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☆ White Castle is taking drive-thru orders using an AI voice system that claims to be more accurate than a human
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

White Castle is just one in a long line of restaurant chains toying with drive-thrus powered by voice-recognition AI. Chains such as Taco Bell, McDonald's, and Checkers & Rally's have all tested or introduced voice AI drive-thrus. AdvertisementBut voice AI drive-thrus are far from achieving widespread adoption. Last year, restaurant-tech company Presto Automations revealed in an SEC filing that over 70% of its voice AI orders required assistance from off-site human workers. AdvertisementIf customers don't want to order using the voice AI system, they can ask to speak to a human, he said.

Persons: —, Julia, Julia isn't, Taco Bell, McDonald's, Jamie Richardson, White, Richardson, Ben Bellettini, SoundHound's, SoundHound, SoundHound doesn't, fryer Organizations: Service, Business, SEC, IBM Locations: White, St Louis, Cincinnati, Indiana, Merrillville

☆ Soaring fast food prices encourage Big Mac junkies to cook at home
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Read previewAs fast-food prices continue to soar, Americans are looking for ways to get more bang for their buck. Like fast-food prices, grocery prices soared during the pandemic. But grocery prices are now largely back to pre-pandemic levels, while inflation at limited-service restaurants still remains elevated. When fast-food prices rise at a faster rate than grocery prices, consumers notice. He attributed this to the price increases at fast-food chains.

Persons: —, Chad Frye, Frye, Thomas Valentine, Jordan Sanchez, he's, Lawrence Milford's, Laxman Narasimhan, McDonald's, Danilo Gargiulo, Bernstein, John Furner, footfall —, Michael Siluk, Martin Jennings, Jennings, Brooks Ferrante, Ben Heyworth, it's Organizations: Service, Business, Walmart, Getty Locations: California, Arizona, Florida, Puerto Rican

☆ How Gen Zers dine out: From spicy food to menu hacks
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

They love to customize their food, they're suckers for a menu hack, and they crave spicy dishes, restaurant executives and experts say. Menu hacks fly on social mediaGen Zers are more inclined to try out menu hacks, creating new dishes using items already available on the menu. AdvertisementAt Caribou Coffee, younger customers — Gen Alpha, Gen Zers, and younger millennials — are most likely to modify their drinks, CMO Erin Newkirk told BI. They crave spicy foodGen Zers are big fans of spicy food, executives previously told BI. In a 2022 poll by Morning Consult , US Gen Z respondents listed chicken as their second-favorite food overall, behind only pizza.

Persons: —, Gen, Taylor Swift, Zers, They're, Joe Labombardo, It's, Alessandro Biascioli, Lizzy Freier, Tom Boland, he'd, Boland, Piper Sandler, Justin Sullivan, Labombardo, Gen Z, Alpha, Gen Zers, millennials, Erin Newkirk, Andy Rebhun, Kuttig, Gen Zs, pao, it's, Liang Lim, Cane's, Joe's, Z, they're, Caribou's Newkirk Organizations: Service, Business, Higher, Getty, Bojangles, Coffee, El Pollo, Morning, Piper, Foods Locations: Chipotle, Nashville

☆ There's a silver lining to California's $20 fast-food wage, restaurant bosses say: it's attracting better workers
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Restaurant executives say California's $20 wage for fast-food workers has brought them at least one clear advantage. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRestaurant executives told Business Insider that California's new $20 minimum wage for fast-food workers has at least one clear silver lining for their businesses: Better-quality candidates are applying for jobs. California raised its minimum wage for workers at limited-service chains with at least 60 locations nationwide by 25% to $20 an hour on April 1. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: California

☆ Sorry Grimace, McDonald's doesn't care about your birthday this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

McDonald's didn't care about Grimace's birthday this year. Grimace didn't get a happy birthday post on the chain's Instagram or TikTok and his special purple shake hasn't returned to US menus. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementAfter spoiling him rotten last year, McDonald's has completely ignored Grimace's birthday in 2024. The McDonald's mascot made a comeback in 2023 when the burger giant released a limited-edition Grimace Shake to celebrate his birthday on June 12.

Persons: McDonald's, Grimace didn't, hasn't, — Organizations: Service, Business

☆ We finally have some evidence that California's new $20 fast food wage is hurting business
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Restaurants raised prices to offset the new wageCalifornia raised its minimum wage for workers at limited-service restaurants to $20 an hour on April 1. To offset their higher labor costs, restaurants have raised prices, turned to technology and automation like order kiosks, and considered reducing their opening hours. In-N-Out told KTVU that it had raised prices "incrementally" on April 1. Californian residents are divided: Some acknowledge that fast food is a tough gig and support the new minimum wage, while others say it will push prices up too much.

Persons: —, Burger King, Hottovy, Jack Organizations: Service, Golden State, Business Locations: Burger, California, Golden, Placer.ai, McDonald's

☆ Starbucks is copying the fast-food value playbook with its new $5 and $6 breakfast combos
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-12 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Starbucks has launched two breakfast combo deals, pairing a coffee or tea with a croissant or breakfast sandwich. Bundling has long been standard practice in fast-food, but it's a surprise move for Starbucks. AdvertisementIn an unusual move for the coffee giant, Starbucks is getting into bundling by offering new $5 and $6 deals. The chain launched the two combo deals on Tuesday under what it calls its "pairings menu." Customers can get a 12-ounce iced or hot coffee or tea paired with a butter croissant from $5, or with a breakfast sandwich from $6.

Persons: — Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Business

☆ Diners are cutting back on weekday meals out so that they can spend more on the weekends instead, a restaurant CEO says
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-10 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Read previewDiners are cutting back on meals out during the week and saving the money for the weekends instead, a restaurant executive says. Jim Holthouser, CEO of GoTo Foods, formerly known as Focus Brands, said that some diners had been limiting their spending. GoTo Foods owns Cinnabon, Auntie Anne's, Jamba, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli, Schlotzsky's, and Carvel. The data only compares restaurant spending in 2019 and 2023, and doesn't show how this has changed in recent months. Estimated retail sales from GoTo Foods' licensing partners totaled about $1.5 billion in 2023, or just over a quarter of total sales across its brand portfolio.

Persons: —, Jim Holthouser, Auntie Anne's, Carvel, Holthouser, Wendy's, GoTo, Anne's pretzels Organizations: Service, GoTo Foods, Focus Brands, Business, Subway

☆ I went to the only US McDonald's that sells items from its international menus. The super speedy table service was even more impressive than my spicy Thai sandwich.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Overall, visiting the global menu restaurant was a fun experience. I would have liked to have seen a wider range of international items — perhaps some drinks or another side in place of some of the desserts. McDonald's France, for example, sells a range of company-branded flavored water and McDonald's Germany sells chili-cheese pops. The restaurant looked like a normal McDonald's from the outside. Grace Dean/Business Insider

Persons: Grace Dean Organizations: Business Locations: France, Germany

☆ These are all the Red Lobster restaurants the company wants to close
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Red Lobster has announced which restaurants it wants to close after filing for bankruptcy. Sign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementRed Lobster has released a list of all the restaurants it wants to close after it filed for bankruptcy. In filings, Red Lobster said it operated about 570 restaurants and attached lists of 120 it wanted to reject the leases of.

Persons: It's, — Organizations: Service, Business Locations: Florida and Texas

☆ Costco will reportedly stop selling books, except before the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-06 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Costco plans to stop selling books on a regular basis, publishing execs told The New York Times. Costco will only sell books for the holidays, as well as on some occasions throughout the year, the execs said. The executives told The Times that the decision was mainly down to the labor required to stock books. AdvertisementCostco plans to stop selling books on a regular basis, largely because of how much labor it requires, four unidentified publishing executives told The New York Times. Instead, Costco will sell books between September and December for the holidays, as well as potentially selling some books sporadically at other times of the year, the executives said.

Persons: execs, — Organizations: Costco, New York Times, Times, Service, Business

☆ Dollar Tree is considering selling problem child Family Dollar
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Grace Dean | Mary Hanbury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Dollar Tree is looking at "strategic alternatives" for Family Dollar, which could include selling the chain, it said Wednesday. Analysts have described Family Dollar as Dollar Tree's problem child and say it's been a drag on earnings. Last year, Dollar Tree announced plans to close nearly 1,000 Family Dollar stores. AdvertisementDollar Tree is considering selling Family Dollar, it announced on Wednesday. Dollar Tree, which bought the rival dollar store in 2015 after a bidding war with Dollar General, said last year that it was carrying out a comprehensive review of Family Dollar, including plans announced earlier this year to close about 970 underperforming stores.

Persons: it's, — Organizations: Analysts, Service, Dollar, Business

☆ Food experts say these restaurant trends are dominating dining out — from mashups like birria ramen to ever-spicier dishes and the rise of 'swicy'
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-05 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Mashups involve combining two or more dishes — sometimes a mixture of sweet and savory or a fusion of cuisines. They can provide a twist on a classic and sometimes generate social media buzz. And they've been appearing more and more frequently on restaurant menus. Birria — a Mexican beef stew — has been served in the form of quesadillas, poutine, pasta, tacos, and ramen, including at sit-down restaurants as well as at taco chain Del Taco. In a report from November, the National Restaurant Association called birria a "social media darling" and said diners should expect to see it on menus in creative applications.

Persons: they're smartly, Nancy Kruse, they've, —, IHOP, Think, Mashups, Lizzy Freier Organizations: taco, National Restaurant Association Locations: Mexican

☆ I tried Starbucks' new boba-inspired summer drinks. They looked stunning, but one was really lacking in flavor, and I wouldn't pick them over real boba.
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-03 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Starbucks has rolled out a line of boba-inspired Refresher drinks in the US. The blue beverages all include raspberry-flavored popping pearls and its new Summer-Berry Refreshers mixture. The drinks looked very attractive, although the coconut-milk-based beverage was lacking in flavor. AdvertisementStarbucks has rolled out its first-ever line of boba-inspired drinks in the US as part of its summer menu. The new drinks, which all have lengthy names, are the Summer-Berry Lemonade Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, the Summer Skies Drink Starbucks Refreshers Beverage, and the Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers Beverage.

Persons: Berry, — Organizations: Starbucks, Service, Beverage, Refreshers Beverage, Business

☆ Laid-off Red Lobster workers vent online after 50 locations abruptly close
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Red Lobster workers are letting out their anger online after losing their jobs without notice. More than 50 Red Lobster restaurants in the US closed this week amid financial troubles at the company. "If you work at Red Lobster, you need to start finding something else to do," one TikTok user said. AdvertisementFormer Red Lobster workers are venting their anger online after the seafood chain abruptly laid off staff as it closed more than 50 restaurants. "Red lobster just laid all of us off without notice," one person posted on X, adding that even the managers at their restaurant weren't told in advance.

Persons: —, weren't Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Kids thought they were going to meet Bluey at a restaurant in Vegas. Instead, they got a long line and a man in a onesie.
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-14 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewA restaurant in Las Vegas hosted what parents described as an "extremely disappointing" "Bluey" meet-and-greet event which left kids upset and their parents angry. one person wrote on Facebook. "Bluey is a guy in Bluey pajamas," one person wrote. Some people said they wouldn't return to the restaurant after their experience at the Bluey event. one Facebook user wrote.

Persons: —, FOX5 Vegas, Taj Wilder, FOX5, …, Instagram, Ludo Studio, Richard Haigh, Willy Wonka Organizations: Service, Facebook, Business, Staff, Sams Club, Costco, Brand Finance, Bloomberg Locations: Las Vegas, Glasgow

☆ Sweetgreen is selling steak for the first time, and it hopes the pricey add-on will bring protein-hungry customers in for dinner
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-13 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Sweetgreen introduced caramelized garlic steak, which is now the most expensive protein on its menu. The salad chain, which has over 225 locations, added caramelized garlic steak on Tuesday. Axios reported that it's the first red meat Sweetgreen has sold. In comparison, Sweetgreen charges $2.75 to add roasted tofu, $3.75 to add blackened or roasted chicken, and $6.15 to add miso glazed salmon. Neman said that Sweetgreen introduced steak to boost its dinner sales and expand its customer base.

Persons: Sweetgreen, —, Jonathan Neman, they've Organizations: Service, New York Times, Times Locations: Manhattan, Boston, Neman, Australia, New Zealand

☆ I went to Shake Shack for the first time. My nearly $60 meal for 2 tasted good, but the portion sizes felt a little stingy
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-12 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

I ate at Shake Shack for the first time. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementI'd heard good things about Shake Shack, the burger and frozen custard chain that started life as a hot dog stand in New York City. My friend gushed about its cheesy fries after returning from New York, and I'd seen billboards advertising its delicious-looking vegan crispy shallot burger. Shake Shack first came to the UK in 2013.

Persons: —, I'd, gushed, Shack Organizations: Service Locations: New York City, New York

☆ Target will only stock Pride merch in half its stores after last year's backlash led to workers being threatened and falling sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Target plans to stock Pride merch in about half its stores this year, sources told Bloomberg. Last year, Target's Pride range faced a massive backlash from conservatives, contributing to a fall in sales. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementTarget plans to stock Pride merch in just half its stores after it faced an intense backlash and even calls for a boycott last year, Bloomberg reported. It plans to sell its full Pride range online, the people said.

Persons: — Organizations: Bloomberg, Service, Pride Month

☆ Planet Fitness is ditching the $10 membership it has had for 26 years, and hiking basic prices by 50%
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Planet Fitness is hiking the price of its Classic Card membership plan by 50% to $15 a month. AdvertisementPlanet Fitness is hiking the price of its basic membership plan by 50% after holding it at $10 a month for 26 years. Benson said that Planet Fitness had started testing $12.99 and $15 price points in the fall. AdvertisementAround the time that the new Classic Card price is introduced, Planet Fitness will start testing new prices for the Black Card, Benson said. As part of the Classic Card price change, Planet Fitness plans to focus more heavily on its "price for life" policy, Benson said.

Persons: —, Craig Benson, Thomas Fitzgerald, Benson, Fitzgerald, Chris Rondeau Organizations: Service, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Black Card, Black

☆ A woman was found living inside a grocery store's rooftop sign for a year
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-10 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA woman spent about a year living inside the rooftop sign of a grocery store in Midland, Michigan, police say. "It's a story that makes you scratch your head, just somebody living up in a sign." However, he said that once on the roof she was able to enter the inside of the sign using a 3'x4' access door. Little is known about the woman, including what led her to living on the rooftop.

Persons: —, Brennon Warren, Warren, wasn't, I've Organizations: Service, Midland Police Department, Police, Business, Midland Daily News, BI, ABC, The Midland Daily News, Homeless, SpartanNash, Fare Locations: Midland , Michigan, Michigan

☆ 'Why would you eat a $10 burger out of a paper bag in your car?' Applebee's throws shade at fast food chains as it touts deals
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-09 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

The CEO of Applebee's owner, Dine Brands, told CNBC that the chain offers a better value proposition than its fast-food rivals. Applebee's diners are buying cheaper items and visiting less often. But even if it is winning over some fast-food customers, Applebee's sales are still falling. Applebee's diners are cutting back, tooBut casual dining chains have been raising their prices, too, because of wage and food inflation. Have you switched from fast food to casual dining chains like Applebee's, Chili's, and Olive Garden?

Persons: they're, —, John Peyton, Bacon Burger, Applebee's, Burger, Peyton, It's, That's Organizations: Dine Brands, CNBC, Service, Dine Locations: Applebee's, Olive

☆ Panera to discontinue its controversial 'charged' drinks that lawsuits linked to deaths
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-08 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The drinks were tied to at least two wrongful death lawsuits against Panera. AdvertisementPanera Bread is discontinuing its controversial, highly caffeinated Charged Sips range that was linked to at least two wrongful death lawsuits in the US. Panera currently sells two flavors of Charged Lemonade — strawberry lemon mint and mango yuzu citrus — and a blood orange "charged" splash. Two of these were wrongful death lawsuits. The company previously told BI that it thought the wrongful death lawsuits were "without merit" and that it stood by the safety of its products.

Persons: —, Panera, they're Organizations: Panera, Service, Bloomberg, CNBC, Food and Drug Administration

☆ A 78-year-old receptionist fired a month after she was recognized as a top employee wins $78,000 in age-discrimination settlement
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-07 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. Read previewA retirement community in Columbus, Georgia, fired a 78-year-old receptionist because of her age shortly after she was taken to hospital with high blood pressure, a federal agency says. The worker, who had been a receptionist since 2007, was fired in February 2022, the EEOC said in the lawsuit. She was released two days later, the EEOC said, and doctors later told her it was the result of dehydration. AdvertisementThe Age Discrimination in Employment Act forbids age discrimination against people aged 40 or older, including in hiring and termination decisions.

Persons: —, BrightSpace, didn't, Brian Hendricks Organizations: Service, Retirement, US, Employment, Commission, Business, Employees, Covenant, CBS News, Bureau of Labor Statistics Locations: Columbus , Georgia, Louisiana

☆ 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

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