McDonald’s introduces plant-based McPlant Nuggets in Germany: The fast-food giant, which developed the product with Beyond Meat, said it may expand availability into other markets based on customer demand.
DoorDash has 50% more DashPass subscribers than it did a year ago: Growing that subscriber base should help it drive customer retention and boost basket sizes.
Chipotle is launching its first spinoff in a while: That’s why 14% of retailers plan to hire additional staff and others are looking to self-checkout or checkout-free technology options. (This story was written with the assistance of GPT-3).
Uber Eats serves up post-checkout app ads: New offering, which debuted during Super Bowl, allows advertisers to reach consumers tracking status of orders.
Yelp looks to services sector for continued growth: The platform may have plateaued as a discovery engine for new restaurant and retail destinations.
Atmosphere secures another $65 million to corner the unskippable ad market: The connected TV enterprise provider powers screens at your favorite bars and gyms.
Consumers are trading down to value-oriented QSR brands: That trend helped Yum Brands and Subway post strong gains in Q4, while higher-priced restaurants like Chipotle disappointed.
Mediterranean QSR chain Cava looks to go public: That would make it the first restaurant company to make its public market debut this year.
Plant-based meat sales fell last year: The challenging environment is driving Impossible Foods to reportedly cut about 20% of its staff.
Limited-time promotions propelled McDonald’s sales in Q4: But the fast-food giant continues to face headwinds that are unlikely to subside this year.
People aren’t eating out as much as they’d like to: There’s a growing disconnect between consumers’ intentions to go to restaurants and their actual behaviors.
McDonald’s innovation strategy leans on its core menu items: The fast-food giant appears to be taking a page from its chief rival, Burger King.
Apple Maps update could mean big things for the search industry: Google’s dominance when it comes to local search sees new competition.
A sale could breathe new life into Subway: It would also be one of, if not the most, prominent acquisitions in recent years.
Layoffs may be on the horizon for McDonald’s: The company is restructuring its organization to cut waste and innovate faster.
Despite a tough economic climate, consumers shrug off QSR deals: The chains with the highest deal rates aren’t outperforming other QSR brands.
Starbucks workers strike for the second time to force contract negotiations: But a loss at an NYC store underscores the union’s uphill battle for a satisfactory agreement.
A savvy use of promotions helped Darden Restaurants beat earnings expectations: The return of Olive Garden’s never-ending pasta pass drove higher sales for the quarter as consumers across the income spectrum continue to dine out.
Grubhub partners with Kiwibot to expand its robot delivery service on college campuses: The move could help the food delivery company win more Gen Z signups to its platform, but a broader rollout looks unlikely.