At a challenging time for the restaurant industry, major chains like Chipotle and Cava are putting money behind automated makelines from startup Hyphen. The San Jose, California-based company aims to help restaurants achieve two key goals in a hyper-competitive environment: speedy throughput and good customer service. The technology makes for a less chaotic and more…
As the restaurant industry endured another difficult year, many chains opted to close underperforming locations as they try to turn around their businesses. Inflation-weary consumers have pulled back their restaurant spending, choosing to eat at home or chasing deals when they go out for a meal. While some restaurants have won over reluctant diners, the…
McDonald’s restaurant in San Diego, California, U.S., Oct. 31, 2025. Mike Blake | Reuters “Value” was the buzzword du jour for restaurant executives that lasted all year — and it will likely stick around in 2026, too. Over the last year and a half, diners, particularly those who make less than $40,000 a year, have…
Crippling high beef prices are being felt by everyone. Tyson Foods , for example, announced plans last month to close its beef plant in Lexington, Nebraska. Roughly 3,200 workers will lose their jobs at what had long been the area’s largest employer. The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday ran a sobering story about the ripple…
Anand Varadarajan, Amazon Vice President of product and technology and worldwide grocery stores speaks during the Delivering the future conference in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, on October 9, 2024. Seth Herald | Afp | Getty Images Starbucks announced Friday that it has hired its new chief technology officer, Amazon veteran Anand Varadarajan. Varadarajan, who spent nearly…
An Olive Garden restaurant in Milpitas, California, US, on Tuesday, Dec. 16, 2025. David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images Darden Restaurants on Thursday reported strong sales growth, fueled by demand at Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse as thrifty diners look for good deals. For the second straight quarter, the company hiked its full-year…
Kraft Heinz announced plans to split into two separately traded companies, reversing its 2015 megamerger, which was orchestrated by billionaire investor Warren Buffett. Justin Sullivan | Getty Images News | Getty Images Kraft Heinz on Tuesday announced that former Kellanova CEO Steve Cahillane will lead the company ahead of its planned split next year. Cahillane…
Consumers are still dining out, but instead of higher-priced entrees, many are ordering more appetizers. As food inflation and affordability dominates the conversation about the U.S. consumer, new restaurant purchasing data shows even among Americans who are going to restaurants, many are in the mindset of cutting back. “Appetizer orders are up 20% year over…
U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks at the McDonald’s Impact Summit at the Westin Hotel in Washington, D.C., U.S., Nov. 17, 2025. Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters President Donald Trump on Monday said that California Gov. Gavin Newsom is “laying siege on the minimum wage.” Trump’s comments at the McDonald’s Impact Summit likely referred to California’s…
The Washington Post | The Washington Post | Getty Images At 12:30 p.m. in midtown Manhattan on mid-week office days, long lines still form outside Chipotle, Cava, and Sweetgreen. Fast-casual bowls remain the defining lunch of the hybrid-work era, something quick to carry, simple to eat at a desk, and familiar enough to order without…
