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

Big restaurant chains get aggressive on unit growth

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.

Financing

Chris Kempczinski changes his tune on restaurant automation

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.

The company’s chicken business is “on par” with its beef business as Americans continue to devour more poultry. It plans more chicken products in the coming years.

The Bottom Line: Activist investor Blackwells apparently plans to nominate “several directors” to the burger chain’s board, according to Reuters.

The Bottom Line: In a world of digital orders and drive-thrus, friendly service actually matters more than speed.

The Bottom Line: Just when we thought the massive deal was set to go through, the feds stepped in to have their say.

The Bottom Line: Large retailers are concerned about a softening consumer and already see evidence that is happening. But restaurant executives seem far more optimistic.

The Bottom Line: Major pizza chains, notably Domino’s, have lost some valuable customers to companies like DoorDash.

The Bottom Line: Attendees and speakers painted an anxious picture of the operating environment at the Restaurant Finance and Development Conference. Here’s why that might be here for a while.

The Bottom Line: Remodel requirements can be vital for brands to generate sales. But they can create financial problems for franchisees when not done right.

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