Peter cruising into the sunset in his station wagon. | Animation by Nico Heins/Midjourney
Restaurant Business Exclusive Content
Financing
Why are so many restaurant chains filing for bankruptcy?
The Bottom Line: A combination of rising costs and weakening sales, and more expensive debt, has caused real problems for restaurant chains. But the industry is also really difficult.
Financing
Despite their complaints, customers keep flocking to Chipotle
The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.
Operations
Hitting resistance elsewhere, ghost kitchens and virtual concepts find a happy home in family dining
Reality Check: Old-guard chains are finding the alternative operations to be persistently effective side hustles.