Financing

Why China is causing headaches for Starbucks

A Deeper Dive: Consultant Joel Silverstein joins the Restaurant Business podcast to discuss the state of international markets for restaurants, particularly the crazy coffee business in China.

Why are some restaurant chains suddenly struggling in international markets?

This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast A Deeper Dive features Joel Silverstein.

Silverstein is a periodic guest on the podcast. He is the founder and CEO of the hospitality consulting firm Canyon Springs Advisors. He has helped a lot of companies grow in overseas markets.

I wanted to talk with him about the state of international development. We talk quite a bit about the state of the industry in China, where a number of U.S. chains have suddenly struggled but which are still intent on growing there.

We focus particularly on the coffee market, where Starbucks is struggling as is Tim Hortons. Both are watching as several aggressive upstarts, notably Luckin Coffee, have grown rapidly with low-priced coffee. We talk about that competition and what it means for the market there.

We also talk about the global economy and its impact on restaurant brands, as well as overall conditions in the U.S.

It’s a great conversation about international development on A Deeper Dive, so please check it out.

Subscribe on Apple Podcasts.

Subscribe on Spotify.

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

Multimedia

Exclusive Content

Consumer Trends

What are consumers looking for from snack chains?

Guest Check: With cookie chains disintegrating all around us, food quality in the snack segment is more important than ever.

Operations

Is public trust in the U.S. food system broken?

Outbreaks, recalls, and better detection are making food safety risks more visible, even if they’re not actually more frequent. What role do restaurants play in making sure people can trust what’s on their plate?

Financing

Would Starbucks buy Chipotle? It’s a long shot

The Bottom Line: The reported deal would be, by far, the biggest in restaurant industry history and would reunite Brian Niccol with the fast-casual burrito chain. But it’s a big risk for the coffee chain.

Trending

More from our partners