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Financing

How your restaurant sales and profits compare to competitors' and what you can do to improve financial performance

Financing

AI is playing a bigger role in menu development

 By Jonathan Maze and Patricia Cobe on Nov. 26, 2025

A Deeper Dive: In this latest segment on the impact of AI in restaurants, the restaurant finance podcast examines the impact the technology is having on the menu.

Financing

Papa Johns, shifting away from company restaurants, sells 85 locations to a franchisee

 By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 25, 2025

The pizza chain completed a “strategic refranchising” of a joint-venture operation in Washington, D.C., and Baltimore to Pie Investments, which will open another 52 locations in the market by 2030.

Financing

Franchisees sue the Fat Brands-owned Round Table Pizza over marketing

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 25, 2025

The Round Table Owners Association is accusing the pizza chain of “intentional mismanagement” of the marketing fund since Fat Brands bought the company in 2021, leading to falling sales.

Financing

Fast-food sales are weak, even as overall restaurant sales thrive

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 25, 2025

Restaurant sales were strong in September, according to new federal data. But same-store sales and traffic at fast-food chains continued to be weak last quarter and consumer confidence is low.

Financing

This is a pivotal time for the U.S. restaurant industry, here and abroad

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 25, 2025

The restaurant industry faces pressure all over the world, including consumer changes and threats to the economic model. Operators are responding with a lot of innovation and technology.

Financing

The real problem with Panera Bread

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 24, 2025

The Bottom Line: This week’s episode of the restaurant finance newsletter looks at the challenges with Panera Bread, which illustrates the dangers of acquisitions and management changes.

Financing

US Foods, Performance Food Group call off merger talks

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 24, 2025

The two companies terminated an information-sharing process that could have created the country’s largest broadline distributor for restaurants and other foodservice providers.

Financing

In Fat Brands, another company using securitization financing runs into problems

By Jonathan Maze on Nov. 24, 2025

The Bottom Line: The restaurant brand collector went from acquiring cheap chains to buying up much larger and more expensive brands using whole business securitizations. And then the market tanked.

Financing

How Panera Bread plans to rise again

By Joe Guszkowski and Lisa Jennings on Nov. 21, 2025

The Week in Restaurants: This week’s episode of the restaurant news discussion podcast looks at Panera’s new turnaround strategy, the latest in Cracker Barrel’s logo saga, and Sweetgreen’s pivot to protein.

Financing

California Pizza Kitchen to be sold to investor group, report says

By Joe Guszkowski on Nov. 21, 2025

A group led by Consortium Brand Partners is set to acquire the casual-dining pizza chain for less than $300 million, Reuters reported.

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