Food & Beverage News
Grubhub to Suspend Fees for Independent Restaurants in Light of Coronavirus Pandemic
Grubhub on Friday announced it is temporarily suspending collection of up to $100 million in commission payments from impacted independent restaurants nationwide. The suspension is in response to the impact of COVID-19 on restaurants. Statistics vary, but some estimate that dine-in traffic is expected to slow up to 75% over the next few weeks. “Independent restaurants are the…
Read MoreNYC’s Palm Steakhouse Company Sold for $45M After Tumultuous Family Drama
After a rocky few years involving a multimillion-dollar family Lawsuit and a family bankruptcy, storied steakhouse chain the Palm is no longer in the hands of the family who launched it in New York City 93 years ago. Massive Houston-based Landry’s — billionaire Tilman Fertitta’s company behind restaurants ranging from Morton’s the Steakhouse to Rainforest Cafe — has purchased the…
Read MoreDunkin Brands Group and Domino’s Pizza, however, See Better Results
With markets roiled once again over the coronavirus pandemic, public restaurant companies saw their share prices continue to slide. At midday, the Dow 30 was down more than 9%, the Nasdaq down more than 8% and the S&P 500 — which triggered a technical halt in trading earlier Thursday, following another one Monday — was…
Read MoreShake Shack, Starbucks, Chuck E. Cheese also Send Letters about How the Companies are Responding to COVID-19
Leaders at restaurant chains began reaching out to customers via email about the coronavirus, providing information on how their companies are responding to the pandemic. Every brand emphasized heightened cleaning and hygiene standards. At McDonald’s, that includes “enhancing our McDelivery procedures to ensure order packaging remains safe” before it’s filled, according to a letter sent…
Read MoreMcDonald’s Cancels in-Person Convention for Worldwide Franchisees Due to Coronavirus
McDonald’s has canceled its in-person biennial convention for its worldwide franchisees due to the coronavirus outbreak. The four-day event, scheduled for April, was supposed to take place in Orlando, Florida. It will now occur virtually. CFO Kevin Ozan told analysts on the earnings call in January that the convention typically costs between $25 million to…
Read MoreSome Brands are even Taking Away Tables Just to Ease Contact Concerns
Early day impacts from the coronavirus outbreak are starting to show for restaurant operators. Industry insights platform Black Box Intelligence released Wednesday a special update outlining some of COVID-19’s effect so far. It’s the first of what Black Box said will be weekly snapshots monitoring the situation. The next is planned for March 17. Here…
Read MoreCoronavirus Information and Resources
The restaurant industry is home to more than 15 million trained and skilled employees in restaurants across the country serving the public every day. The restaurant industry is open and the tables at America’s 1+ million restaurant and foodservice locations are always a great place to gather with friends and family. To ensure that restaurants…
Read MoreHow are Restaurants Keeping up with Sustainability Trends?
From the addition of plant-based menu options to local sourcing and sustainable takeout packaging, restaurants have been tackling sustainability issues with gusto — and the industry as a whole is taking its role as steward of sustainability seriously. “Faced with constantly evolving challenges including production methods, sourcing and waste management, chefs are striving to improve…
Read MoreRed Robin Puts 3 – Year Timetable on Addition of Donatos Pizza
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers CEO Paul Murphy cracked open the casual chain’s playbook Tuesday to reveal the next steps in the burger concept’s turnaround plan, including the rollout of Donatos-brand pizza to its 550 units within three years. The introduction will cost the company and its franchisees about $91 million all told, or roughly $165,000…
Read MorePapa John’s Sees Gains in Comparable Store Sales Growth
Executives of Papa John’s International, Inc. in fiscal 2020 expect strong earnings per share companywide and continued improvement in North American comparable store sales growth, but in late February the coronavirus appeared to have affected the company’s stock price negatively. The coronavirus has affected 210 restaurants in China, which has the company anticipating a negative…
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