finance

Financing

Panera Bread’s sales thrive, thanks to digital

In a letter to employees, now-former CEO Ron Shaich details strong improvement.

Financing

Private-equity firms eyeing Potbelly

With activists pushing a potential sale, the sandwich chain gets indications of interest.

The chain expects as much as a 10-percentage-point improvement in its tax rate, thanks to reform.

Olive Garden’s owner says reform will lower its tax rate by 600 basis points.

The company said its same-store sales are down 5.1% this quarter.

Despite higher costs, chains say the industry must be cautious about raising prices.

While the loss is significant and won’t reflect positively in quarterly reports, this story does not necessarily have the dire ending many forecasted.

This year saw some challenging developments.

The chain, which has just passed the 300-store mark, says the money will go toward expansion this year.

The cash influx comes on the heels of recent store closures.

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