Fast_Casual

Financing

Struggling Burgerfi is exploring strategic alternatives

The owner of two fast-casual chains cited its liquidity challenges as it replaced its chairman, gave top executives incentives to stick around and sought assistance from its lenders.

Financing

Investors regain their taste for Sweetgreen

The Bottom Line: The salad chain’s stock rose 34% on Friday after sales and profitability were better than expected. The company’s shares are above its IPO price for the first time in two years.

The Bottom Line: Wingstop, Raising Cane’s and Jersey Mike’s have broken free from the pack of well-established growth chains. Here’s why this trio stands out.

Operators have closed or rebranded nearly half of the chain’s locations over the past year and a half. And then as the chain was sold last week, franchisees were told the company lost its distribution contract.

The data breach last month affected Panda Restaurant Group's corporate systems and exposed employees' personal data.

In the last earnings call for outgoing CEO Randy Garutti, the fast-casual chain said traffic was down 2.1% in the first quarter, though trends were improving into Q2.

The Bottom Line: The chain continued to be a juggernaut last quarter, with strong sales and traffic growth, despite frequent social media complaints about shrinkflation or other challenges.

The Mediterranean fast casual will debut Friday in Chicago, and the chain’s co-founder said it plans to open “a bunch” of restaurants to the Windy City and its suburbs.

The Atlanta-based fast-casual smoothie chain, which has thrived in recent years, is being sold to the private-equity giant for $2 billion.

Franchisee Alshaya Group plans to open four Chipotle units in the Middle East this year.

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