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

Why the Burgerim settlement exposes flaws in franchise oversight

The Bottom Line: The federal government allowed the chain’s founder to avoid major penalties by simply paying $1,000. What’s the point of regulation in the first place?

Financing

Why Wingstop isn't afraid of Popeyes' chicken wings

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual wing chain says its sales improve when another brand pushes the product. Here’s why that might be.

The Bottom Line: Snow and cold in January kept customers from visiting restaurants. Here's why this might be a bigger influence in the future.

The Bottom Line: The fast-food burger giant expressed concern about losing low-income consumers to grocers. But the company’s sales haven’t exactly tanked.

The Bottom Line: The burger chain’s parent company argues that smaller franchisees make more money per store and are better capitalized.

The Bottom Line: The fast-food giant said it is losing customers to grocers. But then Taco Bell said it was doing fine. The result may be an indication that McDonald’s is losing its value status.

The Bottom Line: In past years, quick-service restaurants were a beneficiary in times when consumers were cutting back. Not this time.

The Bottom Line: In late 2022, just about every economist was predicting a recession. Instead, we’ve had a strong economy fueled by a resilient consumer.

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop giant said its problems with occasional customers last quarter were “transitory.” Fixing that problem will be a big challenge.

The Bottom Line: The fast-food giant’s improvement to its burgers is the latest menu upgrade in a bid to keep up with a competitive restaurant market.

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