Tag: Chipotle
Guest Column: Explaining CEOs’ Short Shelf Life in 2024
The pressure is on restaurant chain CEOs to deliver fast in 2024. Private equity is largely to blame, according to one industry leader.
FI News Review (August 16, 2024) – CEO Swap: What Does Starbucks’ New Leadership Mean For the Future
CEO of Chipotle Departs to Assume Leadership of Starbucks
Tuesday brought big business news, as Chipotle announced that its chairman and CEO, Brian Niccol, had accepted a similar post at Starbucks.
Plant-based Consumers’ Favorite QSRs
U.S. consumers love fast food and those who follow a plant-forward diet are no exception. Which quick service restaurants (QSRs) are plant-based consumers seeking out this year?
Opinion: Automation Serving up Invaluable Efficiency for Restaurants
Restaurant automation reduces service time, increases consistency, and eliminates labor from the restaurants that use it.
Fast-Flation: Fast Food Restaurant Prices Surge, Even as Inflation Wanes
Major fast-food restaurants have raised prices by 60% on average between 2014 and 2024. McDonald’s is the worst offender with average menu prices increasing more than three times the national rate of inflation over the past decade.
IPOs and Inflection Points: Panera and Starbucks Brace for Change
They say when one door closes, another opens. That may very well be true, but for restaurant brands and their clientele, the wrong door can sometimes lead down a disastrous path – just look at …
Column: Loyalty Apps Becoming a Boon for Fast-Food Restaurants
One great benefit of loyalty programs is that they help businesses, like restaurant chains, build a relationship with a customer. To inspire consumers to join your program you can use price or other incentives.
Cloud Bread to Burn-away Cakes: Tomorrow’s TikTok Trends in Restaurant & Retail
From chefs to retailers to restaurant operators, catching fire with a dish that went viral on TikTok can ignite a fan base (and bolster quarterly revenue).
‘Gen Z’s Most Magnetic Brands’ Report Praises McDonald’s, Starbucks
McDonald’s has nearly as much brand magnetism with Gen Z as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson or Ariana Grande. And in 2023, the purple-hued force of attraction that connected the burger giant with young consumers was …
Teens’ Top 5 Restaurant Chains
Teens are trendsetters. They are typically early to the next big thing and most of their spending is discretionary, making them a lucrative demographic to study.
How the Pandemic Reshaped Restaurant Real Estate
There has been a sizable population shift to America’s Sun Belt as well as its suburbs and rural areas in recent years. That fact has reshaped the nation’s commercial real estate, experts say.
The Teens Have Spoken: Chick-fil-A Remains Favorite Restaurant
Three things remain constant in life: death, taxes, and Chick-fil-A. In Piper-Sandler’s recent survey of teen spending in the U.S., the Georgia-based restaurant chain still struts its stuff above Starbucks and Chipotle and accounts for …
Placer.ai Exec: How Grocers Must Evolve in 2023
The grocery space has been upended over the past three years and leaders must face new challenges with patience, according to Placer.ai’s Retail Trends Forecast 2023 report.
‘Restaurant Venture Capital’ Doesn’t Mean What it Used To
The meaning of “restaurant venture capital” is changing. While the term has historically referred to funding for brick-and-mortar restaurants, the restaurant venture capitalists of today have shifted their focus to investing in foodservice technology. Last …
Survey: Tracking Gen Z Food Preferences
Here are key stats on what, and where, Gen Z is eating these days, according to Piper Sandler’s Fall Taking Stock with Teens survey.
QSRs Lamenting ‘Line Balk’ Trend
Much like remote working and zoom conferencing, long waits at the drive-thru line are a pandemic vestige that just won’t go away. And that’s causing line balk among consumers. As COVID-19 took hold in the …
Investors See Tough Times Ahead for Fast Casuals
It’s difficult to project how the fast-casual industry will perform in a recession. The current version of the industry hasn’t really seen one. To be sure, the fast-casual concept predates the financial crisis of the …
Food Businesses Step Up Sustainability Efforts
For Earth Day, The Food Institute takes a closer look at recent industry efforts to meet the growing sustainability expectations of consumers. RETAILERS Sam’s Club recently revealed new sustainability efforts for its Member’s Mark private-label …
Teen Spending Up, Interest in Plant-Based Down
Teens are spending more money (+9%) and food is a top priority, according to Piper Sandler’s Taking Stock with Teens Spring 2022 survey. With these themes in mind, below are key findings that food industry …
Why Restaurants are Venturing into the Metaverse
Restaurant chains are entering the great unknown, taking bold leaps into the “metaverse.” It’s the latest endeavor by fast-food brands to reach potential customers where they’re at. The Food Institute investigated exactly how the strategy …
Why Food Brands Should be Targeting Gamers
Gamers are proving to be an influential demographic in the food industry. In fact, research from Wunderman Thompson Commerce’s Future Shopper Report 2021 shows that globally, 84% of online shoppers are gamers. With this in …
FI Fast Break audio news: March 9, 2022
This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we examine restaurant chains’ recent appeal to video gamers, increasing support for U.S. agriculture, and more. The Food Institute Podcast · FI Fast Break News …
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What Do Consumers Want from Loyalty Programs?
Newsweek recently released its America’s Best Loyalty Programs 2022 list and several food brands stood out. In the grocery category, Kroger, Sprouts Farmers Market and Publix Super Markets landed the top spots, while Jersey Mike’s …
Restaurants Tap Dark Poultry Meat Options
Demand for allergy free foods continues to rise as consumers encounter a broader variety of motivations to steer clear of certain ingredients.
Why Chipotle’s Nutrition Filters Hint at Menus of the Future
Jennifer Kaplan, a former instructor at the Culinary Institute of America in St. Helena, California, thinks Chipotle just released a menu upgrade that’ll be well-received. The chain recently added nutrition filters to its app and …
Facing Mounting Pressures, Kroger Becomes Latest to Pass Along Higher Prices
On a recent earnings call, Kroger CFO Gary Millerchip said the retailer will be “passing along higher cost to the customer where it makes sense to do so.” The CFO acknowledged the company’s facing pressures …
Major Food Companies Turning to Unprecedented Measures to Find New Hires
Dealing with a shallow labor pool, major companies are increasingly turning to creative – and, in some cases, controversial – measures to attract new hires. Here’s a look at some unique moves made recently along …
UPDATE: Major Ingredient Shortage Impacting Multiple QSRs
Taco Bell is the latest restaurant chain to be hit by significant ingredient shortages. “Sorry if we can’t feed your current crave,” reads an orange banner atop the fast-food chain’s website. “Due to national ingredient …
Addressing Food Industry’s Labor Shortage with TikTok, Other Solutions
The statistics are staggering. According to a recent poll conducted by job site Monster.com, 95% of respondents were “currently considering changing jobs,” and 92% said they’d switch industries to get a new job. The top …
FI Fast Break news: June 10, 2021
This week, in The Food Institute’s quick-hitting, audio news podcast, we break down QSR menu price hikes, alt-meat’s ascent, and the so-called “meme-stock” trend that’s starting to impact restaurant chains. The Food Institute Podcast · …
Chipotle Hikes Menu Prices as Inflation Looms
Chipotle Mexican Grill isn’t just boosting wages for its workers; it’s also increasing menu prices by nearly 4% to cover those raises. That’s according to a CNBC report which noted the company will be bringing …
Chipotle Leading Sustainable Packaging Trend
Chipotle’s half-decade commitment to sustainability largely serves as a blueprint for the foodservice segment. In 2018, Chipotle announced that, by the year 2020, the fast-casual chain aimed to divert half of all of its restaurant …
Study: CEO Salaries Soared Even as Profits Fell During Pandemic
As 20 million U.S. workers lost their jobs last year and most businesses shut down because of the pandemic, many of the nation’s CEOs saw their compensation rise despite massive corporate losses. “Many of these …
The Masks Are Off: Retailers, Restaurants Grapple with Updated Mandates
U.S. retail stores and restaurants are weighing updated CDC guidelines that allow fully vaccinated people to remove their masks in both indoor and outdoor settings. According to the CDC, a person is fully vaccinated two …