BJ's Restaurant & Brewhouse

By Joe Guszkowski on Jul. 02, 2024

The casual-dining chain is using an AI tool that can pinpoint sales weeks in advance, allowing managers to make smarter staffing decisions.

Operations

BJ's margins make a leap, with help from AI

By Joe Guszkowski on May 03, 2024

A new AI-powered scheduling tool, among other initiatives, helped make the casual-dining chain's restaurants more profitable in the first quarter.

Financing

BJ's adds ex-Darden CFO Brad Richmond to board in deal with activist investor

By Joe Guszkowski on Mar. 05, 2024

The agreement between BJ's and Fund 1 Investments will also create a new board committee focused on improving shareholder value.

Financing

An activist investor is pushing BJ's to sell itself

By Joe Guszkowski on Feb. 13, 2024

Pleasant Lake Partners said the chain is underperforming but would make an attractive acquisition target.

Operations

Restaurants will need to tamp down menu price hikes over the next couple years, says BJ's Restaurant CEO

By Lisa Jennings on Nov. 30, 2023

At the Barclays Eat Sleep Play conference, Greg Levin said consumers remember prices from four years ago and have yet to adjust to the higher cost of dining out.

Operations

How BJ's could benefit from Calif.'s fast-food wage law

By Joe Guszkowski on Oct. 27, 2023

Higher QSR prices could boost the value of sit-down meals, CEO Greg Levin said. But BJ's will still feel some labor inflation.

Premium

Food

After a pandemic break, restaurants added a lot of new menu items this summer

By Patricia Cobe on Aug. 03, 2023

Customers returned to dining out and operators greeted them with a record number of limited-time offers. The result was a summer of love on restaurant menus.

Financing