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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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Leadership

Laxman Narasimhan takes the helm at Starbucks

The coffee chain said that its CEO-in-waiting took over the permanent position on Monday for Howard Schultz, who takes a spot on the company’s board.

Financing

An 8-unit McDonald's franchisee declares bankruptcy

Rice Enterprises, a longtime operator out of the Pittsburgh area, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy less than two years after it was sued over the rape of a 14-year-old employee by one of its managers.

The Bottom Line: The fast-food burger chain’s former top U.S. corporate relations officer said, “cry me a river” in a now-deleted tweet about McDonald’s franchisees. It didn’t go over well, either with them or his new employer, Grubhub.

The former Papa Johns operations chief will take over as CEO of CKE Restaurants for Ned Lyerly.

The passes cost $15 and give the sandwich giant’s loyalty members 50% off Footlong subs throughout April. It will be for sale starting on Tuesday. The fast-food chain will sell a lot more of them this time.

The Bottom Line: Franchisees in particular jumped at the chance to scoop up restaurants in 2021, often paying sky-high multiples in the process. And then inflation hit.

Premier Cajun Kings, which once operated 30 locations in Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee, struggled amid a difficult operating environment and declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy, seeking a buyer.

The Bottom Line: Robert Zarco, who now works with McDonald's franchisees, argues that a potential redefinition of the joint employer standard could reduce the level of control franchisors exert over operators.

A Deeper Dive: Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski joins the podcast to talk about the future of some of the biggest pandemic trends in the restaurant tech space and where they’re headed.

Inflation at restaurants continued to outpace inflation at supermarkets and other retail food outlets, according to new federal data.

Operators, saying they're being "held hostage" by customer survey standards and new ownership requirements, have hired an attorney and may influence franchise regulations. The company says it just wants to run good restaurants.

The former head of marketing at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Nebraska will “amplify and build upon” the drive-thru coffee chain’s brand.

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