10. 9 restaurant food trends for 2025
2024 has been a tough year for restaurants, but that’s no reason not to make the “fun” predictions for 2025: the food and beverage predictions. Senior food and beverage editor Bret Thorn is back with nine trends he foresees for the coming year.
9. Dave & Buster’s sees Q3 sales backslide as CEO leaves
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc. reported a 7.7% decline in same-store sales for the third quarter, as well as revenue and income declines, attributable to adverse weather, store disruptions from the remodel program, and a typical third-quarter slump.
8. Restaurants closed the inflation gap with grocery stores in November
The Consumer Price Index in November rose 0.3% and is now 2.7% higher than November 2023, a figure largely in line with expectations but slightly higher than the 0.2% increase in each of the previous four months.
7. A look at 16 menu revamps from 2024
Most restaurant chains roll out a few new menu items at a time, but sometimes a complete overhaul is warranted. Read on for a deeper dive into what some chains did to freshen up their menus and drive traffic.
6. SPB Hospitality sells five brewery and specialty brands to Kelly Companies
SPB Hospitality – parent company to Krystal and Logan’s Roadhouse — has sold five of its brewery brands to Kelly Companies of Southern California for an undisclosed amount. The sale includes Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant, ChopHouse & Brewery, Ragtime Tavern and Seven Bridges Grille & Brewery.
5. How Austin’s El Arroyo developed a cult following
Ellis and Paige Winstanley bought the restaurant in 2012 and focused on building the brand from its signature marquee sign.
4. Dave & Buster’s announces resignation of CEO Chris Morris
Dave & Buster’s Entertainment Inc. announced the resignation of CEO Chris Morris ahead of the Dallas-based eatertainment company’s third-quarter earnings results reported on Tuesday. Morris, who has served as CEO of Dave & Buster’s since July 2022, is stepping down “to pursue other interests,” and until his successor is selected, Kevin Sheehan, the company’s current board chair, will serve as interim CEO.
3. One of the biggest narratives from 2024: Restaurant bankruptcies
The year 2024 has been unkind to many restaurant brands, as especially evidenced by the staggering number of bankruptcies filed this year. Indeed, restaurants are on track to declare the most bankruptcies in decades with the exception of 2020, when the pandemic upended the industry.
2. Sonic collaborates with Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie in ‘Simple Life’ throwback
1. The best of Menu Tracker: Highlights of menu items introduced in 2024
It has been a heady year of menu innovation as many operators, struggling with declining traffic, rolled out an ever-broadening array of new menu items to attract an audience of Americans, many of whom showed increasing budget consciousness and limited attention spans
