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☆ In-N-Out is making a rare expansion into Tennessee, but it will be years before any restaurants open — here's why
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

In-N-Out, which turns 75 this year, is expanding to its eighth state – Tennessee. Here's why it takes so long for In-N-Out to open restaurants in new states. It took about three years for In-N-Out to open the first Colorado restaurant after announcing expansion there in 2017. Why does it take so long to open In-N-Out in a new region? The same will be true for Tennessee, as In-N-Out doesn't build restaurants further than 500 miles from its distribution centers.

☆ Olive Garden, Wendy's, and Chick-fil-A are suddenly adding sesame to popular foods like bread sticks and buns, and people with allergies are furious
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-10 | by ( Nancy Luna | Mary Meisenzahl | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Restaurant bakers are adding in sesame flour since it makes it easier to avoid cross-contamination. Allergy-friendly foods like breadsticks at Olive Garden are now off-limits to allergic consumers. The changes have affected buns at Wendy's and Chick-fil-A and breadsticks at Olive Garden. Olive Garden now lists sesame as an ingredient in its bread sticks. Families locked out of their "allergen safe havens" say they have no recourse but to stop patronizing these chains.

☆ McDonald's former CEO lied about 'improper' employee relationships before his firing in 2019, SEC alleges
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Sindhu Sundar | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The SEC accused the former McDonald's CEO of being untruthful in the chain's internal investigation. McDonald's fired Stephen Easterbrook in 2019 over an employee relationship, then discovered more. During that investigation, Easterbook told lawyers brought in by McDonald's board that he hadn't had any other sexual relationships with McDonald's employees besides the one he was being questioned over at the time. "In July 2020, McDonald's learned that Easterbrook had in fact engaged in other relationships with McDonald's employees in violation of the company's Standards of Business Conduct." In August 2020, McDonald's sued Easterbrook "to recover compensation and severance benefits," alleging he concealed evidence and lied about having other relationships with subordinates.

☆ Chili's CEO bought grills that can cook a medium steak in under 3 minutes — and says they could shave more than $5 million in losses from unhappy customers
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-09 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Over the summer, Chili's was testing drone delivery and dining-room robots to improve operations. But, under new CEO Kevin Hochman, Brinker-owned Chili's ditched robots in favor of kitchen automation. "The robotics were slower than what our servers can do," Hochman told Insider. "The robotics were slower than what our servers can do," Hochman told Insider. That alone is likely to save the company millions of dollars from having to comp steaks sent back by unhappy customers.

☆ McDonald's CEO warns of possible 2023 layoffs as chain leans into fast service, innovation, and operational efficiencies
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-06 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Despite a strong year, McDonald's CEO said the chain may have layoffs this spring. His 2023 business plan calls for the fast-food giant to move faster and push innovation. "As part of this work, we will evaluate roles and staffing levels in parts of the organization," the CEO said. The executive said he plans to build on the company's Accelerating the Arches growth strategy, first introduced in late 2020. This will help us move faster as an organization, while reducing our global costs and freeing up resources to invest in our growth," Kempczinski said.

☆ See the brands poised to crush their rivals in 2023, including Wawa, Five Below, and Whataburger
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Data firm Placer.ai tracks where people shop, work, and live using their mobile phones. Their data shows the most promising retailers and restaurants for 2023. Chains with winning strategies are growing in underserved markets and giving shoppers value. Chains with cult-like followings like Whataburger and Wawa are among the brands to watch in 2023, Placer.ai said Tuesday. Here are the 10 brands to watch in 2023, according to Placer.ai.

☆ 10 of the most promising foodtech startups, according to top VCs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-27 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Jimmy Frischling, Branded Hospitality VenturesJimmy Frischling. Why it's on the list: Copia calls hunger "the world's dumbest problem" because hunger is not a scarcity problem — it's a logistics problem. "Food waste and hunger are inextricably linked issues," Frischling said. "The cost of food waste is no joke. In some cases, restaurants have raised prices as much as 40% during peak delivery periods, the company told Insider in a previous interview.

☆ Layoffs and declining investments in foodtech aren't spooking these new VCs. Here's where they're looking to make bets in 2023.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-25 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

VC investment in restaurant tech firms, from ghost kitchens to delivery robots, slowed in the third quarter, according to Pitchbook. Despite an investment slowdown in foodtech, Crowder and Larisey believe there are massive opportunities in the sector. Another new foodtech VC firm, Rethink Food, is also looking differently at food innovation. Co-founder Shane Larisey says Redstick Ventures is looking at ag-tech companies that help increase yields in the field. Crowder and Larisey quickly point out that they are not interested in investing in marketplace meal delivery companies, which have yet to show profitability.

☆ 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.

☆ 'Bomb cyclone' forces DoorDash to pause food deliveries in multiple US cities. The company says more shutdowns are coming and New York City could be next.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-23 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Winter Storm Elliot is intensifying into a "bomb cyclone," according to The Weather Channel. DoorDash said it is pausing food deliveries in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana. 1 delivery operator, is suspending operations in multiple cities in Minnesota, Iowa, Michigan, and Indiana. "We have activated our Severe Weather Protocol in response to Winter Storm Elliot," the company said. According to The Weather Channel, Winter Storm Elliot is intensifying in the Plains, Midwest, and Great Lakes.

☆ This oil and gas VC upended his career to start a plant-based burger chain. Now, he's raised $20 million to open new restaurants with plans to steal market share from McDonald's.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Next Level Burger, which makes plant-based burgers, was cofounded in 2014 by Matt de Gruyter. Next Level Burger plans to triple in size and steal share from McDonald's, de Gruyter said. In his quest to align his career with this diet, he quit his job and launched a restaurant serving plant-based burgers in 2014. Both became early backers of de Gruyter's brand, Next Level Burger, which has grown to nine restaurants in six states. The restaurant chain announced a $20 million raise on Tuesday, led by Payne and his wife, Nicole Brodeur.

☆ How to Spot a Ghost Restaurant on DoorDash, Grubhub, and Uber Eats
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Thousands of virtual brands are flooding delivery apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash, and Grubhub. According to a joint report by Grubhub and the market-research firm Technomic, 41% of independent restaurants are operating virtual restaurants. Uber Eats and GrubhubUber Eats and Grubhub do not label virtual brands. Our perspective is that a virtual restaurant is a real restaurant," Uber Eats told Insider. The Miami address for the virtual brand Sam's Crispy Chicken is listed as "MIA07-2" on the Uber Eats app.

☆ Starbucks customers may soon give up their afternoon caffeine kick and drop costly drink modifications like extra syrups, analysts warn
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Starbucks previously reported that premium add-ons like syrups are a $1 billion business. A drop in traffic amid a looming 2023 recession could also hit Starbucks. Jefferies is "baking into our forecast" that a recession will lower US same-store sales at Starbucks due to negative traffic growth, Barish said. Those modifiers are big business for Starbucks, according to Sara Trilling, president of Starbucks North America. Add-ons are a $1 billion "high margin" business for Starbucks that has doubled since 2019, the company said during the November call.

☆ The foodtech falloff isn't spooking these new VCs. Here's where they're looking to make bets in 2023.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

VC investment in restaurant tech firms, from ghost kitchens to delivery robots, slowed in the third quarter, according to Pitchbook. But instead of leaning into kiosks and QR codes, Redstick Ventures and Rethink Food are entering the space with a different investing game plan. Despite an investment slowdown in foodtech, Crowder and Larisey believe there are massive opportunities in the sector. Another new foodtech VC firm, Rethink Food, is also looking differently at food innovation. Rethink Food"Our most recent investment is one of the most disruptive and exciting, and it's in cultured meat," said Rini Greenfield, a founding managing partner at Rethink Food.

☆ Getir's acquisition of Gorillas is the latest consolidation move for the rapid delivery space. Here's why analysts say ultrafast couldn't hack it in the US.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Fridge No More, Buyk, Jokr, and 1520 have shuttered or withdrawn from the US, while Getir, Gopuff, and Gorillas have cut staff. But analysts told Insider this may have led to blind spots when it came to the American consumer. And an insider told TechCrunch that month that Gorillas' monthly global burn rate was between $50 million and $75 million. YipitData suggests the average order for Getir, Gorillas, Gopuff, and Jokr was $21 to $32 in May. Are you a rapid delivery insider with insight to share?

☆ A top McDonald's security exec said the CEO repeatedly undermined him — and even barred him from riding with him on the corporate jet — in a new racial-discrimination lawsuit
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-20 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Michael Peaster, a Black McDonald's security executive, is suing the chain and its CEO. Yet according to a racial-discrimination lawsuit that Peaster filed this month, the CEO ignored the 35-year McDonald's veteran for the better part of a year. "It was retaliatory against Michael Peaster based on his respectful but legitimate contradiction of Kempczinski on the subject of race." A representative for Peaster told Insider via email: "Michael Peaster had the same job since 2010. In January 2020, two Black McDonald's executives, Vicki Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal, filed a discrimination lawsuit against McDonald's.

☆ Chaos cooking is taking over the dining room as restaurants unleash ambitious culinary concoctions from Big Mac pizzas to masala mac & cheese
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But now restaurants and TikTok are elevating food mashups to a level dubbed chaos cooking. Ambitious culinary concoctions range from Big Mac pizzas to curry-fajitas sold at TGI Fridays. Indie restaurants and chains are unleashing ambitious and improbable culinary concoctions, from Big Mac pizzas at a Washington DC restaurant to curry fajitas at TGI Fridays. On Instagram and TikTok, chaos cooking is showing up in different forms: a pizza slathered with refried beans, zucchini fettuccine, and a vegan peppermint pattie cake. The article asked: Is chaos cooking a pathway to inner peace?

☆ Delivery drivers reveal their biggest complaints about customers and why most of them love working during the holidays
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Delivery drivers work double duty during the holidays, but enjoy the extra work due to higher tips. 1 headache reported by the delivery drivers is customers who intercept package deliveries. Food delivery drivers' biggest pet peeve while on the road is people who drive slow in the fast lane. Delivery drivers said Indiana was the worst state to drive in during the holiday season. More than 60% of delivery drivers said they dislike customers who request hidden drop-off locations and who request rush deliveries.

☆ Starbucks and Amazon's PR nightmare is coming true as one of their combined stores pushes to unionize
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Alex Bitter | Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

About 30 Starbucks employees at the New York store will participate in the vote, Bloomberg reported. One of the Starbucks Amazon Go stores is considering unionizing this week. Roughly 30 Starbucks employees at the Times Square location will decide on December 15 whether to join Starbucks Workers United. The workers were protesting "short staffing and the company's failure to bargain with union stores," Starbucks Workers United said in a press release. A Starbucks Amazon Go cafe StarbucksBoth Amazon and Starbucks have cultivated reputations as progressive employers and pushed back against unionsBoth companies have painted themselves as forward-thinking on worker treatment and benefits.

☆ Your next Taco Bell orders could be taken with artificial intelligence as fast food chains from McDonald's to Chipotle test automation to combat the brutal labor shortage still plaguing the industry
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

McDonald's, Taco Bell, and Panera Bread unveiled new drive-thru tech. Taco Bell said it is testing AI-powered bots at the drive-thru. Taco Bell, Chipotle, and Domino's are using AI-powered voice bots to take orders, while fast-casual chains like Sweetgreen are adding drive-thru lanes designated for faster pickup of digital orders. During an investor conference held Tuesday in New York, Taco Bell's parent company, Yum Brands, said it is testing conversational AI internally and at a Taco Bell drive thru. Here's a look at the 13 chains and restaurant companies adding automated tech to augment labor and speed up service for digital customers.

☆ Taco Bell's latest plan to take on McDonald's includes keeping fries on the menu forever and committing to breakfast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-13 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Yum Brands, the parent of Taco Bell, KFC, and Pizza Hut, hosted an investor day conference Tuesday. Taco Bell CEO Mark King spoke about competing with McDonald's at breakfast and lunch. His playbook: make fries a forever menu item, and "commit" to breakfast. During the pandemic, Taco Bell lost momentum at breakfast when it temporarily paused the morning meal offering as offices shut down. Six years later, the Southern California-based chain, known for its Millennials and Gen Z appeal, added Nacho Fries to its menu.

☆ Uber Eats report reveals wild delivery cravings for 2022 – from Choco Taco to celery juice. Here are the wackiest trends and requests.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-08 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Uber Eats noted this uber-specific delivery request from a butter fanatic: "Hi there. This is going to sound insane, but would you be so kind and put a disturbing amount of butter on my grilled cheese? Like, you're going to need the Red Cross Emergency Rapid Response team on site and provide me with astronaut diapers — just in case." Double cheddar and tomato jam grilled cheese. Maren Caruso/Laura Werlin

☆ You may pay nearly $8 for a McDonald's Big Mac in Massachusetts versus $3 in Oklahoma. Here's why costs can vary — even for locations across the street from one another.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

Until that happens, he's taken on the unofficial position of "fast-food data scientist," thanks to his latest side project, the Fast Food Index. Fast Food IndexAccording to the Fast Food Index, the most expensive Chipotle chicken burrito is sold for $11.10 in Manhattan's garment district. Other Fast Food Index findings:At $7.89, a McDonald's in Lee, Massachusetts, is home to the most expensive Big Mac. The most expensive Taco Bell crunchy taco is sold in a small town in California. Chipotle menu prices increased by 4% in August, and the company has raised prices for delivery.

☆ A McDonald's franchisee is accused of asking 100 teens to work too many hours or late shifts. Restaurants are recruiting younger workers during ongoing labor shortage.
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

13 McDonald's restaurants in Pennsylvania violated child labor laws, according to a federal probe. The franchisee, Santonastasso Enterprises LLC, was accused of assigning shifts to 14- and 15-year-old workers that violated the Fair Labor Standards Act. "Employers who hire young workers must understand and comply with federal child labor laws or face costly consequences." McDonald's and Burger King restaurant operators have advertised work to teens as young as 14. Teens 14 to 15 years old can work in restaurants and quick-service businesses during non-school hours, up to three hours on school days, and up to 18 hours on a school week.

☆ See how McDonald's, Subway, Chipotle and other chains are using robots and AI to make faster orders with fewer workers
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Nancy Luna | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

They join a slew of chains adding tech to help with labor shortages and digital orders. Here are 13 chains adding voice bots, robotic fry cooks, and mobile-order express lanes. Chipotle, Domino's, and Checkers & Rally's are using AI-powered voice bots to take orders, while fast-casual chains like Sweetgreen are adding drive-thru lanes designated for faster pickup of digital orders. On Friday, new Labor Department data shows that the restaurant industry is still short 400,000 workers compared to pre-pandemic levels. Here's a look at the 13 chains and restaurant companies adding tech to augment labor and speed up service for digital customers.

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