Joe Guszkowski

Milwaukee

Senior Editor at Restaurant Business

I cover restaurant tech and casual dining for @RB_magazine. RTs/likes are not endorsements

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Articles

Wawa, Casey’s, Rutter’s, Kent Kwik, QuickChek Launch Summer Deals

1 day ago | cspdailynews.com | Rachel Gignac |Hannah Prokop |Diane Adam |Heather Lalley |Chuck Ulie |Joe Guszkowski | +1 more

Convenience-store chains offer fountain drinks for less than a dollar, daily games for prizes, food discounts and more
Texas Roadhouse rebounds after an uneven start to the year

6 days ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInSame-store sales are up 5% in the current quarter. | Photo: ShutterstockTexas Roadhouse had a good January and a not-so-good February. But it hasn’t looked back since. Same-store sales at the steakhouse chain rose 3.5% year over year in the first quarter, including 1.1% traffic growth. That’s good, especially given the current environment, but still not the type of result the high-flying Texas Roadhouse is used to seeing.
Pappasito's Cantina owner to acquire On the Border out of bankruptcy

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInOn the Border has 80 units in the U.S. and South Korea. | Photo: ShutterstockThe parent of Pappasito’s Cantina is set to acquire On The Border Mexican Grill & Cantina out of bankruptcy. Houston-based Pappas Restaurants said Thursday that it won the auction for the 80-unit Tex-Mex chain, which filed for bankruptcy in March.
Restaurant tech supplier Popmenu sues rival Owner.com over website-grading tool

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInBoth Popmenu and Owner offer websites, online ordering and other software tools. | Image courtesy of PopmenuRestaurant tech supplier Popmenu is suing rival Owner.com over an online tool that assesses the strength of restaurant websites. The lawsuit, filed last month in California Superior Court, alleges that Owner’s Restaurant Website Grader gives inaccurate and misleading results that have hurt Popmenu’s business. Popmenu and Owner are direct competitors.
Outback Steakhouse looks to fix its value perception

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInSame-store sales declined for the seventh straight quarter. | Photo: ShutterstockOutback Steakhouse needs to give customers more bang for their buck. That’s according to Mike Spanos, the new CEO of Outback parent company Bloomin’ Brands. Spanos, the former COO of Delta Air Lines, is spearheading a turnaround effort at Outback. And he is zeroing in on value as a way to fix the brand.
First Watch will take more traffic, even if it costs more

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInApril traffic hit a two-year high. | Photo: ShutterstockFirst Watch is OK with taking some short-term pain for long-term gain. The daytime-dining chain is investing aggressively in boosting traffic at a time of consumer uncertainty, even if it means sacrificing some margin in the process. It is increasing portion sizes without raising prices, for instance, and empowering managers to give away the occasional free juice or entree.
Applebee's new traffic-driving strategy was on the menu all along

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInSame-store sales turned positive in March and April. | Photo: ShutterstockApplebee’s has tried a number of different tactics in recent years to get customers to visit and turn around flagging sales and traffic. First there were low-priced, item-specific offers, like $1 margaritas and 50-cent boneless wings. And when those didn’t work as expected, the chain switched to a combo meal approach with the $9.99 Really Big Meal Deal last year.
Denny's launches a buy one, get one deal after sales slide

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInSame-store sales declined 3%, Denny's worst result in four years. | Photo: ShutterstockDenny’s is hoping a new value deal will help reverse a sharp sales decline to start the year. In April, the diner chain launched a buy one, get one (BOGO) promotion on its signature Slam menu. Customers can order a Grand Slam or All-American Slam breakfast and get a second one for $1.
Wonder raises another $600M to accelerate store openings

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInWonder has been opening one store per week. | Photo courtesy of WonderWonder, the food hall and delivery startup founded by entrepreneur Marc Lore, has raised another $600 million to help speed up its aggressive expansion plans. The investment, led by venture capital firm NEA, follows a $700 million fundraise last March and brings Wonder’s total funding to more than $2 billion.
DoorDash to acquire Deliveroo and reservations firm SevenRooms

1 week ago | restaurantbusinessonline.com | Joe Guszkowski

FacebookTwitterLinkedInThe two deals total more than $5 billion. | Photo: ShutterstockDelivery giant DoorDash is making two acquisitions that will expand its footprint globally and into restaurants’ on-premise business. It has an agreement to acquire Deliveroo, the U.K.-based delivery service, for $3.9 billion. The deal will bring DoorDash into 10 new countries in Europe, Asia and the Middle East.