McDonald’s restaurant in San Diego, California, U.S., Oct. 31, 2025. Mike Blake | Reuters “Value” was the buzzword du jour for restaurant executives that lasted all year — and it will likely stick around in 2026, too. Over the last year and a half, diners, particularly those who make less …
IRVINE, Calif. — Taco Bell is going all in on beverages, starting with its Live Más Café concept. The Yum Brands chain unveiled the drink-focused store format last December, with the first location in Chula Vista, California. Ten months later came the second location, near the University of California, Irvine, …
Utah-based drink chain Swig coined “dirty soda” back in 2010. Fifteen years later, the trend is fueling innovation everywhere from PepsiCo to McDonald’s, infusing the sluggish beverage category with new life. “Dirty soda” drinks use pop as a base, followed by flavored syrups, cream or other ingredients. While Swig claims …
After two decades going to Starbucks every day at 4:30 a.m., longtime customer Tony Dennis abandoned the company last year. “I was frustrated,” he told CNBC. The customer experience he used to love had disappeared. Baristas didn’t engage with him, despite his daily visits. At the same time, the cost …
Warner Bros. Discovery Chief Financial Officer Gunnar Wiedenfels walks to a session at the Allen & Company Sun Valley Conference on July 9, 2025 in Sun Valley, Idaho. Kevin Dietsch | Getty Images Legacy media is in a time of tumult. And it’s bringing a new crop of decision-makers to …
With a simple menu and company-owned restaurants, Raising Cane’s has quietly surpassed KFC in annual U.S. sales, becoming the third-largest chicken chain in the country. The accomplishment follows a recent winning streak for the 28-year-old company, which has spent the last decade expanding outside its home bases in Louisiana and …
Customers order at a Starbucks in Manhattan Beach, California, on July 19, 2024. Jakub Porzycki | Nurphoto | Getty Images As Starbucks aims to bring back customers and assuage investors with its turnaround strategy, it is also winning over its store managers with promises to add more seating inside cafes …
More than three weeks after the calamitous April 2 “reciprocal tariffs” announcement threw the stock market into chaos, investors are trying to make sense of a world in which higher tariffs are likely here to stay — and one in which the U.S. may have lost its edge. Stocks have …
Chick-fil-A pineapple dragonfruit beverages. Courtesy: Chick-fil-A Fast-food chains are going all in on fun beverages to attract younger consumers. Chick-fil-A, known for its straightforward menu of fried chicken and waffle fries, is selling seasonal Pineapple Dragonfruit drinks. Yum Brands’ Taco Bell installed a beverage concept called Live Mas Café inside …
With rising incomes and a willingness to spend, Generation Z could have a profound impact on the economy and the market. The cohort’s global income levels are expected to increase from $9 trillion in 2023 to $36 trillion around 2030 and $74 trillion by 2040 — the largest of all …