Posts Tagged ‘Industry Spotlight’

CHICAGO (April 29, 2026) — Ali Group, which operates in North America under the Welbilt brand, today announced a series of leadership appointments effective May 11, impacting its global organization and North American operations, including changes at Ali Group North America, BUNN and ACP, Inc. (ACP), which includes the Amana Commercial, Menumaster Commercial and XpressChef…

At the Restaurant Leadership Conference in Phoenix, five C-level executives shared the ins and outs of growing their brands. Consistency, quality, reassessment, respect for roots, customer experience and building strong teams—these are some of the keys to successful growth, according to five C-level chain executives who shared speedy versions of their stories on stage Monday…

Mustafa Husain, former VP of restaurant technology engineering, will replace Valerie Ashbaugh starting May 1. Dive Brief: McDonald’s SVP and U.S. CIO Valerie Ashbaugh will depart at the end of April, the company said in a Tuesday announcement. The executive is leaving after less than a year as CIO, ending a five-year stint at the…

Operators in Texas claim adding Applebee’s to existing IHOP restaurants broke development exclusivity agreements. Dive Brief: Applebee’s franchisees Apple Texas Restaurants and Apple Houston Restaurants have sued the franchisor for allegedly violating the exclusivity portions of their franchisee agreements with dual-branded IHOP/Applebee’s units, court records show. The operators say one open dual-branded restaurant and two…

Bojangles, the iconic restaurant chain known for its craveable breakfast and Southern-style chicken, biscuits and tea, continues its nationwide expansion in 2026 with a series of openings, including the debut of a new restaurant in Oklahoma City, which will be the first-ever Bojangles location in the state of Oklahoma. Throughout Q1, the brand opened 16…

Sales among the largest fast-casual chains grew 6% last year, a notable deceleration. But standout brands defying the slowdown included Shake Shack, Jersey Mike’s, Wingstop and Cava. Sales growth cooled considerably in the fast-casual restaurant chain segment in 2025, but it was a good year to be a Mediterranean or sandwich brand. Sales among fast-casual…

A noisy first quarter impacted the pizza chain’s performance, but Russell Weiner said it’s better positioned for the long term because of stronger profitability and scale. Domino’s first quarter results came in below analysts’ expectations and while executives acknowledged the impact of consumer pressures and increased competitive activity, they remain bullish about the chain’s long-term…

Based on OpenTable’s 2025 numbers, the holiday brings in a huge chunk of business, with 2026 looking promising Mother’s Day was restaurants’ biggest day of the year in 2025, according to reservation platform OpenTable. Families and friends celebrating mom dined out in droves, increasing restaurant traffic 12% year over year. And there’s optimism that those…

As legacy salad chains face mounting pressure, Greenlane is emerging with a smaller, faster, and more efficient model designed to make healthy food truly accessible. This year, QSR magazine introduced Fast Casual FutureMakers, a new annual report showcasing brands and founders pushing the category forward in real time. The 2026 class features three emerging concepts,…

Whataburger has named Rachel Lorraine as Vice President, Enterprise Insights & Analytics, adding a seasoned analytics and strategy leader to support the brand’s continued growth. Rachel brings more than 20 years of experience leading analytics, strategy and insights across the restaurant and consumer industries. She joins Whataburger from Yum! Brands, where she was serving as…