DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Burger King parent says U.S. turnaround is already improving profits for franchisees
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-23 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The burger chain in September unveiled the $400 million turnaround plan it crafted with franchisees after several years of disappointing sales. In 2020, Burger King slid to the No. And the gulf between Burger King and its top rival McDonald's has only widened. But Burger King is trying to launch a comeback, with its parent company pouring money into restaurant renovations and advertising. So far this year, two Burger King franchisees have filed for bankruptcy.

Persons: Burger, We've, we've, Josh Kobza, Tim Hortons, Burger King, McDonald's, Tom Curtis, Curtis Organizations: Restaurant Brands, CNBC, Subs, Burger King, Burger King's U.S, Toms King Holdings, Meridian Restaurants, Restaurant Business, Meridian, Burger King U.S, Brands Locations: U.S, Burger

☆ Popeyes expands its popular chicken sandwich lineup with a new blackened option
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-06 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Popeyes is expanding its menu to add a Blackened Chicken Sandwich and bacon and cheese toppings for its chicken sandwiches. Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is permanently adding a Blackened Chicken Sandwich to its menu Tuesday, marking the first addition to its chicken sandwich line since it kicked off the craze four years ago. The new menu item features a chicken breast that's been marinated for 12 hours and seasoned with Cajun spices, but it lacks the breading of the chain's existing chicken sandwich. Popeyes President Sami Siddiqui said in a statement that the Blackened Chicken Sandwich gives diners "a lighter option that is perfect for everyday." The chicken sandwich returned permanently several months later, driving double-digit same-store sales growth for Popeyes for multiple quarters.

Persons: Sami Siddiqui, Popeyes Organizations: Brands, Wings, Restaurant Brands, Burger Locations: Louisiana

☆ Popeyes shut down a store after teenage workers said they were asked to skip school and do late weeknight shifts
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-20 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Teenage workers at a Popeyes in Oakland, California filed complaints with the state labor department. One former employee said she had to skip school after being asked to cover a weekday shift. Popeyes shut down the franchisee-operated store and opened an investigation into the claims Thursday. Following the claims, Popeyes closed the store and opened an investigation into the complaints filed with the California labor department. Other fast food chains have also fallen foul of child labor laws in recent months.

☆ The manager of a Popeyes franchise 'screamed' obscenities at federal investigators and slammed the kitchen door so hard it shook the building, the Labor Department said
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The Popeyes franchise manager "screamed" at federal investigators, the DOL says in a lawsuit. He cursed at the investigators and slammed a door so hard it shook the building, per the lawsuit. The complaint claims that the district manager "instantly started screaming 'what the f*** are you doing here,' using an aggressive tone and demeanor." The district manager also slammed the kitchen door "so hard that the entire establishment shook," per the complaint. RBI and lawyers for the district manager and the franchise company did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment, made outside of regular US working hours.

☆ Restaurant Brands earnings beats estimates, fueled by Tim Hortons' and Burger King's strong sales
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-02 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

In this photo illustration, a Burger King Whopper hamburger is displayed on April 05, 2022 in San Anselmo, California. Restaurant Brands International on Tuesday reported quarterly earnings and revenue that topped analysts' expectations, fueled by double-digit same-store sales growth at Tim Hortons and Burger King. The company's same-store sales grew 10.3% in the quarter, fueled by double-digit growth at Burger King and Tim Hortons. In Canada, its home market, it reported same-store sales growth of 15.5%. Firehouse Subs, the latest addition to Restaurant Brands' portfolio, saw its same-store sales rise 6.1% in the quarter.

☆ Fact Check-Fox News did not air a story about a chicken sandwich instead of reporting on the Louisville shooting
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-12 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

An altered picture circulating online (here), (tinyurl.com/bdf8zseh), (tinyurl.com/ymkrs66w) shows a purported screenshot of a Fox News report with the following banner: “CHICKEN SANDWICH WARS. POPEYES ANNOUNCES NEW SANDWICH.”It was shared alongside claims the story was broadcast while the events in Louisville took place, accusing the channel of ignoring the shooting. A Fox News spokesperson told Reuters via email that the sandwich story did not air amidst the shooting. Multiple stories about Popeyes and chicken sandwich wars show up on Fox News’ website, but none in the past week (here). Fox News did not air a story about a chicken sandwich while ignoring the Louisville shooting.

☆ I tried Popeyes' new strawberry-frosted biscuit — and I'm glad I finally don't have to order jelly with my meal
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-01 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The flavor is only available for a limited time at participating Popeyes, so Insider tested it out. The buttery, sweet, biscuit is a new take on the classic biscuit that comes with each meal. The strawberry biscuit was launched at participating locations on March 27, so I decided to visit the Popeyes closest to me to give them a try before it's too late. Like Alarcon suggested, the pastry tasted like a classic biscuit with the hints of sweetness from a strawberry jelly. As for me, the strawberry biscuit is a welcome alternative to the Popeyes' regular biscuit, but I won't be adding it to my usual order.

Brands will account for 70% of that spend, with most of the rest coming from so-called collectives, alumni groups that funnel money to athletes, according to Opendorse. Female athletes and meme starsGiven the wide-open field, brands’ strategies with NIL deals vary widely. Jill Cress, chief marketing and experience officer of H&R Block in a 2018 picture. Favorability ratings from both Gen Z consumers and parents of college students rose after the campaign, according to Ms. Cress. Bigger deals aheadNIL deals will likely evolve to often include intellectual property agreements with the schools in question, said Mr. Schwab.

☆ Wendy's is once again slashing plans for ghost kitchen locations — delivering a blow to struggling Reef Technology
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-02 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Wendy's had plans to open 700 locations through ghost kitchen operator Reef Technology. Wendy's Chief Financial Officer Gunther Plosch confirmed the chain's restaurant-growth projection is down as a result of slashing its ghost kitchen strategy. Wendy's said it currently has 16 Reef locations in the UK. At its peak in mid-2021, the SoftBank-backed startup operated more than 330 food trailers in the US and abroad. Jack in the Box ended its ghost kitchen partnership with Reef Technology in 2022.

☆ Coffee trumps economic crisis as Tim Hortons opens in Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan Feb 14 (Reuters) - Pakistanis are queuing for hours to grab coffee and pastries from Canadian chain Tim Hortons, which opened its first outlet in the South Asian country this week just as its economic crisis took a turn for the worse. Tim Hortons is owned by Restaurant Brands International Inc (RBI) (QSR.TO), , a Toronto-based company that also owns other fast food brands including Burger King and Popeyes. McDonald's (MCD.N), Retail Food Group (RFG.AX)-owned Gloria Jean's Coffee and Yum Brands Inc (YUM.N)-owned Pizza Hut are among the international brands with outlets in Pakistan. Tim Hortons is set to open another two outlets in Lahore, RBI said in a statement. For students such as Pareeshay Khan, the brand's social media traction trumps the cost of the coffee.

☆ Restaurant Brands International posts strong fourth quarter, names new CEO
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-14 | by ( Rebecca Picciotto | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In this photo illustration, a Burger King Whopper hamburger is displayed on April 05, 2022 in San Anselmo, California. Restaurant Brands International on Tuesday posted a strong fourth quarter and named Chief Operating Officer Joshua Kobza as its new chief executive, effective March 1, replacing José Cil. Restaurant Brands reported overall same-store sales growth of 8% during the fourth quarter and system-wide sales growth of nearly 12%. Its flagship burger chain, Burger King, saw same-store sales growth of 8.4% during the period. At the end of the fourth quarter, the company said it had funded $30 million of that turnaround plan.

☆ TikTokers are roasting McDonald's hilarious drive-thru AI order fails — and it shows that robots won't take over restaurants any time soon
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-13 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Another TikToker generated 97,000 views on a post, where she explained how "robots are taking over the world" and they're messing up her McDonald's order. She said the voice bot put 9 sweet teas on her order tab, when she only ordered one sweet tea. In the bot's defense, McDonald's restaurants don't serve Mountain Dew products. Those restaurants still have restaurant workers taking orders, but some McDonald's restaurants have voice bots. Checkers & Rally's, Taco Bell, Sonic, Panera Bread, and Popeyes are testing voice bots in drive-thru lanes.

☆ Investors need to embrace these stocks that we love
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-12 | by ( Paul R. La Monica | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

I’ve typically done this stock picking feature in early to mid February as a Stocks We Love type of story, pegging it to Valentine’s Day. The restaurant stocks in particular could do well. Inflation is obviously still a concern for big consumer brands. Consumer prices rose 6.5% over the past 12 months through December, down from a 7.1% pace in November. Up nextMonday: Earnings from TreeHouse Foods (THS), Avis Budget (CAR), FirstEnergy (FE), IAC (IAC) and PalantirTuesday: US CPI; Japan GDP; UK employment report; earnings from Coca-Cola, Asahi Group, Marriott (MAR).

☆ Popeyes meme kid: A decade later, Dieunerst Collin is a college football player who just signed an NIL deal
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Faith Karimi | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —College freshman Dieunerst Collin’s road to internet meme fame started with a confused side-eye at a Popeyes in New Jersey. Collin, holding a Popeyes lemonade cup, gave the man a sideways glance, wondering why he had a camera in his face. Popeyes announced the deal this month after a social media campaign by Collin and his fans. “From memes to dreams, Dieunerst and Popeyes will grace social media feeds once again.”The partnership started with a call on social mediaThe new partnership is the result of yet another social media moment. A few days later, Popeyes announced the partnership on social media.

☆ Popeyes meme kid from viral GIFs inks college football NIL deal with the fast-food chain
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-13 | by ( Jordan Hart | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Popeyes announced a partnership with viral meme star Dieunerst Collin on Thursday. Collin, now a college football player, signed an NIL deal with the company. The announcement has prompted other companies to reach out for additional brand partnerships, Collin told ESPN. Collin told ESPN he's grateful that his unintentional fame is finally paying off nearly a decade later. "I just want to thank everyone for going in the comments and tagging Popeyes," Collin said.

☆ Mixed emotions as McDonald's leaves Kazakhstan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] Workers remove the logo signage from a restaurant of McDonald's in Almaty, Kazakhstan, January 6, 2023. Food Solutions KZ, the Kazakh licensee of McDonald's Corp, will no longer operate under the U.S. corporation's brand due to supply issues. "I doubt any other company will be able to compete with McDonald's in Kazakhstan at the moment as no other fast food chain can replicate the menu that McDonald's had for the same price." Many Kazakhs, proud of their meat-focused cuisine, expressed incredulity that McDonald's Kazakh licensee, Food Solutions KZ, could not source its beef patties locally and imported them from Russia until the war forced it to stop and ultimately shut down. Food Solutions did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment.

☆ These are the fast food trends to look out for in 2023
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-24 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Fast food chains are cashing in on nostalgic foods and character to draw in old and new customers. In a recession, consumers are likely to tighten their belts further, CEO and president of Kalinowski Equity Associates Mark Kalinowski told Insider. Fast food chains likely will introduce menu items "to provide the value customers want," he told Insider. The chain is explicitly promoting the new sandwich as "reigniting the chicken sandwich wars," which started with the 2019 release of the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich. NostalgiaMcDonald'sNostalgic brands and menu items will be big in 2023, according to Yelp's predictions from data scientists and trend experts.

☆ Restaurants open on Christmas Day 2022: McDonald's, IHOP, Denny's, and more
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Benihana: Open Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. Bar Louie: Open Christmas Day and Christmas Eve. May be open Christmas Day, depending on location or franchiseGolden Corral: Some locations will be open Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. Closed Christmas Day, but open Christmas EveTaco Bell: Restaurants are open on Christmas Eve. Friendly's: Open on Christmas Eve until 6 p.m.In-N-Out: Open from 10:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Christmas Eve.

☆ The fast food technology we needed in 2020 is finally here
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Mobile ordering and drive-thrus exploded in 2020, but many chains didn't have the capacity to meet demand. Two years later, fast food chains are testing technology designed to make those orders faster and easier. Panera is testing an AI-powered drive-thru system called Tori that takes customers' orders at the speaker. Chains with significant drive-thru and mobile ordering businesses pre-pandemic are finally stepping up their technology, too. Taco Bell launched its Go Mobile format in 2021, specifically created to cater to mobile orders with smaller footprints and a drive-thru lane for digital orders.

☆ Sweetgreen is among the 12 chains Taco Bell owner, Yum Brands, could buy as the company's CFO tells investors it's hunting for an acquisition
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

A Yum Brands exec said the company was "scanning categories" that don't compete with its brands. Analyst Mark Kalinowski identified 12 chains Yum Brands could target, including Sweetgreen. Habit was Yum Brands' latest acquisition — it purchased the fast-casual chain in March 2020 in a deal valued at $375 million. Zoe's Kitchen could be a buy target for Yum Brands, a veteran analyst wrote in a research note last week. "It has a market cap bigger than I would have expected, so it'd be an expensive purchase for Yum Brands."

☆ 29 foodtech power players of 2022 revolutionizing how restaurants operate and deliver amid a looming recession
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Rising labor and commodity costs put a squeeze on restaurants in 2022. Insider's 2022 foodtech power players are helping restaurants elevate their digital business. But sunny skies turned stormy in 2022 as the restaurant industry faced headwinds tied to market volatility, a labor shortage, and record inflation. Ghost kitchens, virtual brands, and online-ordering startups are now morphing to survive and stay relevant post-lockdown. Insider's 2022 list spotlights foodtech leaders who are helping restaurants take their digital business to the next level as they face a looming recession.

☆ Chicken prices are finally falling and it's triggering a resurgence of fast-food chicken sandwich wars
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Executives at Burger King and McDonald's praised sales growth driven by chicken menu items. On November 15, Popeyes released its new Blackened Chicken Sandwich, which is not breaded and is seasoned with Cajun and Creole spices. The sandwich chain is explicitly promoting the new sandwich as "reigniting the chicken sandwich wars," which started with the 2019 release of the Popeyes spicy chicken sandwich. The chain further took advantage of reduced chicken prices with a BOGO chicken sandwich deal over Black Friday weekend. Chicken, including the spicy chicken sandwich and McNuggets, has been a "strong growth driver" for McDonald's, CEO Chris Kempczinski told investors in October.

☆ Popeyes, Wingstop, Others Step Up Chicken Offerings as Poultry Prices Drop
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-28 | by ( Heather Haddon | Patrick Thomas | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Restaurants that have struggled for months with escalating costs are getting a break from chicken. Prices for chicken breasts in the U.S. have plunged about 70% since the first week of June, according to market-research firm Urner Barry. Wings and tenders have gotten cheaper, too, as poultry companies have increased production while demand from restaurants and supermarkets has remained flat, said chicken industry analysts and executives.

☆ Burger King parent taps ex-Domino's CEO as executive chairman
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Hilary Russ | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Its share price surged from $12 in 2010, when he took over as CEO, to $271 when he left in 2018. RBI's share price closed at $59.74 on Tuesday, roughly flat from where it was five years ago. Behring and Schwartz are co-managing partners of 3G Capital Partners Ltd, which owns 29% of RBI's shares. Doyle agreed to buy 500,000 shares worth about $30 million and to hold them for five years, subject to regulatory approvals. He will also get 750,000 performance share units that pay out if he hits certain performance criteria.

☆ Burger King owner Restaurant Brands taps former Domino's CEO Patrick Doyle as chair
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Amelia Lucas | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Restaurant Brands International announced Wednesday that it is tapping former Domino's Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle as its executive chair. Doyle's appointment comes as Restaurant Brands tries to turn around Burger King's U.S. business. The Brazilian private equity firm took Burger King private in 2010, merged it with Tim Hortons in 2014 and named the new company Restaurant Brands International. To receive the performance share units, Restaurant Brands' stock will have to compound annually at least 6%, with the payout increasing if shares rise 10% and 15% annually. After leaving Domino's, Doyle joined the Carlyle Group as an executive partner focused on acquisitions.

Search resuls for: "Popeyes"

25 mentions found