Nation's Restaurant News

Senior Food & Beverage Editor Bret Thorn is senior food & beverage editor of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. Hi is responsible for spotting and reporting on F&B trends across the country for both publications. He is the co-host of a podcast, Menu Talk with Pat and Bret, which features interviews with chefs, food & beverage authorities, and other experts in foodservice operations.

Quick Service Executives Casual Dining Marketing & Branding Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast. Leigh Anne Zinsmeister,Lisa Jennings June 26, 2026 Domino’s certainly has big shoes to fill in replacing Russell Weiner when he officially retires at the end of September. But it just so happens that the company has a deep bench. Joe Jordan is next up for the CEO role after moving his way up through the company since he first joined in 2011 as vice president of innovation.

Mergers & Acquisitions Quick Service News Mas Restaurant Group, which earlier sold 44 locations in Texas, has sold its Ohio restaurants to an existing operator. Jonathan Maze,Editor in Chief,Restaurant Business June 25, 2026 1 Min Read Mas Restaurant Group has sold 43 Taco Bell locations in OhioPhoto: Shutterstock Mas Restaurant Group is selling more Taco Bells.

Joe Guszkowski,Senior editor,Restaurant Business June 25, 2026 4 Min Read It was LongHorn's best quarter since late 2022. Photo: Shutterstock LongHorn Steakhouse is on a tear. Same-store sales at the 618-unit steak chain surged by 9.5% year over year in the quarter ended May 31, driven by traffic growth of 4.2%. It was LongHorn’s best same-store sales performance since the fourth quarter of 2022 and followed a 7.2% increase in the prior quarter.

Fast Casual Marketing & Branding News Sweet Heat Chamoy launches at the chicken-wing chain June 30 for a limited time, alongside a new Chamoy Ranch sauce. Alicia Kelso,Executive Editor,Nation's Restaurant News June 25, 2026 2 Min Read Wingstop adds Tajín to its flavor lineupPhoto courtesy of Wingstop Wingstop is the latest restaurant chain to embrace Tajín Chamoy, a popular Mexican condiment that blends chile and lime seasonings.

Marketing & Branding Labor News ‘Green Apron Creators’ chosen for the program will receive compensation. Alicia Kelso,Executive Editor,Nation's Restaurant News June 25, 2026 2 Min Read Starbucks will begin a pilot allowing select employees to create content for TikTokPhoto courtesy of Starbucks Starbucks will begin a pilot later this summer allowing select employees to create content for TikTok and share in ad revenue.

Quick Service Finance Labor Casual Dining Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast. Lisa Jennings,Leigh Anne Zinsmeister June 25, 2026 Wendy’s is getting the meme treatment. The fast-food chain’s shares soared as much as 40% on Wednesday after traders on the social media site Reddit began a push to “save” the company by buying up its stock. The push may also have had a residual impact on other restaurant stocks, including Jack in the Box, whose shares are up more than 14%.

Independent Restaurants Beef is cooked on a parrilla grill, and the cocktail program was created by South America’s top-ranked bar. Kevin Gray June 25, 2026 3 Min Read 1986 Steak House’s menu is centered around a parrilla grill.Photos by Liz Clayman 1986 Steak House opened in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood in early May, promising a “next-generation” Argentine steakhouse experience.

Casual Dining Lance Juhas details why the brand has “earned the right to grow” and is now looking for a capital partner. Sam Oches,Editor in Chief June 25, 2026 Compared to a lot of other growing restaurant concepts, Piada Italian Street Food is practically ancient. The fast-casual brand was started by Bravo Brio founder Chris Doody way back in 2010 — pre-dating by six years buzzy national concepts like 7 Brew and Dave’s Hot Chicken and launching the same year as CAVA.

This week on Nation's Restaurant News, the top story was “Taco Bell is testing a $3 Chili Cheese Menu.” Taco Bell launched a $3 Luxe Value Menu in January featuring 10 items, five of which are new. Now the chain is pushing deeper into that price point with a $3 Chili Cheese Menu test in the Louisville, Kentucky, market. In other news, Pizza Hut is being sold to both LongRange Capital and Yum China in two separate deals for $2.7 billion, parent company Yum Brands said on Tuesday.