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Financing

Podcast transcript: Wingstop CEO Michael Skipworth

A Deeper Dive: The chief executive of the fast-casual chicken wing chain talks about how his restaurant chain solved the wing cost problem, how chicken sandwiches transformed the business, and the prospects for going 100% digital.

Financing

All eyes are now on California's fast-food restaurants

The Bottom Line: It’s not certain yet how the $20 wage will impact chain restaurants. But one thing is clear: Most of the companies affected are small businesses that are already facing profit challenges.

The Bottom Line: The restaurant industry has a traffic problem and consumers are fretting about prices. But the $20 fast-food wage in California makes it difficult to market any kind of value.

The Bottom Line: Led by Sweetgreen and Cava, fast-casual restaurants outperformed other sectors. Wall Street rewarded them.

While many fast-food chains stick to old-school kids’ fare, there’s a recent surge among fast-casual and full-service restaurants to offer healthier, more grownup menus that appeal to the whole family.

The shared-kitchen startup has limited its focus to providing kitchen space for a variety of food businesses, leaving the technology to others. The simplified approach has yielded profits and growth.

The Bottom Line: The venerable Japanese steakhouse chain fetched a modest multiple in its sale to The One Group. But that’s where values have fallen these days.

Tech Check: As the industry gets more high-tech, crashes and cyberattacks will become more common. Restaurants should be taking steps to manage their risks.

The Bottom Line: Krispy Kreme gets a massive win with its McDonald's doughnut deal. But the payoff is less certain, and a long way off, for the fast-food restaurant chain.

Reality Check: Well-intentioned efforts like bail reform may not be delivering what proponents envisioned. It's not reactionary to fix the fix.

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