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The Bottom Line

Jonathan Maze The Bottom Line

Restaurant Business Executive 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.”

Financing

The Technomic Top 500 in charts

 By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 10, 2024

The Bottom Line: How has the makeup of the Top 500 restaurant chains changed over the past five years? Hint: They're a lot more fast casual, and a lot less full service.

Financing

Social media giveth and social media taketh away

 By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 04, 2024

The Bottom Line: McDonald’s, Starbucks and Chipotle, chains that have historically benefitted from social media love, are learning the hard way that it can have the opposite effect. Brands should take heed.

Financing

Welcome to the latest restaurant recession

By Jonathan Maze on Jun. 03, 2024

The Bottom Line: Bankruptcy filings, closures, strategic alternatives and a sudden value messaging all suggest the industry is in a tough spot. But many brands are still thriving.

Financing

McDonald's value perception problem is with its lighter users

By Jonathan Maze on May 30, 2024

The Bottom Line: The fast-food giant took the extraordinary step of publicizing average prices this week. It was speaking to its less-frequent customers, who are a lot less likely to say the chain is a good value.

Financing

Winners and losers from a tough first quarter

By Jonathan Maze on May 29, 2024

The Bottom Line: Wingstop (again) and Texas Roadhouse (also again) were among the big winners last quarter, while the fast-food value proposition is among the losers.

Financing

Red Lobster gives private equity another black eye

By Jonathan Maze on May 22, 2024

The Bottom Line: The role a giant sale-leaseback had in the bankruptcy filing of the seafood chain has drawn more criticism of the investment firms' financial engineering. The criticism is well-earned.

Financing

Beverage chains are taking off as consumers shift their drink preferences

By Jonathan Maze on May 22, 2024

The Bottom Line: Some of the fastest-growing chains in the U.S. push drinks, even as sales at traditional concepts lag in growing delivery and takeout business. How can traditional restaurants get in on the action?

Financing

Brands need to think creatively as the industry heads into a value war

By Jonathan Maze on May 21, 2024

The Bottom Line: Giving customers meal options they can afford will be key to generating traffic this year. But make sure those offers can generate a profit.

Financing

The Red Lobster bankruptcy is a seminal moment for the restaurant business

By Jonathan Maze on May 20, 2024

The Bottom Line: The seafood chain’s bankruptcy declaration was not surprising after months of closures and Endless Shrimp recriminations. But that doesn’t make it any less notable.

Financing

Get ready for a summertime value war

By Jonathan Maze on May 17, 2024

The Bottom Line: With more customers opting to eat at home, rather than at restaurants, more fast-food chains will start pushing value this summer.

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