Trending: Frisch’s management acquires remaining Big Boy locations

10. KFC’s largest domestic franchisee’s restructuring leads to corporate layoffs

Photo courtesy of KFC

KBP Foods, KFC’s largest domestic franchisee and one of the country’s largest restaurant franchisees, has laid off 29 corporate employees. According to a KBP spokesperson, the layoffs are part of a recent restructuring and equate to less than 9% of the corporate team and less than 1% of the franchisee’s more than 21,000 employees across its system.

9. Menu Tracker: New items from McDonald’s, Burger King, and Del Taco

Plus innovation at Another Broken Egg Cafe, Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar, Burgerville, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, East Coast Wings & Grill, Ike’s Love & Sandwiches, Krispy Kreme, Maggiano’s Little Italy, Marlow’s Tavern, McAlister’s Deli, Papa Murphy’s, Potbelly, Taco Cabana, Velvet Taco, WaBa Grill, and Wahlburgers

8. Texas Roadhouse leans into ‘legendary’

With its late founder Kent Taylor as a guiding light, the 2024 Brand Icon winner is honoring his commitment to “Legendary Food, Legendary Service”

7. Tech Tracker: How the Wonder acquisition of Grubhub could shake up the delivery industry

Photo courtesy of Wonder

After years of speculation and prospective sales opportunities, Just Eat Takeaway is finally selling Grubhub. While the buyer — Marc Lore’s New York City-based hotshot startup, Wonder — may come as a bit of a surprise, as many were hoping DoorDash would scoop up Grubhub like Uber did to Postmates, the acquisition is a fit for multiple reasons.

6. California voters narrowly reject $18 minimum wage increase

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Californians rejected Proposition 32, the legislation that would have raised the state minimum wage from $16 an hour to $18 an hour by 2026 and would have been the highest minimum wage in the country.

5. Texas judge overturns Biden-era overtime rule

A judge in the Texas Eastern District Court has struck down the Department of Labor’s final overtime pay rule, which would have expanded overtime pay incrementally to $58,656 in 2025. The Biden-era overtime rule was set to affect nearly 4 million U.S. salaried workers and was already raised to $44,000 per year when it went into effect on July 1.

4. Some McDonald’s espresso machines are out of commission

McDonald’s may have found a workaround solution for its notoriously broken ice cream machines, but its espresso machines are now causing some issues. Melitta, the manufacturer behind many of the chain’s CT8 espresso machines, has advised operators to stop using them while it investigates a faulty component.

3. Wingstop and Raising Cane’s land on Gen Z consumers’ radars

Photo courtesy of Raising Cane's

Five restaurant brands, including McDonald's, Chipotle, and Starbucks, appeared in dcdx’s annual “Gen Z’s Most Magnetic Brands” report, versus just three last year

2. Blackstone acquires majority stake in Jersey Mike’s

Photo courtesy of Jersey Mike's

Private equity giant Blackstone will acquire a majority ownership position in Jersey Mike’s, the fast-growing sub shop purchased by Peter Cancro in 1975. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

1. Frisch’s senior management acquires remaining Big Boy locations

Photo courtesy of Frisch's Big Boy

While Frisch’s Big Boy continues to face imminent eviction for many of its dwindling restaurant locations, a group of executives has stepped in to try and save what is left of the brand.