Post-Covid Recovery Report News Roundup, April 2022

Are we truly coming out of the pandemic, or is it a “Just when you thought it was safe” moment? Are we unmasking too soon? Is another ugly surprise just around the corner, or can we finally move on? Oh wait, Ukraine.… Still, the world keeps spinning. In the midst of all this, here’s your chance to follow the leaders and catch up on franchise-related news every first Thursday of the month.

POST-COVID REOPENING & RECOVERY

Burger King Lowers Price of Whoppers in France To Offset Fuel Increases

Waitr Issues 5% Gas Discount Card to Drivers as Gas Prices Surge

Starbucks CEO Gets $60 Million ‘Golden Goodbye,’ Even as Company Tries To Keep Out Unions (Opinion)

Major Restaurant Chains Commit To Eliminating “Forever Chemicals”

Nekter Juice Bar Signs 18 Agreements for 37 Locations in Q1

Menu Price Inflation Hit 41-Year High in February

DoorDash’s 2021 Revenue Tops Pandemic Record; Expects Continued Growth

Restaurants Debate Masking Rules as Covid-19 Rules Rapidly Disappear

Why People Keep Buying Restaurants (Robin Gagnon)

IFA Launches Hispanic Latino Franchise Leadership Council

How Plant-Based Menus Are Changing the Perception of Fast Food

Best Cities To Start a Business in 2022

Marriott Doubles Revenue Despite Omicron Setback

Epic Health and Fitness Launches as a New Franchise

HIRING & EMPLOYMENT

Labor Shortages Are Causing Companies To Go on Hiring Sprees – Here’s Why

Worker Shortage Pushes Companies To Offer More Perks and Benefits

Three Starbucks Stores Unionize in a Single Afternoon

High-Profile Union Campaigns Offer a Learning Opportunity for HR

Employees Want To Stay, But Are Employers Giving Them a Reason To? (Oracle Ebook)

A Simple Guide To Designing a World-Class Employee Experience Program (Qualtrics Ebook)

FINANCE & M&A

Dave & Buster’s To Acquire Dallas-Based Main Event Family Entertainment Chain for $835M

Newk’s Eatery Comp Sales Increase 21.7% in Q4 2021

BBQ Holdings To Acquire 7-Unit Fine-Dining Brand Barrio Queen for $28 Million

LEADERSHIP

Wingstop CEO Charlie Morrison Resigns To Become CEO of Salad & Go; COO Michael Skipworth Named CEO

Domino’s Pizza New CEO, Russell Weiner, Faces New Set of Challenges

El Pollo Loco Names Larry Roberts CEO, Effective Immediately

5 Tips on How To Stay Focused as a New CEO

There Are 4 Types of Bosses

The Cost of Indecision: How To Stop It from Hurting Your Business (Methodify)

Franchise GrowthLab Launches To Fuel Growth of Franchises

LEGAL

Sen. Cortez Masto Calls on SBA To Take Action Against Harmful Practices in Franchise Sector

FAT Brands CEO Andy Wiederhorn Addresses Federal Investigation in Quarterly Earnings Call

Opinion: Burgerim’s Growth Had a Notable Enabler: The SBA

Restaurants Are Suing Google for Creating Digital Storefronts Without Their Permission

Owners of 3 Fusion Japanese Steakhouse Units Ordered To Pay $1.45M in Wage-Theft Case

Grubhub Sued by Washington, D.C., for Excessive Fees and False Advertising 

Ice Cream Machine Hackers Sue McDonald’s for $900 Million

Loyalty Programs on California’s Radar Under CCPA

MARKETING/CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

Most Retailers Still Struggle To Meet Customer Expectations for Hybrid Shopping

CKE Restaurants Launches Loyalty Program for Carl’s Jr., Hardee’s

Social Advertising Made Easy: An Unscary Approach to Advertising on Social Media (Hootsuite Guide)

London Burger King Goes Fully Vegan in Trial Run

Almost All Consumers Expect To Shop via Social This Year (Study)

Meta: Underreporting of iOS Web Conversions Down to 8% from 15% Last September

The Next Next Gen: The Solos Are Coming!

OPERATIONS

How First Watch Got Away Without Price Increases in 2021, Despite Inflation

Supply Chain Woes Hit Hotels

Surging Fuel Prices Pinch Restaurant Consumers

Chick-Fil-A Taps into Biofuel Trend, Turning Fry Oil into Diesel

REAL ESTATE

Drive-Through Lane Competition Heats Up

Report: Commercial Real Estate Market Q4 2021 (Stan Johnson Co.)