Reality Check

Peter Romeo

The musings of Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo.

McDonald’s weathers a week of nonstop union pressure

Fight for $15 and its deep-pocketed backer pummeled the giant with accusations, damning research and celebrity endorsements.

Financing

Delivery is growing up, becoming incremental and profitable in the process

Is it generating a net gain in transactions for the restaurant industry? Maybe not. But the chains doing it are seeing their sales, profits and transactions rise.

Workforce

Who wants to work in restaurants? These 400 eager teens

By Peter Romeo on May 13, 2019

The national ProStart competition gives aspiring industry stars a chance to get their careers rolling.

Operations

Delivery’s potential time bomb

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 24, 2019

The game changer of off-premise packs a danger that could throttle the opportunity.

Leadership

Restaurants' worst choice for president

By Peter Romeo on Apr. 17, 2019

The industry would likely be better off with a dead horse than this dark one. But it's the sort of loser operators could get if they sit on the sidelines.

Leadership

The last time McDonald’s professed no opposition to a wage hike

By Peter Romeo on Mar. 27, 2019

In the 1980s, executives remarked offhandedly that an increase would be no big deal. Not everyone sat back in passive acceptance.

Financing

Why everybody isn’t posting numbers like Darden Restaurants’

By Peter Romeo on Mar. 25, 2019

The parent of Olive Garden and Capital Grille said its strong third quarter was the result of working a plan that’s long been in place. Here’s a refresher on some of the components.

Leadership