Restaurant Dive

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Name: Brian Lindley New title: Chief development officer, Chicken Salad Chick Previous title: Vice president of development, Popeyes Louisiana Chicken Chicken Salad Chick said in a Monday release that Lindley is tasked with leading the growing chain’s development strategy.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Chipotle added more types of rewards to its loyalty program, including entree discounts, recurring free bonuses and a longer lifespan for points, according to a press release. Points will now remain active as long as diners make one qualifying purchase every year, as opposed to one every six months.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Name: Stephen Piacentini New title: Executive vice president, chief coffeehouse design and development officer, Starbucks Previous title: Chief development officer, Chipotle Starbucks confirmed it is bringing on Stephen Piacentini to lead the development of its coffeehouses.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Burger King will test sliders in Columbus, Ohio, and Portland, Oregon, from April 14 to May 18, the brand said in a statement emailed to Restaurant Dive. The sliders, which Burger King is calling King Size Sliders, come in boxes of two or six, and consumers can choose between three different flavors. The brand does not have set pricing for the items.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. International restaurant brands have been expanding into the U.S. for years, with chains like Din Tai Fung and Jollibee establishing strong footholds. But the pace is accelerating, putting pressure on established brands to up their game. “The phenomenon of international restaurants expanding throughout the US market is not new,” said Huy Do, trendologist and research and insights manager at Datassential.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. The Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse and Chick-fil-A have the highest average unit volumes of major restaurant brands, with AUVs of $12.8 million, $7.9 million and $7.2 million, respectively, according to Circana’s 2026 Definitive U.S. Restaurant Rankings.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. 7 Brew is opening its first location directly on a college campus at the University of Arkansas, the chain announced Tuesday. The brand will break ground on the kiosk over the summer and begin serving students in the fall, per the press release. Unlike its traditional drive-thru locations, this unit will offer more space for guests to have their beverages inside.

Staffing shortages and slow hiring cycles continue to pressure restaurant operators, affecting service quality, costs, and growth. For Bojangles, the quick-service chain known for its Southern-style chicken and biscuits, these challenges intensified as it worked to staff hundreds of locations while competing for hourly workers in a tight labor market. At many locations, the hiring process took 30 days or more. Leadership determined that incremental fixes were not enough.

This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback. Chili’s sister brand Maggiano’s Little Italy is increasing the portion size of its pasta entrees by about 20% and increasing the protein served with those dishes, without raising prices, in a bid to boost consumer perceptions of value. The brand is also adding 15 dishes to the options available on its Family Style menu, a four-course menu meant to feed parties of four or more.

Right now, drinks are where menus get to flirt a little—fast, flexible, and built to give guests a small win in their day. Customizable, photo-friendly sips layered with familiar flavors are showing up everywhere because they’re one of the simplest ways to make an order feel fresh. We’re seeing it across the industry: DIY-style sodas that took off on social media, premium non-alcoholic refreshers, and frozen drinks that blur the line between beverage and dessert.