Each week, NRN editor-in-chief Sarah Lockyer gives you her take on the top restaurant industry news.
The latest top stories from Nation’s Restaurant News clearly showcase the split dynamic of today’s restaurant industry — or the haves and have nots.
Yum! Brands, Jimmy John’s and Panda Express each are taking advantage of positive trends driving the restaurant industry forward, from new cuisines and new technologies to eager investors looking to drive growth. On the flip side, McDonald’s and Darden are still struggling to perform.
Yum debuted a new brand this week — a Vietnamese-inspired concept called Banh Shop — to take advantage of the growing popularity of Southeast Asian cuisine and the no-brainer of the fast-casual format. Jimmy John’s — a hot growth chain ranking No. 6 in the Top 10 Growth Chains of this year’s NRN Top 100 — is reportedly looking to take advantage of the eager investment community with a sale. At Panda Express, a new mobile ordering app has debuted at nearly all 17,000 locations worldwide.
And then there are the have nots: McDonald’s continues to report lackluster same-store sales; Darden remains under fire for its Olive Garden performance; and the industry as a whole is battling to gain traffic from Millennials — the prized consumer group that is steadily cutting back on eating out.
Take a look at the top 10 trending stories:
1. Yum to open fast-casual Banh Shop
2. Report: Jimmy John's exploring sale
3. Darden to Starboard: Olive Garden revamp underway
4. Seasons 52 founding chef departs for Bloomin’ Brands
5. McDonald's same-store sales paint gloomy picture
6. Johnny Rockets unveils new multi-format prototype
7. Restaurants seek to regain lost traffic from Millennials
8. The Starbucksification of Dunkin’ Donuts
9. Panda Express rolls out mobile ordering nationwide
10. Burger King: North American same-store sales rise 3.7%
Gallery: A look inside Yum's Banh Shop >>
