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Financing

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

Financing

How convenience stores and supermarkets are gunning for restaurants

 By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 04, 2026

A Deeper Dive: This week’s episode of the restaurant finance podcast looks at the retail sector and its push into prepared food. Also, what restaurants can learn from the closure of some of Amazon’s retail shops.

Financing

Why did Yum Brands buy Habit Burger?

 By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 04, 2026

The Bottom Line: Yum Brands bought Habit Burger in 2020 with the intention to grow the brand. The company does not even mention the brand in its earnings calls.

Financing

Despite a tough market, Taco Bell is running on all cylinders

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 04, 2026

The fast-food Mexican chain reported 7% same-store sales growth last year. The key metric has declined just one quarter over the past decade.

Financing

Olive Garden parent Darden is shutting down its Bahama Breeze brand

By Joe Guszkowski on Feb. 03, 2026

The casual-dining operator will close 14 locations of the seafood brand and convert another 14 to other brands. It had been considering strategic alternatives for Bahama Breeze.

Financing

Burger King completes the sale of a majority stake in its China business

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 03, 2026

Parent company Restaurant Brands International has sold an 83% stake in Burger King China to CPE for $350 million, more than double what the fast-food operator paid for the business last year.

Financing

Why are so many big companies using merchant cash advances?

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 03, 2026

The Bottom Line: Two large franchisees blamed merchant cash advances on their recent bankruptcy filings and Fat Brands used it at least once. But the funds are expensive and dangerous.

Financing

McDonald's has a $73B impact on the U.S. economy

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 03, 2026

The fast-food giant also supports 1 million jobs, including 740,000 people who work in the chain's restaurants, according to a study the company commissioned by Oxford Economics.

Financing

Was Pizza Hut's shift away from full service a mistake? It's complicated

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 02, 2026

The Bottom Line: The pizza chain’s shift from a full-service model to takeout and delivery was the biggest service model shift in restaurant industry history. But it has not spurred the growth for which the company hoped.

Financing

A 43-location Subway franchisee has filed for bankruptcy

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 02, 2026

MTF Enterprises, which operates locations in Pennsylvania, New Hampshire, Maine and Virginia, declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy after a merchant cash advance lender put a lien on its sales revenue.

Financing

A tale of two casual-dining chains

By Jonathan Maze on Feb. 02, 2026

The Bottom Line: This week’s episode of the restaurant finance newsletter contrasts news about Chili’s and rival Ruby Tuesday, which are going in different directions.

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