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Biography

Jonathan Maze

Editor-in-Chief

 Contact Jonathan

Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.

Jonathan has been widely quoted in media publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post and has appeared on CNBC, Yahoo Finance and NPR. He writes a weekly finance-focused newsletter for Restaurant Business, The Bottom Line, and is the host of the weekly podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

Articles by
Jonathan Maze

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Financing

Let's put the Starbucks union pay request into some context

The Bottom Line: A labor proposal would mean a full-time worker would earn about $48,000 after tips, about the same as health technologists and more than bus drivers. What would that do to prices?

Financing

Garnett Station Partners acquires Firebirds Wood Fired Grill

The investment firm has also recapitalized the polished-casual dining chain and plans to accelerate the brand’s development.

Laxman Narasimhan, who took over for Howard Schultz this week, promised to work a half-day shift as a barista inside one of its coffee shops each month "to keep us close to the culture and our customers."

The fast-food burger giant is adding new functionality on mobile orders that uses geofencing technology to help teams start orders while customers are on their way.

The Bottom Line: Margins took a hit last year and inflation remains a concern. But a new survey says most franchise operators are optimistic. Here’s why.

The Seattle-based coffee giant is debuting its Oleato line in select Starbucks Reserve Roasteries on Thursday and then additional locations in Seattle and Los Angeles on Monday. Consumers remain skeptical.

Ann Gugino, whom the quick-service pizza chain hired in 2020, resigned as chief financial officer this week. The company said that it is searching for a replacement.

A Deeper Dive: This week’s podcast focuses on tipping from the view of the restaurant employee, and why they like them at both full-service and limited-service restaurants.

The roast beef sandwich chain said that the former Yum Brands executive would take over the top spot in April.

The company reimburses its executives for their purchases of Domino’s food, which gives us some insight into their pizza-buying habits. CEO Russ Weiner bought $7,000 worth of pizzas last year.

The Bottom Line: CEO Russell Weiner bought more than $1 million in stock earlier this month. But reversing the stock price’s recent slump will take a lot more.

The fast-casual bowl chain has been one of the country’s fastest-growing restaurant concepts in recent years. And now it has a potential new funding source for its franchisees.

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