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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

Restaurants are 'stuck' with falling traffic

 By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 10, 2022

The Bottom Line: Wendy’s CEO Todd Penegor said that consumers are still eating more of their meals at home, and “it’s kind of stuck there.”

Financing

Tim Hortons and Popeyes find their footing outside the U.S.

 By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 08, 2022

The Bottom Line: The brands’ international unit expansion has taken off, providing parent company Restaurant Brands International with a key growth pillar.

Financing

Luckin Coffee makes a miraculous comeback

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 08, 2022

The Bottom Line: The hedge fund manager who exposed the rapidly growing fraud now calls the company’s turnaround a “miracle.”

Financing

Fast-food chains believe they have the upper hand in a recession

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 03, 2022

The Bottom Line: Companies like Burger King, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Papa John’s may be in a good position to gain share if the economy does hit a recession. History suggests they’re right.

Financing

McDonald’s and Domino’s are bigger competitors than ever

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 01, 2022

The Bottom Line: The world’s biggest restaurant chain and the world’s biggest pizza chain are increasingly going head-to-head for budget consumers.

Financing

Raising Cane's outperforms Chick-fil-A on one key metric

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 31, 2022

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual chain generates nearly $5 million in sales per unit selling chicken fingers. But that’s not the most impressive thing about it.

Financing

Take-private deals could become more common, even for recent IPOs

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 26, 2022

The Bottom Line: The grill-maker Weber received a buyout offer just one year after its initial public offering. Could the same thing happen with newly public restaurants?

Financing

Restaurant SPACs find their targets outside the restaurant industry

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 25, 2022

The Bottom Line: Mergers with restaurant chains have been tough to come by for the investment firms, so they’ve expanded their reach.

Financing

Return to normal, and high gas prices, take a bite out of drive-thru traffic

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 24, 2022

The Bottom Line: Demand for drive-thrus soared during the pandemic. That traffic has fallen this year as people go back into restaurants. Is the industry focused too much on that business?

Financing

Why McDonald’s Krispy Kreme test is such a head-scratcher

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 20, 2022

The Bottom Line: The company’s surprise announcement that it would sell doughnuts in nine locations has raised a few questions.

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