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

Some McDonald’s franchisees have an unusual buyer: The company

The Bottom Line: The burger giant, which had been refranchising in recent years, is buying out franchisees as it prepares to recruit new operators into the system for the first time in many years.

Financing

When will the labor market normalize? It’s uncertain

The Bottom Line: The labor force participation rate remains stubbornly low. The continued pandemic is likely to keep it that way for a while.

The Bottom Line: Restaurant sales rose 13% on an annual basis last month and continue to improve. But costs for both labor and food have also taken off. Here’s a look at the data.

The Bottom Line: The controlling shareholder of the company that owns Steak n Shake wants the family dining chain to stop spending on restaurants.

The Bottom Line: The fast-food taco chain has been unable to gain traction with investors since it went public seven years ago and industry trends made a sale likely.

The Bottom Line: The deal signals a shifting market in the restaurant business. But it also demonstrates why executives should reconsider overreacting to activist investors.

The Bottom Line: The salad chain’s stock price has fallen 40% since its peak amid market volatility and questions about its market cap.

The Bottom Line: Higher prices and demand for celebrations have taken steak chains to new heights. A look at the winners and losers from Q3.

The Bottom Line: The company says it is not for sale. But valuation concerns and a lack of obvious buyers make a deal especially complicated.

The Bottom Line: With five companies having gone, and three more planning to go public, chains are finding a more receptive environment. But volatility could change that.

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