The Bottom Line

Jonathan Maze The Bottom Line

Restaurant Business Executive Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.

Jonathan has been widely quoted in media publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post and has appeared on CNBC, Yahoo Finance and NPR. He writes a weekly finance-focused newsletter for Restaurant Business, The Bottom Line, and is the host of the weekly podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

Financing

Fast-food inflation remains elevated, with California's wage hike looming

The Bottom Line: Concern is already heightened about the fast-food price-value equation. What will happen come April when the country’s largest dining-out market raises the sector’s wages?

Financing

Get your executives into the stores more often

The Bottom Line: Starbucks and now Dutch Bros are giving some key executives barista training and having them work in the field. That should become standard.

The Bottom Line: Darden CEO Rick Cardenas told investors this week that demographic trends are shifting in restaurants’ favor. But some demographic trends will be a headwind.

The Bottom Line: Industry stocks performed roughly in line with the broader markets last year, with much of the gains coming in the last three months.

The Bottom Line: Two California Pizza Hut operators are getting rid of their own delivery services in advance of the state’s fast-food minimum wage. The potential implications of that move are enormous.

The Bottom Line: Restaurant sales increased much faster than prices last month. As much as consumers say they’re frustrated by prices, they continue to dine out.

The Bottom Line: The specialty beverage business generates $100 billion a year worldwide. It’s also profitable and its customers are loyal.

The Bottom Line: Papa Johns, McDonald’s and KFC are so intent on growing in international markets that they’re buying out restaurants.

The Bottom Line: Yum Brands, McDonald’s and Domino’s are all making a big push to accelerate growth. Most of it will come outside the U.S. But they have domestic plans, too.

The Bottom Line: While noting that humans will continue to drive restaurants, the McDonald’s CEO notes that the calculus on automation gets closer as labor costs soar.

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