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☆ Ahead of retail earnings, here's what we know about the consumer so far
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Robert Hum | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

There are signs that the U.S. consumer is still spending, especially on experiences. But stubbornly high prices are squeezing consumers with lower incomes, pressuring everyday purchases and corporate profits. Broadly speaking, credit card companies like American Express, Visa and MasterCard have described spending trends as "relatively strong," "relatively stable," and even "healthy." Priceline parent Booking Holdings told analysts there are no signs consumers are taking shorter vacations or trading down in their hotel choices. McDonald's added that "the consumer is certainly being very discriminating in how they spend their dollar."

Persons: Brandon Bell, Morgan Stanley's Michael Wilson, Morgan Stanley, Mike Stocker, Stanley Black, Decker, —, Anton Pinsky, Beata Zawrzel, Laxman Narasimhan, Shack, Domino's, Pavlo Gonchar Organizations: Getty, Home Depot, Walmart, American Express, Visa, MasterCard, PayPal, Booking Holdings, Las, Port, Tribune, Service, Consumers, Whirlpool, Corp, Starbucks Corp, Nurphoto, Lightrocket Locations: Austin , Texas, U.S, Las Vegas, Port of Miami, Krakow, Poland, Russia, Ukraine

☆ Yum Brands earnings miss estimates as Pizza Hut, KFC sales disappoint
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Yum Brands on Wednesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that missed analysts' expectations as Pizza Hut and KFC struggled to attract customers. Yum's global same-store sales also fell 3% in the quarter, missing StreetAccount estimates of 0.2% same-store sales growth. Across Yum's three largest brands, only Taco Bell reported same-store sales growth. Taco Bell's U.S. locations reported same-store sales growth of 2%, while its international business posted a decline of 2%. Pizza Hut reported same-store sales dropped 7%, as demand lagged both in its home market and internationally.

Persons: Taco Bell, Yum Organizations: Yum Brands, KFC, LSEG Locations: Austin , Texas, Yum's, Mexican, Bell's U.S, U.S, China

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Super Micro Computer, Starbucks, Pfizer and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Super Micro Computer — The server vendor dropped 15% after missing revenue expectations for its fiscal third quarter. However, Super Micro beat analysts' expectations for its adjusted earnings and hiked its revenue guidance for its fiscal 2024 year. Starbucks posted adjusted earnings of 68 cents per share on revenue of $8.56 billion. Pfizer now expects adjusted earnings of $2.15 to $2.35 per share for the full year, higher than its previous forecast of $2.05 to $2.25 per share. Yum Brands — The fast-food giant lost nearly 4% after it reported quarterly adjusted earnings and revenue that missed analysts' expectations.

Persons: Joseph Otting, —, Cowen, Skyworks, SiriusXM, Goldman Sachs, Powell, Estée Lauder —, Estée Lauder, Kraft Heinz, Pinterest's, Alex Harring, Yun Li, Lisa Kailai Han, Hakyung Kim, Michelle Fox Organizations: New York Community Bank, Super Micro, Starbucks, Pfizer, Apple, Amazon Web Services, CVS, Powell Industries, Wall, LSEG, Brands, KFC, Pizza, Taco, JPMorgan Locations: Houston, Taco Bell's

☆ Dolly Parton helped boost Taco Bell workers' morale when the Mexican Pizza kept selling out
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

When the Mexican Pizza returned to Taco Bell in May 2022, it started selling out everywhere. Dolly Parton was happy to record a video message just for the staff to boost morale. AdvertisementWhen the Mexican Pizza finally returned to Taco Bell, the demand was intense. The beloved menu item returned in May 2022 but immediately started selling out in stores — leaving employees to deal with upset customers. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Dolly Parton, —, Taco Bell, Taco, Taylor Montgomery Organizations: Mexican Pizza, Taco Bell, Taco Bell's, Service, Taco, Business Locations: Mexican

☆ I tried Taco Bell's Cantina Chicken menu and loved all 5 new menu items. It's a total game changer for the chain.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

And they're hoping the Cantina Chicken menu will help bring the lunch crowd to Taco Bell. Taco Bell tapped Jason Sudeikis to promote the new Cantina Chicken menu. Taco BellDuring Live Más LIVE, Liz Matthews — the chain's chief food innovation officer — told the audience of superfans that Taco Bell is always listening to their reviews of the brand. Taco Bell wants the world to know that the new Cantina Chicken menu "isn't just for late-night." Here's my ranking of all five new menu items.

Persons: Taco, Taco Bell, Jason Sudeikis, Liz Matthews, —, Bell Organizations: Taco Bell, Bell, Taco

☆ Taco Bell's CMO eats at the chain every other day. Here's what he always orders.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-11 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Taco Bell CMO Taylor Montgomery told BI that he eats at the chain "every other day." CEO Sean Tresvant told BI he eats at Taco Bell three to four times a week. The chain's CMO sat down with Business Insider at Live Más LIVE, its first-ever superfan convention, and revealed he eats Taco Bell "every other day." He always opts for one beef and one chicken taco, as well as a bean burrito. While their go-to orders may vary, both Montgomery and Tresvant are huge fans of Taco Bell's Cantina chicken menu, which features five new dishes — the Cantina chicken burrito, the Cantina chicken taco (available soft or crispy), the Cantina chicken bowl, and the Cantina chicken quesadilla.

Persons: Taylor Montgomery, Montgomery, Sean Tresvant, —, Anneta, Sean Tresvant —, Tresvant, Liz Matthews, Taco, Taco Bell Organizations: Taco Bell, Service, Business, Taco, Bell, CNN Locations: Irvine , California, Montgomery

☆ Fast-food chains like Burger King, Shake Shack, and KFC are doubling down on digital order kiosks — but watch out, you'll probably end up spending more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-01 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fast-food giants are rapidly deploying more order kiosks in the US. AdvertisementMajor US fast-food chains plan to aggressively add more digital order kiosks to their restaurants – and bring in bigger checks in the process. They make up "well over" half of its in-restaurant orders at these locations, CFO Katie Fogertey told investors in November. As well as labor savings, kiosk orders "tend to skew to dine-in" and thus use less packaging than other digital orders, she said. In the US, digital orders currently make up just 15% of Burger King's sales.

Persons: Patrick Doyle, —, Burger, Josh Kobza, Shack, Katie Fogertey, Chris Turner, Turner, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Fogertey, Grace Dean, Randy Garutti, cashiers, Fogerty, Andy Barish, Jon Tower, Kobza, Zackfia, Barish, Popeyes, Tim Hortons Organizations: Service, Restaurant Brands, Brands, Taco Bell, KFC, Business, Jefferies, Citi, Burger, Firehouse, North Star Locations: Taco, China, London, millennials

☆ A Taco Bell franchisee has shut the dining rooms of at least 3 restaurants in Oakland over crime fears
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

A Taco Bell franchisee has shut the dining rooms of some restaurants in Oakland over crime fears, CNN reported. On Taco Bell's website, three of the five Oakland restaurants are only open for drive-thru. AdvertisementA Taco Bell franchisee has shut the dining rooms of at least three restaurants in Oakland over fears about crime. The dining rooms of restaurants on Bancroft Avenue, 35th Avenue, and Telegraph Avenue are all listed as closed on Taco Bell's website, though the drive-thrus remain open. Taco Bell told CNN that the dining rooms were closed by the franchisee operating the restaurants, Diversified Restaurant Group.

Persons: —, Taco Bell Organizations: Taco Bell, CNN, Bell's, Service, Taco Bell's, Business Locations: Oakland

☆ I tried 15 new items coming to Taco Bell's menu in 2024 and ranked them from worst to best
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Taco Bell announced its 2024 menu lineup at Live Más LIVE, its first-ever superfan convention. I attended the Las Vegas event and tasted everything coming to Taco Bell's menu this year. But food was obviously the highlight, and the crowd roared when we learned over a dozen new menu items were coming in 2024. From the Baja Blast pie (yes, pie!) Here's my ultimate ranking of every new item coming to Taco Bell this year.

Persons: Taco, — Organizations: Taco Bell, Las, Baja, Service, Super Locations: Las Vegas

☆ Taco Bell's spin on an empanada is finally available everywhere, and it's one of the chain's best new items this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I tried Taco Bell's delicious new take on an empanada, the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada. The shell had a satisfying crispiness, and it gave way to a warm cheesy middle full of flavor. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAll the way back in March 2023, I went to Taco Bell's headquarters in Irvine, California, and got to try the chain's new spin on an empanada. But now the Cheesy Chicken Crispanada is finally available everywhere, and I can confidently say it's one of the best new menu items Taco Bell is releasing this year.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Taco Bell's, Bell Locations: cheddar, Taco, Irvine , California, Knoxville , Tennessee

☆ Taco Bell says that low-income customers are still flocking to its restaurants even as other fast-food chains say they're struggling to hold on to them
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewTaco Bell says that it is still performing well among low-income customers even as other fast-food chains say they're struggling to keep hold of this demographic. Brands, said that the taco and burrito chain's restaurants in low-income trade areas in the US had outperformed the rest of the business. Diners shouldn't expect Taco Bell to raise menu prices as much in 2024, he said. Record numbers of Taco Bell customers ordered digitallyThough Yum! Taco Bell had more than 8,500 restaurants globally by the end of 2023.

Persons: —, Bell, David Gibbs, Gibbs, Taco, it's, McDonald's, Chris Kempczinski, Taco Bell Organizations: Service, Brands, taco, Business, Taco Bell, Bell, KFC, Taco Locations: Bell's, Taco Bell's

☆ McDonald's says its chicken options are now just as popular as beef
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

McDonald's makes as much money from chicken products as from beef burgers, its CEO said Monday. McDonald's told investors in December that it planned to offer the McCrispy in almost all its markets globally by the end of 2025. We've also added smoked chicken wings, and that was a direct response to Gen Z." Taco Bell's former CEO Mark King told Bloomberg that its Gen Z customers were increasingly opting for chicken over beef. Wendy's told BI that its Spicy Chicken Nuggets were especially popular among Gen Zers.

Persons: McDonald's, Chris Kempczinski, —, Ian Borden, Kempczinski, McSpicy, Chick, Laura Dickey, we've, hasn't, We've, Gen, Taco, Mark King, Wendy's, Zers Organizations: Service, KFC, Gen, Bloomberg, Morning Locations: Singapore

☆ We tried Taco Bell's 6 new value menu items, which are all under $3. Only a few lived up to the chain's meal-sized promise.
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-12 | by ( Nancy Luna | Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Taco Bell made sweeping changes to its Cravings Value menu on January 11. The chain added six new "meal-sized" items, changed the pricing, and cut five foods from the menu. We tried the six new value items to see if they lived up to their "satiating" promise. The Cravings Value Menu debuted in late December 2018 and included more than 20 items ranging in price from $1 to $5. The chain said the revamped 10-item menu features "more satiating, meal-sized items" that now cost $3 or less.

Persons: Taco Bell, — Organizations: Service, Business

☆ How B.J. Novak turned a tribute to chain restaurants into the hottest ticket in Hollywood with a 25,000-person waitlist
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-05 | by ( Anneta Konstantinides | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

Chain pays tribute to these restaurants with new interpretations of their most iconic dishes, which are created by Michelin-starred chef Tim Hollingsworth. "We all came up on different chain restaurants and, from a very authentic place, we all got excited about them." Advertisement"Ironically, since we started Chain, these chain restaurants have had sort of this resurgence," Hollingsworth said. How did a comedian, film producer, and Michelin-starred chef help predict the resurgence of chain restaurants? "It's become so hard to capture the attention and interest of a massive amount of people, but chain restaurants have been around for 50 or 60 years.

Persons: —, Jack, B.J, Novak, Friendly's, Nicholas Kraft, Chain, Tim Hollingsworth, Kraft, hadn't, Bell, Mindy Kaling, John Legend, Chrissy Teigen, margarita, Rachel Bilson, Dunkin, Chrissy, Red Robin, Let's, Phil Rosenthal, Chef Hollingsworth, Thomas Keller's, Hollingsworth, Ruth De Jong, Oppenheimer, John Mayer, Andy Cohen, lockdowns, Tim Hollingsworth's, Bell's, Taco Bell, De Jong, We're, Finneas, It's Organizations: Service, Michelin, Business, New Americana, ChainFest, Steakhouse, Crunchwrap, Panda Express, Texas Locations: Boston, Los Angeles, Olive, ChainFest, Seattle, LA, Napa, Texas, West Hollywood

☆ A chaotic Taco Bell holiday party included public sex, lots of booze, and vomit in the guacamole, lawsuit alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-21 | by ( Sonam Sheth | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A new lawsuit alleges that a Taco Bell holiday party last year went off the rails. The lawsuit alleges the party devolved into employees getting drunk and having sex in public. AdvertisementA new lawsuit alleges that a Taco Bell holiday party last year went off the rails and devolved into employees getting drunk, having public sex, and vomiting in a guacamole bowl. The lawsuit alleges that she reported the incident and was retaliated against by people associated with the defendants of the case. The lawsuit alleges that Does 1-50 are people who were "negligently, intentionally, or otherwise legally responsible in some manner for the events and happenings."

Persons: —, Taco Bell, Taco Organizations: Taco Bell, Service, Alvarado Restaurant Group, Taco Bell's, Alvarado Locations: Taco, San Pedro , California

☆ I put Taco Bell's wacky menu experiments to the test. Some meals should return to the lab, while crazy-good items like breakfast tater tots should go national.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-20 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Taco Bell has tested more than a dozen items across the US this year. Some items should return to the test lab, but others should go national. NEW LOOK Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. AdvertisementTaco Bell is widely known for testing wacky experimental menu items in various cities nationwide to gauge interest in a possible nationwide release. "Like all innovation, a lot of work goes into bringing a new menu item to life," Taco Bell told Business Insider.

Persons: Taco Bell, I've, —, Bell, Taco Organizations: Service, Triple Crunch, Taco Bell, Business Locations: Chicago, Mexican, Nebraska, Indianapolis

☆ I compared breakfast at Taco Bell and McDonald's. The Golden Arches should be worried.
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-07 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Taco Bell is stepping up its breakfast game to compete with McDonald's. But lately, fast-food chains such as Wendy's and Taco Bell have demonstrated that they want to steal breakfast customers from McDonald's. So I decided to put the breakfast menus of McDonald's and Taco Bell to the test. McDonald's and Taco Bell have more than a dozen breakfast items on their menus. Taco Bell leans into burritos and breakfast wraps, while the McDonald's menu is heavy on breakfast sandwiches.

Persons: Taco Bell, —, McDonald's, Wendy's, Mark King, King, I'm, Keith Organizations: Taco Bell's, Service, Egg, Taco Locations: McDonald's

☆ The best and worst restaurant chain apps, from Starbucks to McDonald's
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-06 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

We can order food, earn rewards, and find unique online-only offers. McDonald'sAfter lagging behind rivals for years, the chain's app now has over 57 million active members. That feature has been around since Dunkin's mobile app first launched in August 2012. The chain first began testing mobile ordering in a handful of markets in 2009 before going national in 2011. For example, the Chipotle app gives you uber-specific portion size choices such as "normal," "extra" or "light' servings.

Persons: —, Taco Bell, Dunkin, Taco, Brian Niccol, it's, Wendy's, Burger King, Domino's, They've, I'm, Joe, Chipotle Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Subway Subway, Subway, Restaurant, Taco Bell, Burger, Chipotle Locations: Cava, Burger

☆ Slow Pizza Hut sales in the U.S. weigh on Yum Brands' revenue
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-01 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

(photo by Mike Kemp/In Pictures via Getty Images)Yum Brands on Wednesday reported third-quarter revenue that fell short of analysts' expectations, hurt by weak same-store sales growth at Pizza Hut. Yum China CFO Andy Yeung said that sales had softened in late September through October, hurting its fourth-quarter results. But in the U.S., its second-largest market, KFC saw flat same-store sales growth. The pizza chain reported 2% same-store sales growth for international restaurants and flat same-store sales in the U.S.Pizza Hut isn't the only pizza chain that has struggled to win over U.S. consumers. Rival Domino's Pizza reported a 0.6% drop in same-store sales during its third quarter.

Persons: Mike Kemp, Andy Yeung, Yum, David Gibbs, Gibbs, Chick, Taco Bell Organizations: Getty, Brands, Refinitiv, Indian, Taco, KFC, U.S Locations: Birmingham, United Kingdom, China, Taco Bell's U.S, U.S

☆ Taco Bell throws shade at McDonald's with debut of 'premium' nuggets. 'This is real chicken.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taco Bell is testing Crispy Chicken Nuggets made with all white meat. Chain reps threw shade at rivals like McDonald's when describing the quality of the Taco Bell nuggets. Taco Bell is also going after McDonald's at breakfast with the nationwide debut of breakfast tacos. According to McDonald's website, "McDonald's Chicken McNuggets are made from 100% chicken breast meat. Taco Bell rolling out Toasted Breakfast Tacos nationwideTaco Bell says its new toasted breakfast tacos are part of a plan to step up the chain's breakfast game.

Persons: Taco, Bell, —, Jessica Perri, Chef Brett Pluskalowski, didn't, Taco Bell, Nancy Luna, that's, Pluskalowski, Honey, Perri, There's, Jessica Wilson, Wilson, Taco Bell Taco Bell, Mark King, King Organizations: Taco Bell, Bell, Service, Taco, Minneapolis . Locations: Irvine , California, Minneapolis

☆ Chick-fil-A drive-thrus are dreadfully slow, but customers don't seem to care
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-03 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementChick-fil-A's drive-thrus are among the slowest in the industry, but customers don't seem to mind. In a new survey of 10 top fast-food chains, Chick-fil-A ranked last for speed of drive-thru service. The chain's drive-thru customers waited an average of 5 minutes and 12 seconds between ordering and receiving their food, according to the survey by QSRmagazine. Of the chains studied, Chick-fil-A had the most accurate orders, with a 92% rate of accuracy, including any special requests. Customer experience solutions company Intouch Insight conducted the study using mystery shoppers who visited each drive-thru to test speed and accuracy.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Wendy's, KFC, Intouch

☆ Taco Bell has the fastest drive-thru, and its latest tech could get customers their orders even faster
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-02 | by ( Jennifer Ortakales Dawkins | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

AdvertisementAdvertisementTaco Bell has the fastest drive-thru, and it's testing technology that could get customers their orders even faster. This marked the third straight year that Taco Bell had the fastest drive-thru. Mystery shoppers reported they received their orders in under three minutes at the Taco Bell Defy location. McDonald's ranked eighth with a four minute and 51 second average service time, and Chick-fil-A ranked last with a five minute and 12 second average service time. In the test of the new pilot programs, Taco Bell was also the fastest.

Persons: —, Bell, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Taco, Chris Turner Organizations: Taco, QSR, Customers, Service, KFC, Intouch, Taco Bell, Cowen, Consumer Conference, Yum, Brands Locations: Brooklyn Park , Minnesota, Alpharetta , Georgia, Fort Worth , Texas

☆ From taking orders to cutting avocados, AI is solving the labor shortage problem for fast-food chains
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Checkers & Rally'sLast year, Checkers & Rally's became one of the first big chains to implement widespread use of AI-powered voice assistants. Out of the 803 Checkers and Rally's restaurants, voice AI was live in 390 as of August. AdvertisementAdvertisementSoundHound, best known as a music-recognition app, has spent years perfecting its conversational voice AI bots. Sister burger chains Carl's Jr. and Hardee's also announced plans to test Presto's AI voice bots this year. Hardee's and Carl's Jr. are also testing voice AI bots by OpenCity.

Persons: DoorDash, Deloitte, Keyvan Mohajer, it's, Mohajer, Schier, Rally's, Domino's, ConverseNow, SoundHound, SoundHound's Mohajer, Beef, Chippy, Rebecca Harrington, McDonald's, Carl's Jr, Del, Carl's, Hardee's, Presto, Taco, Chris Turner, Turner, Taco Bell Organizations: Service, Chipotle, Industry, National Restaurant Association, Deloitte, Wingstop Tech, Anthony's, Slim, Dialog, Taco Bell, Taco, Yum Brands Locations: White, Wall, Silicon, McDonald's, Texas, California , Texas, Florida, Chicago, Thai, Newport Beach , California, Del Taco, Mexican, Southern California, Taco Bell's

Insider identified the chief marketing officers to watch in 2023. Our list recognizes the newest marketing chiefs rethinking the status quo and reshaping marketing. While the chief marketer's tenure has always been among the shortest in the C-suite, it can be a path to the very top of the corporate ladder. For instance, Taco Bell's global chief brand officer, Sean Tresvant, is set to become the company's CEO next year. Though turnover remains high, there will always be a crop of newly minted chief marketers poised to bring their companies to new heights.

Persons: They're, inclusivity, Sean Tresvant, Kraft, Diana Frost, Jenny Lewis, Glossier's Kleona Mack, who's Organizations: Motors, AB InBev, Taco, Mercedes, Benz

☆ Taco Bell owner Yum Brands misses revenue estimates despite soaring KFC sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-02 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Yum Brands on Wednesday reported mixed quarterly results as Taco Bell's and Pizza Hut's same-store sales disappointed. Yum Brands' same-store sales grew 9% in the quarter, topping StreetAccount estimates of 6.9%. KFC's system sales in China soared 32%, while its U.S. system sales rose 5%. The pizza chain's domestic same-store sales rose just 1%. Its U.S. same-store sales increased 4%, but its international same-store sales shrank 1% in the quarter.

Persons: Yum Organizations: Brands Inc, Taco, Yum Brands, Refinitiv, U.S Locations: Taco Bell, Kentucky, Louisville , Kentucky, U.S, Russia, China, Taco Bell's

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