This week on the Extra Serving podcast, a product of Nation’s Restaurant News, NRN editors Holly Petre, Sam Oches, and Leigh Anne Zinsmeister continued to speak about this quarter’s earnings.
Since the editors last gathered for the pod, several companies have reported, including Bloomin’ Brands, El Pollo Loco, and Texas Roadhouse.
The editors mentioned Texas Roadhouse last week, anticipating the brand’s positive returns, and that’s exactly what was reported. The chain saw 4% traffic growth, slightly less than at Chipotle, and same-store sales growth of almost 8% across the system.
Much like KFC, Wendy’s is looking to its international market for help during this rough financial time.
Meanwhile, Shake Shack and El Pollo Loco are investing heavily in kiosks and seeing returns.
And much like the editors talked about last week, speed of service is key for many brands, and that includes family-dining chains. First Watch is now investing in technology to speed up service time for customers.
This week, there are three interviews from the Restaurant Leadership Conference, with executives from Dave’s Hot Chicken, Newk’s Eatery, and Union Square Hospitality Group.