Nation's Restaurant News

Nation's Restaurant News (NRN) is a U.S. trade magazine established in 1967 that focuses on the foodservice sector, which includes restaurants, restaurant chains, operations, marketing strategies, and industry events. It is owned by Penton Media, which acquired it from the original publisher, Lebhar-Friedman, in December 2010. NRN is part of the Penton Restaurant Group, alongside its sister publications, Restaurant Hospitality and Food Management.

National, Trade/B2B

English

Magazine

Outlet metrics

Domain Authority

Ranking

Global

#145774

United States

#35770

Food and Drink/Restaurants and Delivery

#595

Traffic sources

Monthly visitors

Articles

Here are the burger chains with the highest average unit volumes

5 days ago | nrn.com | Alicia Kelso

We restaurant journalists like to zoom in on average unit volumes to better understand the health of a brand. While AUVs aren’t the only important metric, understanding that average sales of a brand across its markets serve as a key performance indicator overall, partially illustrating store-level economics and potential return on investment.
Taco Bell launches a build-your-own Luxe Cravings Box with Tony Hawk

5 days ago | nrn.com | Alicia Kelso

Taco Bell is teaming up with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk to launch a build-your-own Luxe Cravings Box, available through the chain’s app and website. Everyin-app Luxe Cravings Box order offers in-game items in Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4, including a Salsa Verde Skateboard, Taco Bell Hoodie, Verde Grip Tape, and more. New drops roll out weekly from July 11 to Aug. 13.
Crumbl’s latest celebrity collaboration is with singer Benson Boone

5 days ago | nrn.com | Alicia Kelso

Crumbl’s latest celebrity collaboration is with singer Benson Boone and features the Moonbeam Ice Cream Cookie available starting today and timed to coincide with the release of his latest single, “Mystical Magical.” The chilled chocolate cookie is filled with cookies and cream pieces and topped with moonbeam ice cream-inspired lemon, berry, and marshmallow toppings, and finished with a white drizzle and a final sprinkle of cookies and cream.
Darden promotion helps Olive Garden hit record sales

1 week ago | nrn.com | Ron Ruggless

Olive Garden parent Darden Restaurants Inc., which completed its first full quarter with Uber Direct delivery, promoted its buy-one-take-one offer for the first time in five years and, with off-premises sales, reached records in the fourth quarter, the company said Friday. The Orlando, Fla.-based casual-dining company, which released earnings for the quarter ended May 25, said the continued strength of off-premises sales were driven, in part, by the delivery platform.
Dos Toros offers its own take on Mission-style Mexican food

1 week ago | nrn.com | Bret Thorn

Dos Toros Taqueria is a fast casual concept based in New York City. It was founded in 2009 by San Francisco Bay Area natives Leo and Oliver Kramer, and has since grown to 21 locations with 19 in New York City and two in Washington, D.C. Like its much bigger competitor, Chipotle, Dos Toros focuses on San Francisco's mission-style burritos, but Dos Toros’ burritos have the unique quality of being spread with cheese, and they're wrapped more tightly, more like torpedoes.
Olive Garden president Dan Kiernan will retire Aug. 31

1 week ago | nrn.com | Ron Ruggless

Darden Restaurants Inc. on Friday said Dan Kiernan, president of its 935-unit Olive Garden brand, will retire Aug. 31 and, as of June 18, the board has approved John Wilkerson, president of Cheddar’s Scratch Kitchen, as his successor. The Orlando, Fla.-based company said Wilkerson, a 30-year Darden veteran, will work with Kiernan until his retirement to ensure a smooth transition, company executives said Friday.
White Castle has expanded its late-night hours

1 week ago | nrn.com | Alicia Kelso

As more quick-service chains extend their hours into the late-night daypart, White Castle is aiming to protect its market share with the nocturnal crowd. The chain announced today it is also expanding its hours, with 91% of the system now open until 1 a.m. or later and 72% operating 24/7, marking the highest level of late-night operating hours since 2020. This expansion builds on last year’s investments to bolster its late-night daypart, including labor, technology tools, and marketing.
Yum China is testing an AI assistant for store managers

1 week ago | nrn.com | Alicia Kelso

Yum China today announced the pilot launch of “Q-Smart,” an artificial intelligence-enabled assistant for restaurant managers, at select KFC restaurants. According to the company, Q-Smart helps with labor scheduling, inventory management, and food quality and safety inspection. Managers can interact with the system using wearable devices such as wireless earphones and smart watches, creating a hands-free experience rather than having to rely on touchscreens or PCs to complete tasks.
Darden seeks to spin off 28-unit Bahama Breeze

1 week ago | nrn.com | Ron Ruggless

Darden Restaurants Inc. will sell or convert its 28 remaining Bahama Breeze restaurants, executives said Friday. Orlando, Fla.-based Darden, which released earnings for the fourth quarter ended May 25, closed 15 Bahama Breeze restaurants in May along with a few other brand locations. “We have made the difficult decision that these remaining locations and the Bahama Breeze brand are not a strategic priority for us,” Rick Cardenas, president and CEO of Darden, said on an earnings call.
New items from Taco Bell, Hardee’s, and Del Taco

1 week ago | nrn.com | Bret Thorn

When is a soft drink a mocktail? It’s hard to say, but there’s certainly cachet in the latter term these days, which is one reason why they’re now available at Biggby Coffee and Einstein Bros. Bagels. Condado Tacos has revamped its selection of Margaritas, and makes them available without booze for $2.50 less. Burgerville, on the other hand, is sexying up the description of its seasonal lemonade in its own way, by pointing to the fact that it’s using local fruit.