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

Looking for the next Chipotle? These 3 chains are already there

The Bottom Line: Wingstop, Raising Cane’s and Jersey Mike’s have broken free from the pack of well-established growth chains. Here’s why this trio stands out.

Financing

Wendy's hopes better store profitability will yield new unit growth

The fast-food burger chain wants to build more restaurants. To speed growth and fulfill the chain's potential, it needs to generate more sales and restaurant profits.

The Bottom Line: The coffee shop giant’s sales struggles worsened earlier this year, despite a flurry of efforts to improve operations and employee satisfaction.

A Deeper Dive: Jim Norberg, CEO of Krispy Krunchy Chicken, joins the podcast to talk about the chain’s rapid growth and how it plans a push into marketing and delivery.

The venerable chicken chain is losing ground to Popeyes and other chicken restaurant competitors domestically. But parent company Yum Brands says it has a plan for a reset.

The Bottom Line: Early earnings from major restaurant chains suggest the consumer has taken a distinct turn for the worse so far in 2024.

The Seattle-based coffee shop giant said that its performance in its second quarter “did not meet our expectations” amid a “highly challenged environment.” The news sent its stock plunging.

The fast-food giant appears to be losing the battle for customers looking for lower prices to Burger King and Domino’s. McDonald’s wants a national value offer to change that.

The fast-food sandwich giant is finally changing hands after the sale to the private-equity firm was delayed over regulatory concerns.

The fast-food chain is expanding its “Royal Reset” remodel program to fund more restaurant remodels through 2028.

U.S. same-store sales at the fast-food restaurant giant grew 2.5% in the first quarter. But traffic is down at the chain’s restaurants amid pressure on the consumer.

The pizza chain saw transaction growth in both delivery and carryout and from all groups, as the company’s loyalty program and value take hold.

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