Special Reports

The Future 50

This year’s class of America’s up-and-coming chains faces an uncertain future. But as the coronavirus hit, these small and innovative concepts were characteristically quick to adapt, repacking menu items into meal kits, creating pop-up drive-thrus and more. Here’s a look at how they got here, and where they plan to go next.

Special Reports

Future 50 (2020)

Special Reports

Top 500 Chains

May 13, 2020

Special Reports

Timeline: How today’s restaurant industry came to be

By Peter Romeo and Myra Engers Weinberg on Feb. 21, 2019

Here are some key milestones from the last 100 years.

Special Reports

How restaurants have taught America to work

By Sara Rush Wirth on Feb. 19, 2019

With about one-tenth of the American workforce in the restaurant space, there’s no denying that industry has had a hand in shaping labor in America.

Special Reports

Kitchen equipment that advanced the industry

By Sara Rush Wirth on Feb. 19, 2019

Back-of-house tech has come a long way since crushed ice dispensers were considered innovative.

Special Reports

How We Got Here: 1930s

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 19, 2019

After relocating from Kansas City, Mo., to the more central location of Chicago, the National Restaurant Association continued to focus on Depression issues.

Special Reports

How We Got Here: 1960s

By Peter Romeo on Feb. 19, 2019

The restaurant industry faced a critical challenge when President John F. Kennedy posed a hike in the federal minimum wage as a patriotic way of combating poverty and a growing disparity in incomes.

Special Reports