14.02 +0.2%69 CHAINS TRACKED · UPDATED DAILY
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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
people
People & Culture

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.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
Category:AllFinance & EconomicsIndustry AnalysisMarketing & GrowthOperations & ManagementPeople & CultureTechnology & Innovation
645 articles|645 total published
marketing
Marketing & Growth

Little Caesars Launches Four-N-One Stix as Pizza Chains Race to Own the Shareable Snacking Category

Little Caesars debuted $7.99 Four-N-One Stix nationwide, a 16-piece shareable breadstick product in four flavors. The launch signals a broader pizza QSR arms race for group snacking occasions against Domino's and Papa Johns.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Wendy's Q4 2025 Earnings: 11.3% Same-Store Sales Plunge Forces a Rebuilding Year

Wendy's posted its worst quarterly same-store sales performance in years, with U.S. comps down 11.3% in Q4 2025. Interim CEO Ken Cook is betting on Project Fresh, a new value menu, and hundreds of closures to reset the brand.

MAR 24, 2026 · 9 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Restaurant Brands International's 2028 Growth Algorithm: Can Burger King, Tim Hortons, and Popeyes Deliver?

RBI has reaffirmed its target of 8%-plus organic operating income growth through 2028 and plans to return $1.6 billion to shareholders in 2026. With Burger King's turnaround still proving itself, Tim Hortons expanding internationally, and Popeyes moderating, the question is whether the math works.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

How Much Does a Marco's Pizza Franchise Cost in 2026?

Marco's Pizza franchise costs range from $287,000 to $807,000. With 1,100+ locations and targeting 80+ new stores in 2026, the brand focuses on quality ingredients and Roma-style pizza.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

How Much Does a Carl's Jr Franchise Cost in 2026?

Carl's Jr franchise requires minimum $1,300,000 investment. Owned by CKE Restaurants with 1,100+ locations, the brand emphasizes charbroiled burgers and premium positioning in Western markets.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Raising Cane's Opens Its 1,000th Restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard

Raising Cane's milestone 1,000th location on Hollywood Boulevard is more than a vanity number. It signals a brand with serious scale ambitions, a World Cup strategy, and a founder finally coming home.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Record Beef, Cheap Eggs: The Protein Cost Divergence Reshaping QSR Menus

Beef hit $9.64 per pound in February, the highest price ever recorded. Eggs are projected to fall 27.4% this year. The widest protein cost gap in decades is forcing operators to rethink menu engineering, daypart strategy, and pricing architecture.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

One in Eleven Full-Service Restaurants Could Close This Year. Here's the Data.

Black Box Intelligence data shows 9% of full-service restaurants are at risk of closure in 2026, with 3% already past the point of no return. The format divergence between fast casual and traditional sit-down dining is accelerating.

MAR 24, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Wendy's Project Fresh: Anatomy of a QSR Turnaround

Wendy's is closing 6% of its U.S. restaurants and launching a sweeping operational overhaul called Project Fresh. For the number-three burger chain, the stakes could not be higher.

MAR 20, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Zaxby's franchise review: chicken competition and Goldman Sachs ownership

941 locations, $2.66M AUV, and Goldman Sachs pushing expansion. Can Zaxby's compete with Raising Cane's and Chick-fil-A in an overcrowded chicken segment?

MAR 20, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
technology
Technology & Innovation

Olo's Zero-Commission App Is a Direct Attack on the Delivery Duopoly

Olo CEO Noah Glass unveiled a consumer-facing ordering app that charges restaurants zero commission, threatening the commission model that DoorDash and Uber Eats have built their businesses on.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Smithfield Foods Acquires Nathan's Famous for $450 Million: What Vertical Integration Means for QSR Supply Chains

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.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

Del Taco's $115 Million Fire Sale: What Jack in the Box's Loss Reveals About Bolt-On Acquisition Risk in QSR

Jack in the Box bought Del Taco for $575 million in 2022 and sold it for $115 million in late 2025. The 80% value destruction in under four years is a case study in what happens when a struggling brand tries to grow by acquisition.

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

The Great Restaurant Stock Divergence: Why CAVA and Wingstop Trade at Premium Multiples While Legacy Chains Stall

Public restaurant equities have split into two distinct tiers. Growth names like CAVA and Wingstop command premium valuations on the strength of traffic gains and unit expansion; legacy QSR and casual dining stocks are trading at distressed multiples or heading private. Here is what separates the winners from the losers, and whether current prices are justified.

MAR 24, 2026 · 6 MIN READ
industry
Industry Analysis

Plant-Based Meat's Fall from Grace in Fast Food

U.S. plant-based meat sales have fallen 19% since 2023, Beyond Meat's stock collapsed below $1, and QSR chains are quietly pulling plant-based items from their menus. The once-booming alternative protein segment is in a full-blown retreat.

MAR 20, 2026 · 7 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

The $1.55 Trillion Paradox: Record Restaurant Revenue, 42% of Operators Not Profitable

The National Restaurant Association projects industry sales will hit $1.55 trillion in 2026, an all-time record. Yet 42% of operators reported their restaurants weren't profitable in 2025. Understanding this disconnect is the defining challenge of the current operating environment.

MAR 24, 2026 · 8 MIN READ
finance
Finance & Economics

The QSR Debt Bubble: Are Franchise Loans the Next Subprime?

Overleveraged franchisees, loose lending standards, government guarantees. It's not 2008, but it rhymes. Here's why QSR franchise debt is becoming a problem - and who pays the price.

MAR 20, 2026 · 10 MIN READ
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