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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

Would a Howard Schultz presidential run hurt Starbucks?

 By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 04, 2018

Politics don’t affect restaurant sales in general, but this could be different, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Restaurants’ buyout binge helps, and hurts, stocks

 By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 03, 2018

Three buyouts have lifted restaurants’ overall performance, but investors are not on board with everything, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Now an activist investor takes interest in Papa John’s

By Jonathan Maze on Oct. 02, 2018

Legion Partners could push the company to refranchise company restaurants, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Here’s how much labor costs rose last quarter

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 28, 2018

Despite higher prices, labor continued to pressure margins, according to an industry scorecard, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

6 reasons for restaurants’ massive consolidation wave

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 26, 2018

Here’s why chain owners are engineering the greatest merger wave in industry history, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

After the fast-casual gold rush

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 24, 2018

Challenges have hit onetime growth chains such as Taylor Gourmet, LYFE Kitchen and Noon Mediterranean, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Will this be a merry holiday for restaurants?

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 21, 2018

Heavy hiring by retailers is a good sign, but it could also stress an already tight labor pool, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Why did Chipotle really move to California?

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 20, 2018

Also, JAB probably won’t buy Starbucks, and Papa John’s looks at a new logo, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Why do some restaurants get millions while others go bankrupt?

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 13, 2018

Investment dollars are still flowing into an industry where bankruptcies are common. Here’s why that is, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

Financing

Why Barnes & Noble's restaurant experiment is struggling

By Jonathan Maze on Sep. 11, 2018

The bookstore chain’s challenges operating full-service locations prove not everybody can do it, says RB’s The Bottom Line.

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