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Fast Food, Finance, Franchising, Growth, News, Story

Tiger Global Backs PopUp Bagels at $300M Valuation

Investment firm Tiger Global has reportedly invested in PopUp Bagels at a $300 million valuation, according to Bloomberg. The publication said the valuation is about five times what the QSR chain was quoted at in October, when Stripe became majority owner. The agreement was finalized in March. The exact investment amount wasn’t disclosed; however, private […]

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Consumer Trends, Fast Casual, Fast Food, Finance, News, Story

Higher Gas Prices are Challenging the Restaurant Industry Further

Rising gas prices (up 21.2 percent) led to a 0.9 percent jump in consumer price in March, a steeper result than February’s 0.3 percent, and the largest monthly increase since June 2022. Food prices didn’t change, but menu figures climbed 0.2 percent. Headline inflation hiked 3.3 percent, year-over-year, in March. That, too, was a sharp […]

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Fast Food, Food, Marketing & Promotions, Menu Innovations, News, pizza, Sandwiches, Story

Papa Johns Introduces Sandwiches as it Builds New Sales Layers

At Papa Johns, the push beyond pizza is taking a clearer step forward with the launch of Oven-Toasted Sandwiches. It’s a new platform that adds to its core menu and opens additional daypart opportunities. The lineup includes three options: Philly Cheesesteak, Chicken Bacon Ranch, and Steak & Mushroom. Each is built on toasted ciabatta-style bread […]

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Fast Casual, News, Story

Crumbl’s Sales Dipped in 2025 as Footprint Continues to Grow

Crumbl Cookies has taken an uneven ride in recent years. And that was true again in 2025, per its latest FDD. The company posted average gross sales of $1.139 million and median sales of $1.093 million, with its highest-performing store reporting $3.42 million and it lowest $365,129. The $1.139 figure was down nearly 16 percent, […]

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Fast Food, News, Story, Technology

Why McDonald’s AI Makeover is the New Operating System for Global Retail

The headlines focus on burger-flipping robots and AI-powered drive-thrus, but McDonald’s isn’t just adding gadgets. It’s rewriting the code for how global retail will operate in the next decade. What McDonald’s is really doing is turning every restaurant into a software-defined, data-driven, self-optimizing system. Once that system is in place, changing hardware, menus, labor models, […]

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Fast Food, News, Story

Oberweis Rebuilds with Focus on Unity and Experience

Originating more than a century ago as a neighborhood milk delivery service, Oberweis Dairy built its name on premium ice cream and glass-bottled milk. What began in 1915 with Peter Oberweis selling milk from a horse-drawn wagon eventually grew into a vertically integrated dairy business spanning 40 retail scoop shops, a direct-to-consumer home delivery operation, […]

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Customer Experience, Drive Thru, Emerging Concepts, Fast Casual, Finance, Franchising, News, Restaurant Operations, Story

Submit for the 2026 QSR 50

It’s the industry’s biggest report: The QSR 50, your annual run-down of the best-performing U.S. quick-service brands. The top 50 companies ranked by U.S. system-wide sales, along with additional brands contending for the list, will appear in the August 2025 issue of QSR—our most-read edition of the year. Think your brand will make the cut this year? Fill out the […]

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Fast Casual, Food, Menu Innovations, News, Sandwiches, Story

Panera Brings Bread and Salad Together with New Salad Stuffers Category

Panera is rolling out a new menu category nationwide with Salad Stuffers, a product that combines its artisan bread and salad platforms into a single handheld item. The idea builds from something the brand has watched happen inside its cafés for years. Guests order a salad. A baguette comes with it. The bread doesn’t sit […]

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Emerging Concepts, Fast Casual, Growth, News, Story, Women in Restaurant Leadership

Introducing the Fast Casual FutureMakers: Greenlane

This year, QSR magazine introduced Fast Casual FutureMakers, a new annual report showcasing brands and founders pushing the category forward in real time. The 2026 class features three emerging concepts, each representing a different path to growth and innovation. First up was Big Dave’s Cheesesteaks, recognized as the “Rising FutureMaker” for its purpose-driven expansion and […]

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