Breaking Down Calif.’s Controversial FAST Act Bill

California’s FAST Recovery Act – the first bill of its kind to take on the fast-food industry – could prove a boon for workers and labor unions but a burden to the mom-and-pop restaurants that …

Middle-Tier Restaurants Threatened as Industry Bifurcates

Middle-tier restaurants would be wise to alter their business models amid raging inflation and predictions of a recession later this year.

Restaurant Show Puts Plant-Based in Spotlight

CHICAGO – Plant-based protein options were plentiful at the recent National Restaurant Association show, with old timers Beyond Meat, Impossible Foods, and Kellogg’s Morningstar Farms joined by newer companies – such as Daring, Next Gen …

Automation, Marketing to Gen Z Key Themes at Restaurant Show

CHICAGO – Members of the restaurant industry gathered in Chicago for the National Restaurant Association Show between in late May to taste the latest in culinary trends. Major themes at the show included automation, marketing …

Third-Party Delivery Apps Facing Uncertain Future

Third-party delivery firms are making headlines again. A growing number of investors, customers, and workers are fed up as the companies hemorrhage money and relentlessly chase growth— burning cash, customers, and vendors along the way …

Analysis: How Severely Will Inflation Impact Small Restaurants?

Half of all small business owners and nearly three-quarters of restaurateurs fear inflation will drive them out of business this year, the Alignable Small Business Inflation Poll indicates. “It’s the mom-and-pop diners and the small, …

Restaurant Sales Expected to Exceed Pre-Pandemic Levels in 2022

Things are looking up in the world of foodservice. Restaurant industry sales are expected to hit $898 billion this year, up from $864 billion in 2019, according to the National Restaurant Association’s State of the …

COVID-19 May Have Changed Restaurant Dining Forever

The latest National Restaurant Association overview of the industry indicates the pandemic may have changed dining forever, and experts say many of the changes implemented as a survival tool are here to stay. “These external …

Restaurants Say Conditions Worse than Three Months Ago as Sales Slow

Over half of restaurant operators surveyed by the National Restaurant Association (NRA) say that business conditions are worse now than three months ago. At the same time, sales are sagging. Here’s a look at the …

Research Shows Delta Variant Turning Consumers Skittish on Dining In, Shopping

With daily COVID cases up 11% since last week in the U.S., signs of the pandemic’s staying power threaten to disrupt the nascent effort to attain some semblance of normalcy. The Delta variant has turned …

$15 Minimum Wage Debate Heating Up in Restaurant Industry

By most accounts, it’s not a matter of if, but when.   The minimum wage appears to be headed towards $15 in much of the U.S., if not all, in the near future. And restaurant chains are bracing for that impact.   “Restaurants need to engineer …

Restaurant Earnings Show Continued Recovery  

Foodservices’ latest quarters have seen mixed results as restaurants continue to cope with pandemic-related losses. In 2020, restaurant and foodservice industry sales fell by $240 billion, from an expected level of $899 billion, according to …

Restaurants Look to Government for Guidance

Restaurants across the U.S. are resuming operations in accordance with guidelines to ensure health and safety and patrons and employees. However, states, cities, and counties have different requirements for operating during the pandemic. In New …