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Plant-based or plant-forward? Vegan or vegetarian? No matter the label attached, produce- and plant-based proteins are proliferating on menus. And though different forces-including health, sustainability and animal welfare-may be driving [...]

THERE'S A LOT OF RESTAURANT ACTIVITY IN MAJOR URBAN MARKETS, and many operators are aware of the demographics and dynamics of those areas. But what about some of the secondary [...]

RENT IS HIGH. LABOR IS EXPENSIVE AND HARD TO COME BY. COMPETITION FOR TRAFFIC IS INCREASING. And as a result, many operators took the 'focus on what you've got' approach [...]

Sriracha. Nashville hot chicken. Kale. While relatively mainstream now, these flavors were once uncommon. Because many of today's consumers are trend seekers, it can pay off to be on the [...]

There's a bit of a dichotomy between the wants and needs of the modern restaurant customer.At times, convenience is the top priority, giving rise to grab-and-go, delivery and other options [...]

It's upending how restaurants do BUB business, and it's more competitive than ever. For many, off-premise is helping brands attract a new customer base, but it's also adding challenges across [...]

'I'VE NEVER SEEN OUR WORLD CHANGE AS FAST AS IT IS RIGHT NOW,' said Dan Schulman, president and CEO of PayPal, at the 2018 Restaurant Leadership Conference in April. 'Things [...]

One of the biggest themes to emerge from this year's Top 500 ranking is the continued slowdown of chain growth. Aggregate sales from the Top 500 chains rose just 3.1% [...]

There's no denying that it's a rough time for restaurant operators. Competition is fierce, labor and rent are increasingly costly, delivery is taking a bite out of profits and new [...]

THE RESTAURANT INDUSTRY WATCHES THESE TRENDSETTING LEADERS. SEE WHAT'S POWERING THEIR IDEAS. 'Who doesn't love Apple? ... It's a feeling of surprise and delight that's almost euphoric. We're playing around [...]

There's no denying that the off-premise evolution has upended how restaurants I do business. It's one of the strongest growth areas for the industry--but it's also made the business even [...]

\\\ Delivery is the new fast casual, according to some industry experts. At least, that's the growth curve it's following--it has caught on fast and won't be fading anytime soon. [...]

THERE'S NO DENYING THAT 2016 WAS A ROUGH YEAR FOR CHAIN RESTAURANTS. Same-store sales slowed, hitting full service especially hard. Fast casual's sales growth fell below 10% for the first [...]

WE'VE HEARD IT BEFORE: Consumers want more healthy options from restaurants. The challenge, though, is twofold. While diners demand more wholesome items, their buying actions show something different. Too, their [...]

From staffing and packaging to liability and quality control, many restaurants are holding back on to-go food. But based on consumers' increased use, operators should consider adding takeout to remain [...]

It's a headline-grabbing story that, unfortunately, is not all that uncommon: 'Restaurant X abruptly closes, no warning to employees or guests.' Among the latest to receive negative press for unexpectedly [...]

This year's class of social media standouts found surprising ways to break through on popular platforms, reinvent their voice on established ones and gain footing in the 'brand'-new worlds of [...]

EACH YEAR RESTAURANT BUSINESS, in partnership with Technomic, singles out restaurant chains on the rise--concepts on the brink of breaking out on a broader scale. With the exception of a [...]

Operators big and small can learn lessons from traits these chains on the rise share. Here's how they are helping set the pace of the industry, by wav of menu, [...]

RANKED BY 2015 U.S. SALES, this list of the 250 leading chains offers a snapshot of the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. It provides both a big-picture view of [...]

THE TOP 500 CHAINS BY SALES IN THE U.S. BROUGHT IN $287.7B IN 2015 QSRS AND FAST CASUALS MAKE UP 73.5% OF SALES AMONG TOP 500 CHAINS AMONG TOP 500 [...]

IF YOU'RE NOT from Chicago, a Maxwell or Cake Shake might not mean anything to you. But it should. That's because those signatures come from what might be the biggest [...]

The one-size-fits-all approach of big legacy chains may be giving way to more diversified, regionalized methods of restaurant development, even for concepts with growth plans. To make inroads in new [...]

Every restaurant operator wants to understand today's consumer--who they are, what they want, what drives their purchasing decisions. But to see the full picture, it's no longer enough just to [...]

Purpose and tone matter as much to consumers these days as price and taste. So operators are turning the page on standard marketing practices to make a connection. YOU WANT [...]

IT'S NO LONGER ENOUGH JOST TO HAVE AN APP. NOW, DO-IT-ALL FUNCTIONALITY IS DRIVING ENGAGEMENT. When Taco Bell launched its first app three years ago, it was just about basic [...]

Whether it's 140 emojis or a single word, a well-done app or a top-to-bottom initiative, these chains represent the best in social media and technology as winners of our first-ever [...]

BETTY DANGER'S COUNTRY CLUB MINNEAPOLIS Picture eatertainment, and most people think Las Vegas, not Minneapolis. Yet Betty Danger's Country Club restaurant serves up over-the-top entertainment to rival the wackiest clubs [...]

Today's restaurant industry is a cutthroat market, with operators fighting to win over consumers. Getting them in the door--and then keeping them coming back--means understanding what's important to diners, and [...]

For restaurateurs on the road, dining out is never just a quest for a delicious meal. It's a mission to gather inspiration and intelligence from other concepts-from operational gurus to [...]

Instead of following the lead, these trendsetting operations have changed the game with unique, new business plans. So they've become the ones to watch. As concepts fight for a foothold [...]

In today's crowded, competitive market, operators must figure out what's most important to their target customers to get them in the door--and keep them coming back. Those that have managed [...]

Of Regis Philbin asked people to name the fastest-growing restaurant chains on the planet by units, any operator with a cursory knowledge of the industry could come up with Subway, [...]

IT'S BEEN A BUSY 12 MONTHS for the Chicago restaurant scene since last year's NRA Show. Emerging chains ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Nando's Peri-Peri came to town, multiconcept operators [...]

While fast casual's distinction as the dominant player in the industry goes unchallenged, what's driving its growth is shifting. That's the finding of preliminary data by researcher Technomic, which gave [...]

This isn't your average dining guide. In fact, it's not a dining guide at all. This special iteration of Concepts to Scout--our second annual roundup--singles out the destinations restaurateurs visiting [...]

THE FIRST GO-ROUND at open kitchens treated guests like Peeping Toms, offering only a peek behind the scenes through windows on the floor. The barrier is disintegrating, with kitchens now [...]

I'd like to start this letter, my last as an editor of Restaurant Business magazine, by saying thank you. I can honestly say that learning about the restaurant industry and [...]

Menu predictions came in fast and furious at the end of 2019. But which of those ingredients, dishes and menu categories will actually take hold on a mainstream level? Here's [...]

RB wants to be where you are. You told us what you wanted. We listened. That's how we approached our strategic content plan for Restaurant Business for 2020. Whether it [...]

So often at Restaurant Business, we write about the harsh realities of today's restaurant industry. Those challenges can be even more top of mind right now. The end of the [...]

My parents raised me to be an adventurous eater. My brothers and I were always encouraged to try foods we hadn't seen before. That especially came into play during travel [...]

There's a common message often trumpeted when it comes to restaurant technology: The restaurant industry is behind. Insiders and observers claim the business is slow with its adoption, even trailing [...]

Chicago is one of the top dining cities in the world. In May, dozens of foodservice operators kicked off the National Restaurant Association Show with a dine-around to some of [...]

To have a great idea is one thing. To implement a great idea that makes an impact is much more powerful. And those aren't always the ones that get noticed. [...]

College students are making their own dining decisions-not just about where to eat X but also what to eat and when. While some may be on meal plans attached to [...]

There's one thing pretty much all restaurant chains are chasing one way or another: growth. Whether it's growing traffic, units, sales, social media engagement or something else, growth is how [...]

Food halls and food trucks have been both a threat and an opportunity for traditional brick-and-mortar restaurants, and have been getting a lot of attention in recent years. Technomic estimates [...]

There's no way to escape generational generalizations. The latest talk about millennials includes them aging up, having kids, buying houses, etc. At the same time, we're hearing comparisons between older [...]

(419) RANK KEKE'S BREAKFAST CAFE $62.4M* SALES/ 40 UNITS (425) CALIFORNIA FISH GRILL $61.9M / 24 The chain focuses on a menu that's deliberately simple. It offers about a dozen [...]