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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

Here's another reason why sales might slow later this year

 By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 18, 2023

The Bottom Line: U.S. consumers, which have kept spending at restaurants despite higher prices, are running out of excess pandemic savings. That might affect their spending.

Financing

The restaurant check has grown entirely too complicated

 By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 16, 2023

The Bottom Line: Service fees, health care fees, more tipping demands and higher prices have made the process of paying a bill more complex than ever. It may be time to rethink this.

Financing

Restaurant sales clearly decelerated last quarter

By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 14, 2023

The Bottom Line: Earnings reports this period suggest a substantial slowdown in same-store sales among large chains in the second quarter. Are prices to blame? Or is it normalization?

Financing

Fast food chains have a traffic problem

By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 10, 2023

The Bottom Line: Customers are pushing back on higher prices and more brands are looking for ways to get diners to return more often.

Financing

The fast-food plant-based revolution that wasn't

By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 08, 2023

The Bottom Line: Beyond Meat’s foodservice sales declined 45% last quarter as the everyday fast-food consumer remains a substantial skeptic.

Financing

Did fast-food chains raise their prices too much?

By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 04, 2023

The Bottom Line: Papa Johns CEO Rob Lynch sounds the alarm on overly aggressive price hikes, suggesting the industry got “a little punch drunk” raising prices.

Financing

Here is why the Subway sale is so complicated

By Jonathan Maze on Aug. 04, 2023

The Bottom Line: The sandwich giant is reportedly expected to complete a sale by Labor Day. But it’s never been a slam dunk. And here’s why.

Financing

Here’s where McDonald’s could add the most locations

By Jonathan Maze on Jul. 31, 2023

The Bottom Line: An analysis of the burger giant’s locations shows that its biggest opportunity to add more restaurants may not be in the Southeast.

Financing

The restaurant industry turns a corner, but what's next?

By Jonathan Maze on Jul. 28, 2023

The Bottom Line: Inflation is easing, profitability is improving, the consumer is more resilient than expected and we might avoid a recession. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t concerns.

Financing

Why barbecue is such a difficult menu for restaurant chains

By Jonathan Maze on Jul. 24, 2023

The Bottom Line: Concepts that specialize in slow-smoked meat have had some challenges over the past few years, with one key exception: Mission BBQ.

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