News on QSR, Restaurant and Food Service Trends from Northern America

After years of playing into the mass-affluence trend by trying to get their consumers to trade up to pricier, fancier fare, McDonald's, Wendy's and Burger King are all deploying the 99¢ price point as a key marketing tactic going into a year when middl...

Shares of the nation's burger chains fell Friday as disappointing sales results at Wendy's International Inc. made some on Wall Street question whether fast food stocks could be impacted by a consumer spending slowdown. Before the market opened, Wendy'...

Calgary may be making history this week as the first Canadian city to ban trans fats in restaurants, but that doesn't mean eating out will soon become much healthier. Some nutrition experts are concerned the massive push to eliminate trans fats in Ca...

With Americans working and partying later than ever, quick-service restaurants (QSRs) are responding to the midnight munchies with extended hours, and in some cases, throwing away the "closed"sign altogether.Taco Bell, Wendy's and Burger King...

A Lehman Brothers analyst said Monday Wendy's International Inc., the nation's No. 3 hamburger chain, is struggling to turn its business around, despite a consumer environment that should help fast food restaurants garner more customers. Analyst Jeffr...

From low-flow water faucets to converting French fry oil to fuel, McDonald's Corp is testing ways to reduce the impact its 31,000-plus restaurants have on the world's resources. The hamburger chain, whose iconic brand and presence in 118 countries has ...

Despite concerns over its broad sweep, a city panel on Tuesday moved ahead with a plan to ban fast-food restaurants in South Los Angeles. The proposal from Councilwoman Jan Perry was approved by the council's Planning and Land Use Committee even thou...

In its 2008 Industry Forecast, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) Wednesday pointed to the snack industry to post the highest sales increase in 2008 with an expected 3.2 percent real sales increase in the upcoming year. The quick-service segmen...

After a year of disappointing results in its U.S. division, Yum Brands Inc. is looking to copy one of its biggest rivals in the fast food industry in a bid to turn its troubled business around. At a meeting with investors and analysts Wednesday, Yum ...

McDonald's Corp., the world's largest restaurant company, said November sales rose 8.2 percent, exceeding analysts' estimates, as customers bought coffee in the U.S. and chicken sandwiches in Europe and Asia. The stock jumped 1.4 percent to a record. ...

McDonalds prints coupons on report cards that reward young children for getting good grades. As childhood obesity rates soar, the controversy is growing about this potentially harmful partnership between fast food companies and public schools.

Yum Brands Inc, owner of the Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC fast-food chains, said on Thursday it aims to own fewer than 10 percent of its U.S. restaurants by the end of 2010, down from about 20 percent currently. In a statement, the company also said it...

McDonald's told franchisees this week that it will pay up to 40% of the costs to remodel restaurants to accommodate the machines needed to make lattes, mocha drinks and other specialty beverages. McDonald’s USA President Don Thompson said last month sa...

Say what you want about their French fries, McDonald's, the world's largest fast-food chain, is one appetizing investment. So far this year, McDonald's has been the second best performing stock on the Dow Jones industrial average. Shares are up 32 pe...

Citigroup and Merrill Lynch are unlikely to fund Nelson Peltz's bid for Wendy's International Inc., according to sources, adding another challenge to the attempted sale of the company. Citigroup and Merrill were expected to commit to Peltz's bid but el...

Wendy's International Inc. CEO Kerrii Anderson said Friday that she hasn't spoken with billionaire investor Nelson Peltz since his Triarc Cos. offered to buy the hamburger chain. Wendy's has not sought a so-called white knight to top Peltz's bid, Ande...

Local diets will be nearly trans fat-free by July 2009, the Calgary Health Region confirmed yesterday. The region's board unanimously endorsed a plan that, according to its medical officer of health, Dr. Brent Friesen, will put the city in the natio...

Moody's Investors Service Thursday changed the rating outlook on Burger King Corp. (NYSE:BKC) to stable from negative.The agency also affirmed ratings on the Miami-based fast-food company, including its Ba2 corporate family rating.Moody's said the stab...