The Bottom Line

Jonathan Maze The Bottom Line

Restaurant Business Executive Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.

Jonathan has been widely quoted in media publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post and has appeared on CNBC, Yahoo Finance and NPR. He writes a weekly finance-focused newsletter for Restaurant Business, The Bottom Line, and is the host of the weekly podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

Financing

Panera apparently wants to go it alone again

The Bottom Line: The bakery/café chain is reportedly planning to sell Caribou and Einstein Bros. restaurant concepts three years after forming Panera Brands.

Financing

Here’s what an activist investor could push Starbucks to do

The Bottom Line: With the coffee shop chain reportedly talking with an activist investor, here’s a look at some of the potential changes they might demand.

The Bottom Line: Restaurant sales have grown for most of the past two years. But they haven't kept pace with menu price inflation, suggesting the industry is saturated again.

The Bottom Line: The agency’s comments last week represented some of its toughest regulatory moves on franchising in years. But the election might have a say in it.

The Bottom Line: The retail giant is adding regional restaurant chains to its stores, giving them some key exposure. But there are some real drawbacks to pay attention to.

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual pizza chain was sold last week to Elite Restaurant Group. But few who’ve seen the finances believe the company can avoid closing large numbers of stores.

The Bottom Line: In some markets, customers can get the fast-food chain's $5 value meal for $4. The situation illustrates a key rule in the restaurant business: Customers are savvy and will find loopholes.

The Bottom Line: The potential bankruptcy filing of MOD Pizza further illustrates the sector’s challenges, which have worsened coming out of the pandemic.

The Bottom Line: The fast-casual pizza chain's apparent downfall may color the industry's condition more than Red Lobster. But MOD was a victim of its own decisions.

The Bottom Line: Frozen yogurt and better burger chains dominated growth a decade ago. Their differing long-term results are instructive for today’s hot restaurant sectors.

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