Peter Romeo

A weekly ranking of restaurant chains’ top TV commercials by effectiveness shows consumers responding to value-oriented pitches from casual brands. But limited-service brands fared better with spots promising an experience.

The front-runner for the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination said the chain’s workforce needs to be organized to counter the franchisor’s power.

The store is less than half the size of a traditional unit, with an emphasis on the bar and off-premise business.

The casual steak chain outperformed all of its sister operations, largely because of how it handled personnel, its parent company said. Olive Garden's comps rose 1.5%.

The group’s CFO and chief people officer will also fulfill the CEO’s duties for the NRAEF until a new chief for both bodies is brought aboard.

Or was consumers’ abandonment of shopping malls the culprit? Add in heightened competition and you have the perfect storm that tripped up the brand, the chain’s leadership says.