AI Playbook for Restaurant Owners
This AI playbook covers restaurant tools for voice ordering, staffing, compliance, menu pricing, inventory, marketing, ChatGPT prompts, and SEO.
May 15, 2026
This AI playbook covers restaurant tools for voice ordering, staffing, compliance, menu pricing, inventory, marketing, ChatGPT prompts, and SEO.
May 15, 2026
Opening a coffee shop in 2026 requires careful cost planning across rent, equipment, labor, technology, menu strategy, marketing, and sustainability.
May 15, 2026
Hardee’s giant Boddie-Noell inks 31-unit Scooter’s Coffee deal for NC and VA, leveraging drive-thru growth and local roots with rollout over 12–18 months.
May 15, 2026
Wingstop turns match weeks into a multi-sensory festival, aligning bold pop-ups with World Cup energy to build brand affinity and measurable momentum.
May 15, 2026
Learn how to develop a memorable restaurant brand identity that stands out in a crowded market, attracts loyal customers, and drives repeat business with actionable strategies and affordable tools.
May 15, 2026
The parent company behind Dunkin', Buffalo Wild Wings, and Arby's has filed for an IPO a move that could reshape how Wall Street views the restaurant sector.
May 15, 2026
Papa Johns has teamed up with Alphabet's Wing for drone delivery of its new sandwich lineup in parts of Charlotte marking the first partnership of its kind between Wing and a national QSR brand.
May 15, 2026
Dirty soda chain Swig is expanding into Colorado through a 10-unit franchise deal, riding a consumer beverage trend that's catching the attention of major QSR players nationwide.
May 15, 2026
A warm, expert-led look at McDonald’s Q1 results, menu makeover, and the refranchise question shaping its growth.
May 14, 2026
A reflective look at Habit Ranch, its immersive desert activation, and what it signals for brand loyalty and mindful, experiential dining.
May 14, 2026
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A refined look at how editors chase memorable dining moments amid rising costs, from lobster rolls to matcha beverages and multi-venue concepts.
Photo by Stella He
Pat Cobe, the senior menu editor at Restaurant Business, opens the season with a blend of reverence and audacity. The tour maps tradition against invention, a quiet duel played out on beaches and in gleaming city rooms. The annual lobster-roll ritual in Salavar’s Montauk persists as a sunlit anchor, even as prices nudge perception and appetite. This year the lobster is a symbol of indulgence with restraint—a once-a-year treat that invites memory, not excess. And yet the beverage world hums with color: Blank Street Coffee’s summer matcha refreshers brighten the day with mango, yuzu, or watermelon purée. What price do we place on a moment of glow? The answer unfolds in measured steps:
Across the ocean of cuisine, editors chase the same rhythm in different keys: Montauk memory meets Philadelphia curiosity as Bret Thorn treks the map to a hop-water option at Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant and a tasting at Zahav, Solomonov’s acclaimed Israeli restaurant. The through line is not merely novelty but the sense that a creature of indulgence can coexist with price discipline when the experience is precise and generous.
From coast to city, the tour suggests a single mood: a yearning for memorable, shareable moments that reward careful spending. The season’s frame is not simply extravagant display but a curated balance of memory, craft, and cost. The invitation is clear: savor with selectivity, and let each encounter teach a new way to measure value.