Restaurant Business

Restaurant Business is tracking the unprecedented impacts of COVID-19 on the restaurant industry. Please check back often for round-the-clock updates.

Fast-casual pizza races to keep up during the pandemic

These chains, which had largely relied on dine-in business before the crisis, are playing catch-up with quick-service brands.

Topics

4 surprises sprung on the restaurant industry this week

Who would've expected a revelation from Biden, evidence of a fib from Cheesecake Factory, and a federal aid package being even a remote possibility?

Financing

Cheesecake Factory settles SEC allegations of misleading investors about the pandemic's impact

The company neither affirmed nor denied the agency's allegations that it presented an inaccurate assessment early in the crisis.

RB editors summarize the day’s most important stories.

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Restaurants are pushing gift card sales, but consumers are slower to respond

DoorDash increases its IPO range amid heavy demand

How one fast casual is re-thinking its menu for the COVID era

Cheesecake Factory settles SEC allegations of misleading investors about the pandemic's impact

4 surprises sprung on the restaurant industry this week

States start closing dining rooms again

With coronavirus spiking throughout the country, several states have started closing dine-in service again.

Register for the all-digital Innovation in Foodservice Summit

Recovery and Rebuild: Getting your restaurant back on track

Join the "Coronavirus in the Food & Beverage Industry" private Facebook group

Operations

Fast-casual pizza races to keep up during the pandemic

These chains, which had largely relied on dine-in business before the crisis, are playing catch-up with quick-service brands.

Workforce

Restaurants cut the number of jobs last month

The industry lost 17,400 jobs in November, the first decline since April.

Financing

McDonald’s franchisees ‘blindsided’ by new charges for 2021

Operators are pushing back against an estimated $170 million in higher fees and eliminated subsidies set to be put in place next year.

America's Favorite Chains

Top 500 Chains

Coronavirus and Restaurant Technology

Future 50 (2020)

50 Great Ideas (2020)

Top 100 Independents 2020

Operations

Fast casuals re-imagine their futures

Operators are mulling new designs and revamped real estate strategies as the COVID crisis drags on.

Workforce

Los Angeles restaurant workers to get $800 in city aid

The stipend is intended to help employees weather the ongoing shutdown in in-person dining.

Financing

Joe Biden gets an earful about independent restaurants’ dire state

An operator and a foodservice employee provided first-hand accounts of how they’ve been economically and emotionally devastated.

Operations

Cracker Barrel adds new programs for the sake of flexibility

The new initiatives include smaller family meals to go and the ongoing rollout of an alcohol program.

Operations

California moves toward widespread suspension of outdoor dining

The rollback of services to takeout and delivery could begin in broad swaths of the state within a day or two, according to Gov. Gavin Newsom.

Technology

Grubhub's new chief revenue officer on the outlook for third-party delivery

Seth Priebatsch says the pandemic has permanently elevated demand, even if delivery is expected to moderate as things return to normal.

Financing

Outback Steakhouse owner Bloomin’ hedges its bets

The company is aggressively developing brands around takeout, but it also insists that casual dining is not dead.

Future 50 2019

These emerging chains are the growth vehicles to watch—the ones poised to be major industry players in the coming years.

Recipedia

Food trends and recipes to keep menus fresh

Concepts to Watch

New restaurants and soon-to-open concepts worth monitoring

Top 100 Independents

RB’s exclusive ranking of the highest-grossing independent restaurants

Headspinners & Nightmares

Peter Romeo highlights the moments restaurateurs miss at their own peril

50 Great Ideas

Ideas from the field you may want to borrow

Restaurant Business