sales

Who will win, and who will lose, as the economy slows

By Jonathan Maze on May 31, 2023

A Deeper Dive: R.J. Hottovy, head of analytical research for the data firm Placer.ai, joins the podcast to discuss the state of industry sales and traffic.

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Financing

Some of the pandemic's biggest winners came back to earth in 2022

By Jonathan Maze on Apr. 24, 2023

The Bottom Line: Sonic, pizza delivery chains and bone-in chicken concepts—outside of Wingstop, that is—saw sales slow down last year. Here’s what happened.

Financing

Subway says it has started the year off strongly

By Jonathan Maze on Apr. 24, 2023

The fast-food sandwich chain, which is on the market, says its same-store sales increased 11.7% in North America in the first quarter.

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Financing

Despite a host of concerns, restaurant franchisees remain optimistic

By Jonathan Maze on Mar. 23, 2023

The Bottom Line: Margins took a hit last year and inflation remains a concern. But a new survey says most franchise operators are optimistic. Here’s why.

Marketing

Cracker Barrel intends to tout value with $5 to-go meals

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 28, 2023

The family-dining chain is also building its catering business through more aggressive sales efforts, with plans to hit the $100 million mark by July.

Financing

Restaurants were resilient yet again in 2022

Feb. 27, 2023

Technomic's Take: Large chain traffic growth is returning to pre-pandemic patterns, with expectations looking more like 2019 than 2021.

Financing

Are consumers getting used to higher prices?

By Lori Rakoczy on Feb. 21, 2023

Technomic's Take: Restaurant menu price inflation continues to tick up. But consumers are showing few signs of cutting back on eating out.

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Financing

The year has apparently started out strong for a lot of restaurants

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 17, 2023

The Bottom Line: What recession? Companies like Texas Roadhouse and Golden Corral said their traffic was way up in January and federal data backs them up. Here's why that might be happening.

Consumer Trends