Image by Nico Heins
One reason I love writing about restaurants so much is there’s just a lot there. The industry is constantly changing, as new ideas emerge every day and old ideas try to find new life. Consumers change and the business must adapt in a multitude of ways, from the places they build locations to the kind of locations they build to the menu items they serve inside those locations.
The team at Restaurant Business demonstrated this breadth in 2024. We have a phenomenal group of journalists, and they met the challenge of covering such a big and broad industry with their traditional standards of excellence.
So here I present to you the best work of the year from that team. Many of these stories were behind a paywall, but we’ve taken it down for these pieces so you get get a good idea of just how awesome this group really is. And if you care to subscribe, by all means do so by clicking here.
The Climate Crisis
Weather events are increasingly creating havoc for restaurants and in a lot more ways than they really understand. Sure, bad weather may close locations and cause lost sales. But the weather events also cause problems with the supply chain, which can drive up costs or make it tough to find product. And things aren’t getting any better. This six-part series explored all of that, including the ways restaurants and their supply chain are working to combat climate change. This is an absolute must-read.
Labor Pains
Another major project we took on was far more rudimentary: The state of labor. The industry is a massive employer and its insatiable need for workers can be problematic at times. We explored the state of labor, featuring a lot of data, plenty of insight, discussions on technology, regulations and the impact on menus. We even sent Executive Editor Lisa Jennings to work at a Dave’s Hot Chicken.
Third-party delivery
Delivery is an increasingly important sales channel for restaurants, enough that chains like Papa Johns and Pizza Hut have lost share and are turning their focus to carryout customers. Restaurant Business has covered this topic all year, including a first-of-its-kind study on delivery in partnership with the consulting firm Intouch Insight, which used secret shoppers to explore which delivery companies do it best.
Red Lobster’s impact
One of the year’s biggest stories was the rash of restaurant industry bankruptcies and the biggest one was Red Lobster. The venerable casual-dining seafood chain struggled coming out of the pandemic, in part due to a poorly-conceived “Endless Shrimp” promotion and some expensive leases. One-sixth of the chain’s locations closed. This story from Senior Editor Joe Guszkowski is definitely worth reading, as he explored the impact the closures have on some of the communities. Losing a restaurant chain is definitely a psychological blow for some towns.
BurgerFi’s problems
Another big bankruptcy was that of BurgerFi International, the owner of BurgerFi and Anthony’s Coal-Fired Pizza, which had struggled since the two brands’ combination, ultimately seeking debt protection this year as both chains got sold. Executive Editor Lisa Jennings was all over that story, and she covered the topic from the perspective of franchisees, who were not thrilled by many of the company’s actions.
Boston Market’s impact on employees
In 2023 we covered the collapse of Boston Market and we continued to do so into 2024. This time, we told the story of former employees of the fast-casual chicken chain, who struggled with a host of issues after they left the company. Among them: Many found out only after the fact that their health insurance policies were canceled due to non-payment.
The Trader Joe’s effect
RB Senior Menu Editor Pat Cobe was talking with chefs who talked about the impact Trader Joe’s was having on the restaurant business. Specifically, the retailer’s forward-thinking product offerings help pave the way for different types of cuisines, which fueled the development of menu items and even entire restaurants. The resulting story was a phenomenal look at the impact a grocery chain can have on restaurants.
Peter Romeo’s government coverage
RB Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo anchored our coverage of government and policy with his typical expertise and personality, which came in handy during a year in which the most populous state instituted a $20 wage targeted only at fast-food chains. He provided extraordinary in-depth coverage, kept you abreast of some specific regulatory issues, and ensured that operators knew exactly what was coming down the pipe. Here we highlight his examination of the California Fast Food Council, a first-of-its-kind regulatory body that oversees regulations of the state’s fast-food chains.
The Technomic Top 500
The Top 500 is a key piece of coverage for Restaurant Business every year. And this year we provided a complete look at the state of the industry. We wrote profiles of growth chains, covered each sector, gave you a look at the largest chains by menu type, published podcasts and gave you all kinds of graphics. This is as good a state of the restaurant industry, or any industry, that you can find anywhere.
The return of the magazine, sort of
Restaurant Business stopped publishing its print magazine in 2020, the result of a years-long shift of readers from print to digital. But this year we published our first digital magazine, something we plan to do more of in 2025. You can find some of our best stories in one magazine-like format.
A bunch of other pieces
I have to admit we had a lot more this year than I would normally include. So here are a bunch of other stories you should definitely check out.
Lisa Jennings wrote about smelly restaurants. This is so good.
What is AI anyway? Joe Guszkowski has you covered.
Everybody’s talking about Jersey Mike’s right now. We’ve been talking about them for years. Check out this great profile of its owner/CEO by Peter Romeo.
Why didn’t Baja Fresh become Chipotle?
Fast-casuals are all into steak now.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.
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