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☆ Fast food chains are getting the message about soaring prices
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

To win penny-pinching customers back, some say they're planning smaller price increases for the rest of the year. Wendy's CFO Gunther Plosch told investors on Thursday that consumers are "still under pressure" — especially those with household incomes under $75,000. Chains raised prices drastically during the pandemic to offset rising labor and food costs, and it's coming back to bite them. For some restaurant chains, comparable sales even fell. McDonald's would "certainly" be "prudent and thoughtful" about any further price increases in the rest of 2024, Borden said.

Persons: —, Gunther Plosch, Ian Borden, Joshua Kobza, Burger, Popeyes, Burger King, Wendy's, William Blair, Sharon Zackfia, Borden, Katie Fogertey Organizations: Service, Starbucks, KFC, US, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Burger, North America

☆ Fast food feels more expensive than ever before, and people are sick of it. Here's why.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-04 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Analysts say fast-food prices feel particularly painful because they're rising faster than grocery prices. Fast-food prices have been shooting upRestaurant prices are determined by "two major categories" — food costs and labor costs, Citi analyst Jon Tower told BI. Related storiesFast-food chains put up their menu prices to reflect the higher food costs and payrolls. AdvertisementGrocery inflation is coolingFast food seems particularly expensive right now because grocery inflation is cooling much more rapidly, analysts BI spoke to said. AdvertisementBut the inverse is also true — grocery stores benefit much more than restaurants when food inflation cools.

Persons: —, Jim Sanderson, Jon Tower, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Price, Danilo Gargiulo, Bernstein, Gargiulo, they've, Garguilo, Sara Senatore, Chad Frye Organizations: Analysts, Service, Northcoast Research, Citi, US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bank of America Locations: Russia, Ukraine, California

☆ Analysts bail on Starbucks with 2 downgrades, slashed price targets. 'Stunning across-the-board miss,' says Blair
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-01 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But Deutsche kept its $89 price target, which suggests the stock could gain just 0.6%, as of Tuesday's close. Starbucks stock hasn't logged a positive year since 2021. Bank of America's Sara Senatore maintained her buy rating and $108 price target, which implies roughly 22% potential upside — a fairly bullish aim compared with other firms. Underpinning Senatore's stance is her expectation that Starbucks' earnings growth will reaccelerate in 2025, fueled by traffic-driving initiatives, such as more menu innovation and operational improvements. JPMorgan analyst John Ivankoe kept his overweight rating but moved his price target lower to $92 from $100.

Persons: William Blair, Sharon Zackfia, Zackfia, Lauren Silberman, Deutsche, Wells, Bank of America's Sara Senatore, Laxman Narasimhan, John Ivankoe Organizations: Starbucks, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, UBS, Bank of America, Bank of America's Locations: Tuesday's, U.S, China, Wells Fargo, Israel

☆ Fast-food franchisees in California fear they'll lose customers to Chili's and Applebee's as prices soar over $20 wage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Fast-food franchisees in California fear diners will flock to Chili's and Applebee's to avoid price hikes. As a result, the price gap between fast-food and casual dining restaurants could narrow. This could potentially cause the price difference between fast-food and casual dining restaurants to shrink. Fast-food restaurants in California have been hiking prices to offset the wage, which is 25% above the state's general minimum wage. "We're gonna start to compete with them," Ghai said, speaking about the casual dining restaurants.

Persons: —, Shane Paul, Paul, Scott Olson, Taco Bell, Ghai, he's, wouldn't, Scott Rodrick, Rodrick, Hajime Uba, Brian Vaccaro, Raymond James, Sal Vitalie, Vaccaro, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair Organizations: Service, Burger Locations: California, San Diego, South San Francisco

☆ Here are 5 ways fast-food restaurants in California are cutting costs to cover the new minimum wage
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewFast-food franchisees in California are desperately looking for ways to cut costs as the state's $20 minimum wage for workers at limited-service restaurants kicks in. Mendelsohn, the El Pollo Loco franchisee, told NPR that her preemptive price increases had already deterred some customers. William Blair analyst Sharon Zackfia expects some restaurants in California to turn to digital kiosks as labor costs rise. Spending less on operationsBeyond labor, restaurants are looking for other ways to save on their operating costs. Alex Johnson, the Auntie Anne's Pretzels and Cinnabon franchisee, told the AP that he wasn't looking at opening any more locations in California.

Persons: —, Michaela Mendelsohn, Alexi Rosenfeld, Alex Johnson, Anne's Pretzels, he'd, Marcus Walberg, Mendelsohn, Brian Hom, Walberg, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Grace Dean, Kris Stuebner, Scott Rodrick Organizations: Service, Business, El, Loco, NBC Los Angeles, Associated Press, El Pollo Loco, NPR, Wall Street Journal, CNN, KFC, Management Corporation, ABC, Fox News, AP Locations: California, Los Angeles County, Los Angeles, San Jose

☆ 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

☆ Fast-food diners are using loyalty apps to get deals on cheap — or free — food as prices soar
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-16 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

More diners are using restaurant loyalty apps to get cheap or free food. AdvertisementDiners are turning to fast-food loyalty apps for cheaper meals as years of price hikes catch up with customers. Many restaurant apps give diners points based on how much they spend, which can be redeemed for free food. AdvertisementPeople on Reddit say they're using loyalty apps to save money and get free meals. Some restaurant apps give diners points based on how much they spend.

Persons: McDonald's, —, Wendy's, Taco Bell, I've, Chipotle Martin Jennings, Jennings, Warren Colehour, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Annie Smith, Chris Kempczinski, Joe Erlinger, Erlinger, Laxman Narasimhan, Brady Brewer Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Bell Locations: Florida, Kentucky, Canada

☆ California is putting up minimum wages to $20 an hour for fast-food chains – and it's likely going to drive up wages in other industries, too
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Read previewCalifornia is raising the minimum wage for fast-food workers to $20 an hour – and a much wider group of employees could see bigger paychecks. If limited-service restaurants raise their wages, "everybody is going to have to adopt because it's a free market," Danilo Gargiulo, a Bernstein analyst, said. Fast-food and fast-casual chains have already said they plan to raise their menu prices in California to offset the higher wages. The Cheesecake Factory's CFO Matt Clark told investors in November that the minimum wage could have a "ripple effect" beyond just limited-service restaurants. He added that the legislation would cause the price gap between limited- and full-service restaurants to narrow.

Persons: —, Brian Vaccaro, Raymond James, It'll, Andy Barish, Danilo Gargiulo, Bernstein, Matt Clark, Clark, Vaccaro, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Greg Levin, we've, Levin, they're, Zackfia Organizations: Service, Business, Jefferies, US Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: California, pretzels . California

☆ Here's what might happen after California raises fast-food wages to $20, from higher burger and pizza prices to better wages for retail workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AdvertisementBurgers, tacos, and pizzas will get more expensiveDiners should expect to pay more as fast-food restaurants put menu prices up to offset higher wages. But restaurants already paying workers higher wages will feel less of an impact from the new legislation. Jon Tower, an analyst at Citi, said the higher prices could be hard for some diners to accept. However, higher wages at McDonald's, Subway, and Burger King will likely prompt other employers to offer higher pay so they can compete for labor. AdvertisementPeople will have more money to dine outAs fast-food workers' wages increase, they'll actually have more disposable income to spend dining out.

Persons: —, Gavin Newsom, It's, Jack, Sharon Zackfia, William Blair, Andy Barish, Sara Senatore, Chris Kempczinski, they're, Jon Tower, Barish, Zackfia, Burger, Danilo Gargiulo, Bernstein, Matt Clark Organizations: Service, Golden State, Gov, Jefferies, Bank of America, Citi, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: California, McDonald's

☆ Starbucks' earnings report was weak — but Wall Street expected worse
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-31 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Wall Street is shaking off Starbucks' weak quarterly report, seemingly taking executives at their word that the company's challenges are "transitory." The coffee giant's stock ticked higher in morning trading, hours after it reported fiscal first-quarter earnings and revenue that missed Wall Street's estimates and lowered its full-year sales outlook. Morgan Stanley analyst Brian Harbour wrote in a note to clients that the company's earnings per share and U.S. same-store sales growth was better than some had feared, "likely supporting the stock." Executives also tried to convey that those challenges are expected to subside as fiscal 2024 progresses. While Starbucks lowered its full-year outlook for revenue and same-store sales growth, it reiterated its forecast for fiscal 2024 earnings per share growth.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Brian Harbour, Laxman Narasimhan, Andrew Strelzik, William Blair, Sharon Zackfia Organizations: Starbucks, BMO Capital Markets Locations: U.S, Israel, China

Planet Fitness said it is searching for its next chief both internally and externally. He's a franchisee of both Planet Fitness and Dunkin' Donuts and has been on Planet's board for six years. During his time as CEO, Rondeau led Planet Fitness's IPO and tripled its club base from about 700 to about 2,400 locations. "As we enter the next chapter of Planet Fitness' journey, the Board felt that now was the right time to transition leadership," Planet Fitness Chairman Stephen Spinelli Jr. said in a press release. "In today's evolving environment, Planet Fitness is continuing to enhance our competitive advantage, capitalize on our size and scale, and drive further shareholder value."

Persons: Chris Rondeau, Craig Benson, He's, Rondeau, William Blair, Sharon Zackfia, Zackfia, Rondeau couldn't, Michael, Marc Grondahl, it's, " Rondeau, Stephen Spinelli Jr Organizations: Planet Fitness, Planet Locations: New Hampshire, Dover , New Hampshire

☆ Analysts really like this fast casual chain into earnings
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-20 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Chipotle is expected to report earnings of $8.95 per share on revenue of about $2.34 billion, according to consensus expectations on FactSet. The fast casual chain, which boasts an average rating of overweight on FactSet, is set to report results on Apr. Chipotle shares are 30% higher this year, and have boasted a good track record of double-digit percentage growth. CMG 5Y mountain Chipotle shares 5-year Wall Street analysts continue to see upside heading into earnings, citing improving traffic and expanding margins at the burrito chain. To be sure, he said Chipotle shares "could be due for a short-term rest" after their outperformance this year, though he said they still lean "favorably."

☆ Why one fast-casual restaurant is a Wall Street favorite, even with a recession looming
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Carmen Reinicke | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

One fast-casual restaurant chain has remained a favorite on Wall Street even as the U.S. grapples with a potential looming recession. Over the past 15 months, the burrito chain has introduced three rounds of price increases that boosted the cost of its products 13% from a year earlier. In addition, many Wall Street analysts are forecasting a mild recession, which is better for fast-casual restaurants as the hope is consumers won't have to pull back very much or for very long. Potential for growth Another reason that Wall Street likes Chipotle is that it has solid potential for growth in the coming months and years, according to Zackfia. Overall, however, Wall Street sees fast-casual restaurants holding up to economic weakness.

☆ Starbucks will grow its bottom line at a 15 to 20% clip, says William Blair's Zackfia
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-29 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailStarbucks will grow its bottom line at a 15 to 20% clip, says William Blair's ZackfiaSharon Zackfia, William Blair partner, joins 'Closing Bell' to discuss why Starbucks is one of the analyst's top picks for next year, how the company's valuation looks and her thoughts on how the consumer will hold up in 2023.

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