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First Bite

Nation"s Restaurant News

First Bite, hosted by Nation’s Restaurant News digital editor Holly Petre, highlights the top restaurant industry headlines of each day followed by a short conversation on one of the day’s trending stories. Published early every weekday morning, First Bite is the perfect way to get a brief recap of the daily foodservice news alongside your first cup of coffee.

business management

All Episodes

14:44

How this underused vegetable can be on your menu

First Bite ·

2024/05/06

Squash doesn’t seem like the most charismatic of vegetables. Even the name sounds like a failure. But many chefs are into them. They say each one has its own unique qualities, with summer varieties offering fresh, clean tastes and winter ones providing sweetness and a sort of implied richness, despite their low fat content, that can help lighter dishes seem more satisfying.The difference between chefs’ love for squash and consumer perception might be reflected in Technomic’s Ignite menu data, which

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16:58

Why Starbucks is financially shaky right now

First Bite ·

2024/05/03

Starbucks reported a same-store sales decline for the second quarter of 2024, for the first time in almost three years since the peak of the pandemic, as shares of the Seattle-based coffee chain plummeted 16% over the past day.According to CEO Laxman Narasimhan, the global same-store sales drop of 4% was driven by declining traffic in North America, issues in China and the Middle East, bad weather, and “a more cautious consumer overall.” Additionally, Starbucks revised its annual fiscal guidance to

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10:24

Why Yum Brands had its first negative quarter since...

First Bite ·

2024/05/02

During Yum Brands’ earnings call Wednesday morning, executives were somewhat upbeat, touting the resiliency of the company’s brands in a challenging operating environment and pointing to core operating profit gains and digital sales increases as reasons for their optimism. Additionally, executives cited sequential improvements from January’s weather impacts, as well as easing headwinds from tension in its Middle East markets.Technology was the focal point of that optimism, with CEO David Gibbs

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11:31

How Domino's is benefitting from this big change

First Bite ·

2024/05/01

Domino’s Pizza is starting the fiscal year off strong with Q1 earnings highlights that include 5.6% same-store sales growth driven by transaction growth from the company’snew loyalty program.In a Q1 earnings call, Domino’s CEO Russell Weiner discussed how the loyalty program is synergistic with other elements of the company’s previously announced “Hungry for More” strategy for 2024, including menu innovation. For example, the new New York Style pizza launching this week, made with thinner crust and

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10:48

How Chipotle is bucking industry trends

First Bite ·

2024/04/30

Chipotle reported first quarter results after market close Wednesday and the company once again bucked the industry’s declining traffic trends, turning in a plus-5% increase in transactions. Credit Chicken Al Pastor, barbacoa, and improved throughput to meet demand for both.The company also generated 7% comp sales growth, while system sales grew 15% to reach $2.7 billion. CEO Brian Niccol said in-store sales were up by nearly 20% as throughput reached its highest level in four years. That throughput

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12:35

How third-party delivery could possibly be legislated...

First Bite ·

2024/04/29

As food delivery becomes synonymous with the restaurant experience —data from McKinsey and Companyshows that the value of the food delivery industry has more than tripled since 2017 —the need for guardrails around the still-budding segment of the restaurant industry has grown.The amount of both regional legislation and individual litigation attempting to regulate and mitigate issues with the food delivery industry has escalated recently. Over the past two months alone, Floridapassed a billrequiring

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12:51

Chipotle, Starbucks workers are citing burnout. Why?

First Bite ·

2024/04/26

While restaurant operators continue to struggle with both labor costs and employee retention, the foodservice industry may very well have deeper employee-side problems. According to a study of Glassdoor reviews just releasedfrom BBADegree.org(an organization that provides resources for prospective business professionals seeking higher education), workers in the restaurant and foodservice industry complain about burnout the most, as compared with other industries.Chipotle Mexican Grill scored a 97.72

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14:20

Digging deeper into the Starbucks Supreme Court case...

First Bite ·

2024/04/25

Starbucks and the National Labor Relations Board faced off Tuesday at the U.S. Supreme Court hearing of Starbucks vs. McKinney,which will determinethe scope of the National Labor Relations Board’s power in stepping in to resolve labor disputes. Starbucks argued before the Supreme Court against a previous district court order that had ordered the coffee chain to reinstate seven previously fired workers in Memphis, Tenn., who were terminated in 2022 during an attempt to unionize the store.According to

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06:18

Digging into all the latest restaurant bankruptcy news

First Bite ·

2024/04/24

Bankruptcy filings, no matter the industry, are the result of a thousand cuts.This month has produced filings and rumors of more to come in the pandemic-shaken restaurant industry.Maitland, Fla.-based Tijuana Flats Restaurants filed for Chapter 11 protection in the Florida Middle District Bankruptcy Court after closing a total of 40 restaurants this year,11 of them last week.And, while Tijuana Flats is in the fast-casual segment, North Aurora, Ill.-basedOberweis Dairy filed April 12for Chapter 11

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12:53

Why you should tap into influencers for your...

First Bite ·

2024/04/23

Who has power in the restaurant industry? What does power really mean when it relates to one of the largest industries in the country, one that employs more than 12 million Americans this year and will achieve roughly $1 trillion in annual sales?The answer is always shifting, and Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Power List has evolved alongside it, recognizing everyone fromchief executivestotech entrepreneurstogeneral managers. This year, though, a clue can be found in the official definition of

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10:14

Restaurants are reacting to AB1228 with labor changes

First Bite ·

2024/04/22

Last week, we talked about the tech takeaways from the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Today, executive editor Alicia Kelso is joining us to talk about her takeaways.The main takeaway is labor. There was a lot of discussion about labor and wages against the backdrop of California’s AB1228 which went into effect earlier this month, raising the minimum wage to $20 an hour. One operator told Alicia he’ll “never” expand in California again, while another felt confident about the combined pricing and

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13:45

Why tech is still a major theme at restaurant...

First Bite ·

2024/04/19

This week, several editors here at Nation’s Restaurant News attended the Restaurant Leadership Conference or RLC in Arizona. The conference gathers top leadership at restaurant companies for discussions, networking, and sessions.Senior editor Joanna Fantozzi was there are had some key takeaways from the conference.First, pricing & labor costs. Something we’ve been talking about in the industry for quite a while ranging from digital menu boards to AI technology that can predict future needs to

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15:45

Adding this to your restaurant menu can boost sales...

First Bite ·

2024/04/18

Menu innovation never stops, but at times of rising costs and diminished labor, finding relatively easy ways to create menu news is especially appealing.It’s operationally straightforward to swap one sauce for another, but quite impactful in terms of flavor.Sweet-and-spicy was certainly the flavor combination of last year, and Arby’s, Qdoba, Buffalo Wild Wings, Genghis Grill, Red Lobster, Chester’s Chicken, and Bonchon all added sauces in that category. Twin Peaks added a hot sauce that’s so spicy

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12:26

How Pizza Hut is leading the future of restaurant...

First Bite ·

2024/04/17

Pizza Hut, the division of Yum Brands Inc., is partnering with online influencer Keith Lee for a new benefit pie, the company said Tuesday.Plano, Texas-based Pizza Hut is teaming with the NAACP Outstanding Social Media Personality winner to support both Lee’s charities as well as promote its “$12 Any” campaign, which allows customers to customize their toppings and crust.Lee’s community pizza features his family favorite toppings, pepperoni and bacon, on a hand-tossed crust.Lee is known for his food

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13:11

Analyzing the 'swicy' trend on restaurant menus

First Bite ·

2024/04/16

Starbucks’ newest dual lineup of beverages takes on the “swicy” trend (that’s “sweet and spicy”) that has been popular with younger generations as of late. On April 14 at Coachella, Starbucks unveiled the new Spicy Lemonade Refreshers in three flavors — pineapple, dragonfruit and strawberry — that are spiced with Starbucks’ proprietary chili powder blend.These drinks, available at all Starbucks cafes for a limited time starting April 16, join the lineup of “swicy” drinks made with hot honey that

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12:29

How one growing restaurant chain is capitalizing on a...

First Bite ·

2024/04/15

Growing taco concept Velvet Taco has big plans for the next few years. Recently, Alicia Kelso went to the chain’s Dallas headquarters to tour the place and, more importantly, try the tacos.While other brands have simplified and paired down menus, Velvet Taco has become known for expanding its menu. From the brand’s signature tacos like the Chicken Tikka to its weekly taco features, called WTF, the brand is leaning into the fun part of the restaurant industry.CEO Clay Dover, who has worked at Pei Wei

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11:33

What do teens' favorite restaurants say about the...

First Bite ·

2024/04/12

Teens continue to love Chick-fil-A and, as demonstrated by the chain’s recently reported 2023 AUVs —up almost 10% over 2022 — they’re not alone. The semi-annual Piper Sandler survey “Taking Stock with Teens” identified the top five restaurant chains favored by today’s teens, and the results are somewhat surprising.In addition to Chick-fil-A, which received 16% of the vote, other top choices include McDonald’s (10%), Chipotle (9%), Raising Cane’s (4%), and Texas Roadhouse (4%).The survey polled 6,020

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15:02

How Panera is trying to rehab its image

First Bite ·

2024/04/11

As Panera Bread is in the midst ofa major brand transformation, traffic for the St. Louis-based company is up 5.2% year-over-year, according to recent data from Placer.AI — it’s biggest traffic growth spurt in almost a year, since a 10.8% jump last March.While Panera originally made its mark by offering freshly baked bread and other bakery goods — and later on, used ethical sourcing and “clean” ingredients as an industry differentiator – the fast-casual brand has recently changed its outlook.As

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11:55

Analyzing the shakeup among top casual-dining...

First Bite ·

2024/04/10

Texas Roadhouse has been on a roll for the past several years now, churning out record sales and average unit volumes and managing astonishingly high demand as it enters its 12thconsecutive year of traffic gains.Such momentum hasn’t necessarily been the case for many of its casual dining peers in a challenging post-pandemic environment. Many have experienced declining traffic patterns and, in some cases, unit count retrenchment. This divergence pushed Texas Roadhouse past one of its biggest segment

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11:41

Why Chick-fil-A's only competitor is McDonald's

First Bite ·

2024/04/09

Chick-fil-A generated $21.58 billion in sales in 2023, a 14.7% increase over 2022’s $18.81 billion and over 43% over 2021’s $15 billion. According to new data from Technomic Ignite, the chain has essentially doubled its total sales volume since 2018.In the process, the company has also continued to gain market share in an intensely competitive QSR chicken category.As Chick-fil-A’s consistent growth remains a major narrative, it’s worth mentioning that its competition extends far beyond the QSR

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128 results

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