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☆ Stocks making the biggest moves premarket: Palantir, Caterpillar, Yum China, CrowdStrike and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Check out the companies making headlines before the bell: Palantir Technologies — The data analytics company rallied 11% after raising its full-year revenue forecast. Yum China — Shares surged 8% after the Shanghai-based operator behind Pizza Hut and Taco Bell posted second-quarter earnings that beat expectations. Adjusted earnings of 55 cents per share topped the 47 cents per share anticipated by analysts surveyed by LSEG. Earnings came in at 47 cents per share, topping the 31 cents expected from analysts polled by LSEG. CSX reported earnings of 49 cents per share in the second quarter, above the 48 cents anticipated by analysts in an LSEG survey.

Persons: Taco Bell, Piper Sandler, ZoomInfo, LSEG, Lucid, — CNBC's Michelle Fox, Fred Imbert, Jesse Pound Organizations: Technologies, Taco, LSEG, Revenue, Caterpillar, Nvidia, Micro Computer, Broadcom, Intel, CSX Locations: China, Shanghai

☆ Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Kenvue, Caterpillar, Uber, CrowdStrike and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Michelle Fox | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Check out the companies making the biggest moves midday: Kenvue — The maker of Band-Aid bandages rallied 14% after beating analysts' estimates for its second quarter. Kenvue, which spun off from Johnson & Johnson last year, posted adjusted earnings of 32 cents per share, versus the 28 cents expected from analysts polled by FactSet. Palantir now anticipates revenue between $2.742 billion and $2.750 billion, up from its previous guidance of $2.68 billion to $2.69 billion. Caterpillar's adjusted earnings totaled $5.99 per share in the second quarter, beating the $5.55 per share estimate from analysts polled by FactSet. CrowdStrike — Shares rose 3% after Piper Sandler upgraded CrowdStrike to overweight from neutral, saying the dip in the cybersecurity stock following the global tech outage is a buying opportunity.

Persons: Johnson, FactSet, Taco Bell, ZoomInfo, LSEG, Lucid, BioMarin, CrowdStrike, Piper Sandler, —, Sarah Min, Sean Conlon, Yun Li, Jesse Pound Organizations: Johnson, FactSet, Revenue, Caterpillar, Lumen Technologies, Molson Coors Beverage —, Technologies, LSEG, Taco, CSX —, CSX, BioMarin Pharmaceutical Locations: China, Shanghai

☆ Yum Brands reports mixed results as Pizza Hut and KFC same-store sales fall
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

A sign is posted in front of a Taco Bell restaurant on May 01, 2024 in Richmond, California. Yum Brands on Tuesday reported a mixed quarter as both Pizza Hut and KFC reported declining same-store sales. Yum's same-store sales fell 1% in the quarter as both Pizza Hut and KFC reported same-store sales declines of 3%. And although the chicken chain's system sales picked up this quarter in China, its largest market, KFC's overall international same-store sales fell 3%. Pizza Hut's U.S. same-store sales decreased 1%, while its international same-store sales declined 4%.

Persons: Yum, Taco Bell Organizations: Taco Bell, Yum Brands, KFC, LSEG Locations: Richmond , California, U.S, China

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Apple, Micron, Amazon, Apollo Global & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Stifel initiates GE Healthcare as buy Stifel said it's bullish on shares of the GE spin-off. Rosenblatt reiterates Nvidia as buy Rosenblatt said concerns about delays in the company's Blackwell chip are overdone. " JPMorgan downgrades Carlyle Group to neutral from overweight JPMorgan said it sees better value elsewhere. Morgan Stanley reiterates Apple as overweight Morgan Stanley said Monday's DOJ ruling on Alphabet is a negative for Apple. JPMorgan upgrades Sonic Automotive to overweight from neutral JPMorgan said investors should buy the dip in the auto company.

Persons: Stifel, it's, Morgan Stanley, Rosenblatt, Blackwell, JPMorgan, Carlyle, Piper Sandler, Piper, Palantir, KeyBanc, D.A, Davidson, Apple, GOOGL, SAH, underperform Macquarie Organizations: GE Healthcare, GE, Taiwan Semiconductor, JPMorgan, Barclays, Nvidia, Blackwell, Royal, JPMorgan downgrades Carlyle Group, Bank of America, Artificial Intelligence, Micron, Apollo, of America, Apollo Global Management, APO, Meta, Retail Media, DOJ, Apple, Aspen, Sonic Automotive, SS, UBS, Walmart, Northland, Honest, Honest Company, Macquarie, underperform Locations: Royal Caribbean, GOOGL, EVs, China

☆ Taco Bell could hold the secret formula for bringing customers back to fast food
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-06 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —Fast food giant Yum Brands is going all in on value — but only Taco Bell is performing well enough to immediately bring back inflation-weary customers. But Gibbs said Taco Bell is outperforming its rivals in the fast food industry. “I think we’re really seeing Taco Bell stand out from the crowd,” he said to investors. Of the three, only Taco Bell’s US same-store sales grew in the second quarter of 2024, at 5%. The earnings call highlighted how fast food and fast casual chains are struggling to retain customers who believe it is cheaper to just eat at home.

Persons: Taco Bell, David Gibbs, Gibbs, ”, Chipotle, Taco, ” Gibbs, YUM, Chris Turner, Burger, Bell, Lawrence Kim, Yum, CNN’s Clare Duffy Organizations: New, New York CNN, Yum Brands, KFC, Taco, ! Brands, CNN Locations: New York, East, Malaysia, Indonesia, Israel

☆ Here are 4 things we're watching closely in the stock market this week
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-04 | by ( Zev Fima | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +9 min

Stocks had a rough week, topped off with a pummeling Friday after the July jobs data came in weaker than expected. Until then, bad economic news was good news for the stock market, because it meant the Federal Reserve would start cutting interest rates sooner. On Thursday, a drop in U.S. manufacturing activity for July and a jump in initial jobless claims dragged down the market. Next week is light on economic data, so expect earnings reports and CEO commentaries to drive the market action. Jim waits 45 minutes after sending a trade alert before buying or selling a stock in his charitable trust's portfolio.

Persons: Stocks, Dow Jones, Jim Cramer, would've, Eli Lilly, Mounjaro, Berkshire Hathaway, Krystal, Tyson, BAX, Owens, Walt, Oscar Health, CRON, Krispy, Papa, Jim Cramer's, Jim Organizations: Nasdaq, Dow, Reserve, Broadcom, Devices, Palo Alto, PMI, Wynn Resorts, Investors, Wynn, Wynn Palace, U.S . Disney, Management, and Drug Administration, Carlyle Group, Krystal Biotech, Tyson Foods, TSN, Alpha Metallurgical Resources, BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, Axsome Therapeutics, Technologies, Clover Health, Realty Income Corp, Avis Budget Group, CSX Corp, CSX, Simon Property Group, Sterling Construction Company, Teradata Corp, Yum China Holdings, ZoomInfo Technologies, Holdings, Caterpillar, Baxter International, Vulcan Materials Company, Allegheny Technologies Incorporated, Constellation Energy Group, Marathon Petroleum Corp, Owens Corning Inc, Duke Energy Corp, GXO Logistics, Brands, Builders, Wynn Resorts Ltd, WYNN, Rivian Automotive, Devon Energy Corp, GigaCloud Technology Inc, Lumen Technologies, VF Corp, Walt Disney Co, Novo Nordisk, CVS Health, Aurora Cannabis Inc, Emerson Electric Co, Sony Group Corporation, SONY, Inc, ODP Corporation, Icahn Enterprises, MannKind Corp, ACM Research, Brink's Company, AppLovin Corporation, Digital Turbine, Sarepta Therapeutics, Occidental Petroleum Corp, Bros, SolarEdge Technologies, Aspen, Coeur D'Alene Mines Corp, Co, Vistra Energy, Cheniere Energy, Cronos, Himax Technologies, Properties Trust, Papa John's, Paramount Global, Trade, Lab, B2Gold Corp, Honest Company, Gilead Sciences, Growth, Nikola Corporation, Embraer, New Fortress Energy, Construction, Jim Cramer's Charitable, CNBC, Disney, Pixar Locations: Palo, Macau, Las Vegas, Boston, Vegas, Wynn Macau, China, Novo, Coeur, Gilead

☆ Wall Street will look for signs of what's next for the market after a rocky start to August
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-02 | by ( Sarah Min | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

The S & P 500 ended the week down by 2%. As of Friday, the Nasdaq Composite was more than 10% below its recent high, while the S & P 500 was down by 5.7%. Markets were last pricing in a 71% chance of a half percentage point rate cut in September, up from 22% on Thursday, according to the CME FedWatch Tool . Brands , Fidelity National Information Services , Uber Technologies , Marathon Petroleum , Caterpillar Wednesday Aug. 7 3 p.m. Consumer Credit (June) Earnings: Costco Wholesale , Warner Bros. Discovery , Occidental Petroleum , Ralph Lauren , CVS Health , Hilton Worldwide Holdings , Walt Disney Company Thursday Aug. 8 8:30 a.m.

Persons: Stocks, payrolls, Bill Hornbarger, Benjamin F, Edwards, Russell, Claudia Sahm, selloff, Michael Kantrowitz, Piper Sandler, Kantrowitz, Jan Hatzius, Goldman Sachs, Hatzius, CNBC's, Eli Lilly, Ralph Lauren, Martin Marietta Organizations: Nasdaq, Treasury, Investors, Federal Reserve, Walt Disney Company, Caterpillar, Costco, Micro Computer, PMI, PMI Services, Services PMI, Simon Property Group, Diamondback Energy, Tyson Foods, Devon Energy, Airbnb, Wynn Resorts, TransDigm, Brands, Fidelity National Information Services, Uber Technologies, Marathon Petroleum, Consumer Credit, Costco Wholesale, Warner Bros, Discovery, Occidental Petroleum, CVS Health, Hilton Worldwide Holdings, Gilead Sciences, Akamai Technologies, News Corp, Paramount Global, Expedia, Martin, Martin Marietta Materials Locations: Fortinet, Devon

☆ Hundreds of Taco Bell drive-thrus are set to be AI-run by the end of this year
▼ + stars: | 2024-08-01 | by ( Erin Snodgrass | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Taco Bell's parent company is ramping up its implementation of drive-thru AI at the chain. Brands said Wednesday that hundreds of Taco Bells are set to have voice AI by the end of 2024. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementYour next Cheesy Gordita Crunch may come to you via an artificial intelligence drive-thru experience. Hundreds of Taco Bell drive-thrus across the country are set to implement voice AI technology by the end of this year, the chain's parent company said in a Wednesday announcement.

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

☆ A major change is coming to Taco Bell drive-thrus
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Clare Duffy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Taco Bell is set to expand the use of artificial intelligence voice technology in its drive-thrus to hundreds of US locations by the end of this year, parent company Yum! The move means that when users pull up to place their order at a Taco Bell, there’s a good chance they will be talking to a computer, rather than a human employee, on the other end. McDonald’s said last month it was pulling the plug on the AI ordering technology that it was testing at more than 100 US drive-thrus, after customers complained about the system getting their orders wrong. Brands, told CNN he’s confident that his company’s technology — which is already in use at 100 Taco Bell locations across 13 states — won’t have the same issues. Kim also denied that AI ordering technology would replace human jobs, a growing concern around all manner of new AI tools.

Persons: Taco Bell, there’s, McDonald’s, Lawrence Kim, — won’t, we’ve, ” Kim, it’s, Kim, Yum, Kay, quesadilla ”, kay, “ kay, ” Organizations: New, New York CNN, Brands, Taco Bell, ! Brands, CNN, KFC Locations: New York, Taco, Pizza

☆ Taco Bell to roll out AI drive-thru ordering in hundreds of locations by end of year
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-31 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Yum Brands hopes to use artificial intelligence to take down drive-thru orders at hundreds of Taco Bell restaurants by the end of this year. In May, executives said Taco Bell would expand its pilot of voice AI from five locations to 30 restaurants in California. Currently, more than 100 Taco Bell restaurants in the U.S. use voice AI. Taco Bell had nearly 7,700 U.S. locations at the end of 2023, according to company filings. Five KFC restaurants in Australia are also testing voice AI tech in drive-thrus, Yum Brands said.

Persons: McDonald's, Taco, Taco Bell, Lawrence Kim Organizations: Yum Brands, Taco Bell, IBM, Brands, Yum, KFC Locations: U.S, White, Chicago, California, Australia

☆ Fast-food chains battle for low-income diners with summer value meals
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-28 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

But these days, other fast-food chains have revived the $5 price point, hoping to win over customers who have cut back their spending. Sensing diners' fast-food backlash, players such as Brinker International's Chili's have used their marketing to highlight their own value relative to the cost of a fast-food meal. Shares of McDonald's, Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International and Wendy's have all slid by double digits this year. Taco Bell owner Yum Brands is down more than 1% in 2024. Restaurant Brands and Yum Brands are expected to report their quarterly earnings the following week.

Persons: Taco, Burger, Wendy's, McDonald's, Brinker, Rick Cardenas, Robert Byrne, Eric Gonzalez Organizations: Taco Bell, Darden, Burger King, Restaurant Brands, Yum Brands, CNBC, Restaurant

☆ These 10 U.S. states have America’s worst economies in 2024
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-18 | by ( Scott Cohn | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +12 min

That is why CNBC looks at state economies in ranking America's Top States for Business. We consider economic growth and job growth. We measure the breadth of each state's economy by looking at how many major corporations are headquartered there. Some states are at the top of their economic game — home to America's 10 best state economies. JB Pritzker, and all the major rating agencies have the state in their "A" categories for the first time in years.

Persons: Phil Scott, Jobs, J.B . Pritzker, Erin Hooley, JB Pritzker, Asplundh, Michael G, Janet Mills, Mills, Gina Raimondo, Joe Biden, Anna Moneymaker, Gina Raimondo —, —, Rhode Island's, Luke Sharrett, Ed Zurga, Bryan Tarnowski, Hurricane Katrina, New Hampshire Jada, Patrick T, Fallon, Hawaii's, Nature, Spencer Platt Organizations: CNBC, Business, Republican Gov, Direct Investment, Illinois, Illinois Illinois Gov, Thompson Center, Tribune, Service, Democratic Gov, Major Corporations, GE Healthcare Technologies, Mondelez, Seamans, Portland Press Herald, Getty, National Association of State, Officers, Pew, Major Corporation, IDEXX, Rhode, Semiconductors, America, White, U.S . Commerce, Major, CVS Health, Hasbro, Kentucky, Bloomberg, Bluegrass State, Federal Housing Finance Agency, Kansas Carpenters, Glenn Eagles, Louisiana Homes, Treme, Louisiana State University, Hurricane, Pool Corporation, Granite State, U.S . Chamber, Commerce, New Hampshire Department, Labor, The New Hampshire Tech Alliance, Afp, Aloha State Locations: U.S, States, Vermont, Illinois Illinois, Chicago, Lincoln, Illinois, Maine, Rhode Island WASHINGTON, DC, Washington , DC, Louisville , Kentucky, Bluegrass, Kentucky, Kansas, Kansas City , Kansas, Sunflower, Claiborne, New Orleans , Louisiana, New Orleans, New Hampshire, Granite, The, Hawaii, Maui, Lahaina , Hawaii, Mississippi, Biloxi , Mississippi

☆ Here are Tuesday's biggest analyst calls: Nvidia, Tesla, Meta, Shopify, Broadcom, IBM, Microsoft & more
▼ + stars: | 2024-07-16 | by ( Michael Bloom | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

Here are Tuesday's biggest calls on Wall Street: Morgan Stanley names Taiwan Semiconductor a catalyst driven idea Morgan Stanley said it said shares of the semis company have more room to run. " Morgan Stanley upgrades Chegg to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said the risk/reward is balanced for the education company. Morgan Stanley upgrades Sweetgreen to equal weight from underweight Morgan Stanley said the restaurant chain's stock is starting to become compelling. Evercore ISI downgrades Yum and Starbucks to in line from outperform Evercore said in its downgrade of Yum and Starbucks that trends are softening. Evercore ISI reiterates Netflix as outperform Evercore said it's cautious heading into earnings later this week but that it's sticking with its outperform rating.

Persons: Morgan Stanley, Wolfe, it's, Jefferies, Wells, Goldman Sachs, Baird, Tesla, Bernstein, TD Cowen, Lamar, Cowen, Goldman, Piper Sandler, Piper, Evercore, IBM Evercore, Shopify, Jeff Hoffmeister, Mizuho downgrades Palantir, PLTR, Oppenheimer, we'd Organizations: Taiwan Semiconductor, Microsoft, Nvidia, Lamar Advertising, Nasdaq, TAM, Starbucks, Yum Brands, IBM, " Bank of America, of America, Mizuho, Bank of America, Broadcom, Evercore, Netflix, Bulls Locations: China

The third quarter starts on Monday with corporate earnings trends largely intact, but showing early signs of trouble in tech land. The good news: for the big-cap tech companies that are truly dominating the market ( Apple , Microsoft , Alphabet , Nvidia , etc.) Still no recession, in the economy or in earnings So far, we have a deceleration in big-cap tech earnings and clear signs the consumer wants lower prices. Earnings trends for tech may still be rising (even if it is decelerating), but the rest of the market is generally flattish on earnings. Earnings: rising Positive Tech earnings: rising but decelerating Negative Job growth: strong but moderating Positive Interest rates: moderating Positive Inflation: moderating Positive Consumer: increasingly cautious Negative

Persons: Jensen, Nick Raich, it's, Raich, Lori Calvasina, We've, I've, you've, Levi Strauss, General Mills, Tim Wentworth, Taco Bell, Mills Organizations: Apple, Microsoft, Nvidia, Big, Meta, Jensen Huang's, Scout, U.S, Equity, RBC Capital Markets, CNBC, Nike, Walgreens, Micron, FedEx, General, . Companies, Southwest Airlines, Pool Corp, Urban Outfitters, Yum Brands

☆ Taco Bell enters the value meal wars with its biggest deal ever
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-27 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

New York CNN —This is the summer of fast food value meal wars, and Taco Bell isn’t sitting back. The chain announced Thursday that it’s entering the battle with one of its biggest deals ever. “We believe that fast food should be a luxury that every one can afford everyday,” said Taylor Montgomery, Taco Bell’s chief marketing officer. He added that its deal offers “full-sized favorites” compared to some of its rivals’ deals that have smaller portions. Like its rivals, Yum has been vocal that some of its problems stem from customers spending less on fast food.

Persons: Taco Bell isn’t, Burger King, ”, Taylor Montgomery, Taco, ’, Montgomery, Yum Organizations: New, New York CNN, Taco, Taco Bell, Taco Bell’s, CNN Locations: New York

☆ Chipotle's latest marketing campaign shows how restaurants are getting creative to win your lunch break
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-21 | by ( Dan Defrancesco | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

In today's big story, we're looking at Chipotle's newest pitch in the big business that is winning your lunch break. Market research firm Future Markets Insights pegged the lunch takeout market at $215.3 billion in 2022 . Chipotle's latest marketing campaign shows how creative restaurants are getting to nab your lunch order. Bitcoin's cooldown might be a warning for the stock market. A Stifel strategist predicted a late-summer stock market decline based on bitcoin's 10% sell-off in the past few weeks.

Persons: —, Chelsea Jia Feng, Keith Lee, Alyssa Powell, haven't, Taco Bell, Tim Hortons, Burger King, sarayut Thaneerat, Tyler Le, Ken Griffin, Bitcoin's, isn't, That's, Jensen Huang's, Satya Nadella's, Marc Piasecki, Elon Musk, They're, Alfie, Alfie Health, Donald Trump, Dan DeFrancesco, Jordan Parker Erb, Hallam Bullock, George Glover, Annie Smith, Amanda Yen Organizations: Service, Business, nab, bros, Chipotle, Getty, Brands, KFC, Taco, BI Citadel, Sunshine State, Congressional, Nasdaq, Apple, Apple Intelligence, Nvidia, Microsoft, Amazon, Elon Locations: Cava, Illinois, Florida, China, New York, London

☆ McDonald's to end AI drive-through test with IBM
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-17 | by ( Kate Rogers | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The drive-through menu at a McDonald's restaurant showing various meal options and promotions, in Buttonwillow in Kern County, California, on 23, 2024. The fast-food giant will end a test run of its AI drive-through technology partnership with IBM in more than 100 restaurants. In a statement, McDonald's told CNBC it is not ruling out potential AI drive-through plans in the future, even though it ended the IBM partnership. In statement, IBM said it will work with McDonald's on "a variety of other projects" as the test ends. While McDonald's AI plans for the future are unclear, all eyes will be on Alphabet 's Google.

Persons: Mason Smoot, McDonald's, Sundar Pichai, Peter Saleh, Saleh Organizations: IBM, CNBC, McDonald's, Yum Brands, Mastercard, Google Locations: Buttonwillow, Kern County , California, Del Taco, Barcelona

☆ Goldman sees price wars coming to restaurants and gives 6 stocks that can still thrive
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-13 | by ( Pia Singh | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

But only a few restaurant brands that can hold on to their pricing will be able to come out on top, the firm said. Six popular stocks in the group were each given a buy rating: Chipotle , Domino's Pizza , Restaurant Brands International , Starbucks , Sweetgreen and Shake Shack . Cho placed a neutral rating on McDonald's , Yum Brands and Wingstop and a sell on Jack in the Box and Wendy's . The bank is also bullish on Restaurant Brands, owner of Burger King and Popeye's, which Cho noted is undergoing a business transformation. Another restaurant Goldman is bullish on is Domino's Pizza, which Cho believes has numerous catalysts that could lift the stock, including a newly revamped rewards program and an Uber Eats expansion.

Persons: Goldman Sachs, Christine Cho, Cho, Goldman, Chipotle, Wednesday's, Burger Organizations: Brands, Starbucks, Yum Brands, Restaurant Brands

☆ 'Am I delusional?': How to get honest answers according to the former CEO of Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( David Novak | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

They recognize an essential truth: delusional people don't learn well. And how can you possibly know where or how to grow and learn if you don't know your starting point? (Surprise, surprise, it really likes information that proves the story right, a problem called confirmation bias.) If you want to see the world the way it really is, you've got to hunt for the truth. Excerpted from "How Leaders Learn: Master the Habits of the World's Most Successful People" by David Novak with Lari Bishop.

Persons: Wendy, I'd, Jeff, Rick, Anne, I'm, Tim Schurrer, David Novak, hemming, hawing, Tim, Andy Pearson, neuroscientists, Clarence Darrow, Darrow, Chase, you've, You've, Lari Bishop, David C Novak Organizations: Service, David Novak Leadership, Harvard Business Review Press Locations: Louisville

☆ These restaurants are taking the lead on AI and robots. What it means for their stocks
▼ + stars: | 2024-06-04 | by ( Lisa Kailai Han | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +11 min

Restaurants have traditionally lagged behind other sectors in their adoption of technology, but rising labor costs have changed the narrative. Major food industry players are making strides to invest in innovation, including AI and robotics. While it is still early days, analysts have already identified some companies that are taking the lead. YUM YTD mountain Yum Brands shares year to date Robots peeling avocados, mixing salads The use of robotics in restaurants is at its nascence. Chipotle, Sweetgreen and Cava partially have an advantage due to the nature of their products, which offer customers a bowl of mixed ingredients as an end order.

Persons: Bernstein, Danilo Gargiulo, Gargiulo, Morgan Stanley, Brian Harbour, Payne Capital Management Courtney Garcia, Rahul Krotthapalli, They've, Courtney Garcia, Garcia, Payne, Piper Sandler, Chipotle Organizations: Wall, CNBC, Google, Payne Capital Management, Starbucks, JPMorgan, Yum Brands, KFC, Taco Bell, Systems, Collider Lab Locations: Cava, Chipotle, Sweetgreen

The president of McDonald’s USA, Joe Erlinger, pushed back on “inaccurate” reports this week that said the chain had more than doubled its prices on some items over the last decade. But his retort wasn’t exactly reassuring: The average price of a Big Mac is up 21 percent from 2019. Erlinger’s rebuttal underlines the heat that some companies are facing as the news media, politicians and consumers focus on steadily rising prices. Whether persistent price increases reflect price gouging, or simply companies’ own rising costs, is a matter of fierce debate. Either way, one thing is clear: Consumers are becoming fed up.

Persons: Joe Erlinger, McDonald’s, Chris Kempczinski Organizations: McDonald’s, Starbucks, Target, Yum Brands, KFC, Consumer Locations: McDonald’s USA, Pizza

☆ Taco Bell’s oversized Cheez-It collab is finally going nationwide
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-30 | by ( Jordan Valinsky | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

New York CNN —One of the most eagerly anticipated items ever made by Taco Bell is finally getting a nationwide release. The “Big Cheez-It Tostada” layers ground beef, reduced-fat sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce and cheddar cheese on the cheesy cracker for $3.49. Taco Bell is also adding a "Big Cheez-It Box" to menus for a limited time. Like other fast food chains, Taco Bell’s parent, Yum Brands, isn’t resistant to a slowdown in consumer spending, especially among lower-income diners. Shares of Yum Brands (YUM) have risen nearly 5% for the year.

Persons: Taco Bell, Taco, ”, Bell, nacho Organizations: New, New York CNN, Taco Bell, Bell, Yum Brands, KFC Locations: New York

☆ It's so tough to pay cash in China that the government had to fine a KFC for not accepting banknotes
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-21 | by ( Matthew Loh | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

China has mandated that local businesses leave the door open for cash payments as it tries to attract foreign investment and tourism after the pandemic. AdvertisementHungry for foreign business, China has rushed to bridge the gap. Major payment platforms Alipay and WePay started allowing visitors to link their international bank cards to their Chinese accounts. It's illegal in China to reject cash for purchases, and the central government's crackdown has intensified in the last several years. Investor relations for Yum China, which operates KFC in China, did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent by Business Insider.

Persons: —, WePay Organizations: Service, KFC, People's Bank of China, Business, China Post, New China Life Insurance, PICC, Regulators, Yum Locations: Beijing, Wuxi, Jiangsu, Mongolia, China, Gansu, New, Shanghai, Tourism, Yum China

☆ Wendy's will offer $3 breakfast deal, as rivals such as McDonald's test value meals to drive sales
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-20 | by ( Ece Yildirim | In Ecedyildirim | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

An exterior view of a Wendy's fast-food restaurant in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania, on May 19, 2024. Wendy's will offer a $3 breakfast combination meal starting Monday, as restaurant chains look for new ways to drive sales while consumers pull back on dining out. Last week, CNBC reported the fast-food giant's $5 meal deal would be available in stores for only a month, starting June 25. Wendy's earlier this month reported first-quarter revenue grew a modest 1.1% to $534.8 million. Although higher prices have helped the chain's revenue, they have scared away some low-income customers.

Persons: Wendy's, McDonald's, Ian Borden Organizations: CNBC, Consumers, KFC, Taco Bell, Yum Brands Locations: Bloomsburg , Pennsylvania

☆ Walmart says more diners are buying its groceries as fast food gets pricey
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-16 | by ( Melissa Repko | In Melissa-Repko | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Walmart wants diners to find a value meal in its grocery aisles. As fast food gets pricier, the nation's largest grocer sees a sales opportunity. As customers see some grocery items stay the same price or even become cheaper, the gap between buying menu items and cooking food at home has grown even wider, he said. As of April, the price of food at home, a category that measures the total cost of food purchased at grocers or other food stores, was up 1.1% year over year. The price of food away from home rose significantly more: 4.1% year over year.

Persons: John David Rainey, McDonald's, Chris Kempczinski, John Furner, Furner, — CNBC's Amelia Lucas Organizations: Walmart, CNBC, Yum Brands, Management Solutions, Restaurant, U.S . Labor Department, Walmart U.S Locations: U.S, Connecticut

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