Strong Takeout Sales Push Chili’s into Delivery

Concerns over profitability and food quality for years kept the restaurant from expanding into delivery. This summer, however, Brinker announced it will offer the service nationwide through an exclusive deal with third-party platform DoorDash. Sales in the fourth quarter ended June 26 increased 2% to $701.9 million from $688.2 million in the same period last…

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Papa John’s Continues to Reach Unprecedented Sales

Papa John’s North American same-store sales skyrocketed 33.5 percent in May, eclipsing a company record it just set in April. The figure is more than four times higher than what the company captured in January and more than six times higher than what it reached in February. The pizza chain is coming off a month…

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The Pandemic has Cost Restaurants 5.9 Million Jobs

The industry lost three decades’ worth of employees in just six weeks as states closed dining rooms and restaurants closed their doors and laid off workers. The global pandemic and state closures of dine-in service have cost the restaurant industry 5.9 million jobs, wiping out three decades’ worth of employees in just over six weeks,…

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Ruth’s Chris is Reopening Dining Rooms, Using QR Codes for Reading Menus

Ruth’s Hospitality Group is reopening steakhouse dining rooms this month at 12 of its 86 company operated restaurants in Texas, Florida and Tennessee, the fine dining chain announced Friday during its first quarter conference call. The re-openings come as more than a dozen franchise restaurants have already reopened dining rooms at limited seating capacity ranging from 25% to…

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Popeyes Enters China Market in Hope that Virus Fear is Passing

Even after the deadly pathogen caused a record collapse in the country’s restaurant sector, China will become the fast-food chain’s second-largest market in two-to-three years, Raphael Coelho, chief executive officer of Popeyes China, said in an interview Tuesday. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Inc., a unit of Restaurant Brands International Inc., which also owns the Burger King…

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Buffalo Wild Wings to Open ‘GO’ Format Unit in Georgia

Buffalo Wild Wings will open its first “GO” model restaurant on Wednesday in Georgia, focusing on takeout and delivery orders, the company said. The casual-dining wing chain, owned by Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, said the 1,800-square-foot Buffalo Wild Wings GO unit will feature a walk-up counter, digital menu boards, condensed seating and televisions for guests to enjoy…

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Brinker to Buy 116 Chili’s Grill & Bar Restaurants

Louisville, Ky.-based ERJ Dining has been a franchisee of Brinker’s for the past 14 years. According to Brinker, the Chili’s restaurants primarily are located in the Midwest and generate approximately $300 million in annualized revenue. “This acquisition is a compelling opportunity to further invest in our brand, broaden our scale and create growth in earnings…

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