News Briefs

Yum! Brands, Inc. announced that David Gibbs, Chief Executive Officer, has informed the Board of Directors of his intention to retire from the Company in the next year.

The Board has established a succession planning committee and will work deliberately to identify and appoint the best candidate to lead the company’s next chapter. Gibbs will continue leading the company throughout the search process until his retirement, expected in the first quarter of 2026.

“During my time as CEO and throughout my 36 years with Yum! Brands, it has been an honor to work alongside this incredibly talented team and our dedicated franchisees to build the most loved, trusted, and connected restaurant brands around the world,” said Gibbs. “I set out to strengthen and broaden the appeal of our iconic brands, build industry-leading digital capabilities, dramatically accelerate the pace of profitable new unit development, and amplify our people-first culture. I am pleased with the progress we have made on all fronts and know that Yum! Brands is now stronger and more resilient than ever. I look forward to supporting the next CEO candidate and ensuring the company is set up for continued success. In the meantime, my focus remains on executing our strategy and delivering against our growth commitments.”

Gibbs has served as Yum! Brands’ CEO since January 2020. As CEO, Gibbs focused on leading the company’s digital transformation, building the Company’s development engine and delivering strong shareholder returns powered by a people-first culture of collaboration. Simultaneously, Gibbs also successfully navigated the Company through the COVID-19 pandemic and an increasingly complex operating environment, making the Company a top performer in the restaurant industry. During Gibbs’ tenure, digital sales surpassed $30 billion in 2024 with over 50% of sales through digital channels and the pace of annual net new unit development tripled, leading to more than 61,000 restaurant units worldwide.

“Along with the entire Board of Directors, I commend David for his dedication to Yum! Brands and applaud his transformative impact on the company – not just in his time as CEO, but throughout the entirety of his nearly four-decade career with Yum! Brands,” said Brian Cornell, Non-Executive Chairman of the Yum! Brands Board of Directors and Chairman and CEO of Target Corporation. “The Board is committed to overseeing a thorough succession planning process and appreciates David’s continued leadership of the business as well as the ample timeline provided to ensure a seamless leadership transition.”

Jack in the Box Inc. and its Board of Directors announced Lance Tucker as the permanent Chief Executive Officer for Jack in the Box, where he will also serve on the company’s board of directors.

Tucker served as interim CEO since February 2025 after being hired as chief financial officer for the company in November 2024, which followed a previous tenure as CFO of Jack in the Box from March 2018 to September 2020.

“Lance brings decades of experience within the restaurant industry as well as a financial mind into the CEO role that is well-timed to match with the company's current priorities," said Dave Goebel, Jack in the Box Chairman of the Board. "We are confident that Lance will position our company to perform at high levels, and drive returns that shareholders expect from our iconic brands and profitable business model."

“I am thrilled to have the confidence of the Board, as well as our talented leadership team, to lean on the many strong fundamentals already in place to help restore Jack in the Box as a shareholder success story,” said Tucker. “While there are many priorities to address quickly – including capital allocation, free cash flow acceleration and returning the business to an asset light model – I know our talented corporate team and dedicated franchise operators will work together to position our brands for a very successful future.”

Dawn Hooper will continue to serve as interim principal financial officer until a permanent CFO is named. Tucker will assume permanent CEO duties immediately.

Chipotle Mexican Grill is looking to repeat its "highest digital transaction day of all time" by bringing back its Burrito Vault Game. 

"Last year, our Burrito Vault drove unprecedented fan engagement that resulted in our highest digital transaction day of all time," said Chris Brandt, Chief Brand Officer. "Now, we are giving them another chance to crack the code and score more free burritos." 

To celebrate National Burrito Day on April 3 Chipotle will give away up to 157,500 Buy-One-Get-One free entrée codes.

Through April 2, Chipotle Rewards members in the U.S. and Canada can access the Burrito Vault game by visiting UnlockBurritoDay.com. Players must guess the exact burrito order combination, ingredient by ingredient, to unlock the bank. Prizes are available for the first 2,500 Chipotle Rewards members who successfully decipher the Burrito Vault code each hour.

Inspired by the popularity of word puzzles, Burrito Vault was played more than two million times in 2024, and prizes were claimed in under 20 minutes. This year, the brand is changing the winning code to the Burrito Vault every hour to spread the prize drops throughout the duration of the game. With over 53 real, fresh ingredients and more than one billion possible burrito order combinations,³ Burrito Vault highlights Chipotle's delicious customizable menu in celebration of National Burrito Day.  
On National Burrito Day, April 3, Chipotle is extending a $0 delivery fee offer  to all Chipotle Rewards members ordering via Chipotle.com, Chipotle.ca and the Chipotle app with code DELIVER.

TouchBistro, released its annual 2025 American Diner Trends Report, surveying 1,500 diners across the U.S.. Despite the fact that consumers are paying more to visit and order from restaurants this year – 12.5% more to be exact – the average consumer is increasingly willing to make room in their budget for dining and takeout, resulting in a surprisingly optimistic outlook for the restaurant industry.

Taking a closer look at the 2025 Diner Trends Report, there are major divergences in the dining habits based on demographics and income, and specific trends that restaurants should watch.

Key data points:

• Despite a higher cost of living, the average consumer’s dining habits are unchanged. In fact, the number of consumers who dine out weekly or more often was actually up slightly from 39% to 42%
• The demand for takeout and delivery has slightly outpaced the demand for dining in. 28% of consumers say they are ordering takeout and delivery more frequently than last year.
• Among delivery apps, DoorDash is the clear favorite. More than two thirds (73%) of diners reported using DoorDash, with Uber Eats (56%) in second place and Grubhub (34%) in third.
• Nearly half (47%) of diners say they engage with loyalty programs at least once a week, up significantly from just 34% in 2023.

“Resilience stands out as the defining characteristic of this year's 2025 Diner Trends Report,” said Samir Zabaneh, Chairman and CEO of TouchBistro. “While current economic conditions have a clear effect on dining habits, consumers are demonstrating remarkable adaptability, strategically allocating their spending based on what matters most to them – be it exceptional experiences, convenient access or maximizing value.”

Lower Income Households Feeling the Pinch

As expected, inflation and rising costs have a larger impact on lower income households. While 42 per cent of American diners said they dine out weekly or more, that drops to 27 per cent of those in households making less than $50k annually. In contrast, 64 per cent of those households making $200k or more said they dined out at least once a week.

This is aligned with consumers overwhelmingly citing costs as the main reason they were dining out less this year. 45 per cent of those who said they were dining out less this year because restaurant prices are too high.

Additionally, households making less than $50k ordered takeout and delivery far less frequently than their wealthier peers. Over one-in-three (35 per cent) of households making less than $50k still order in once a week or more often, compared to 55 per cent of households making $100k to $200k responded the same.

Price is clearly the largest detractor for American diners when it comes to takeout and delivery, with 36 per cent saying cooking at home is less expensive, 31 per cent saying restaurant prices are too high and 15 per cent pointing to high delivery fees.

Gen Z Insights

Despite having less spending power than other generations, Gen Z are making an outsized impact on the restaurant industry. One-in-five (20 per cent) of Gen Z say they are going out to eat daily, and while 58 per cent of Americans say they do not plan to change how often they are dining out in the next six months, almost half (48 per cent) of Gen Z actually plan to eat out more often. 50 per cent of Gen Z also said they plan to order takeout or delivery more often.

With all their plans to dine out and order delivery and take out, here are some factors that influence Gen Z:

• While eating out is typically a social activity, this year saw a notable increase in solo dining with 49% of Gen Z dining alone weekly or more often.
• 50% of Gen Z and Millennials diners would be more likely to visit a restaurant if it had a Michelin star, compared to one third of Gen X and just 16 per cent of Boomers.
• Over 4-in-5 (81%) of Gen Z diners are motivated to visit a restaurant if it has a limited time offer (LTO).
• 67% of Gen Z have used social media to decide on a restaurant.

Tipping Culture

With rising cost of goods, it is no surprise that average check sizes are up again. This year, diners reported spending $54 on average when eating out at a restaurant – up from $48 in 2023. While diners are spending noticeably more, more than half (61 per cent) of diners say there has been no change in their tipping habits this year.

Overall, the average percentage that American diners are tipping when dining in is 16%. While over 1-in-4 (27%) say they tip between 20-24%, this is balanced out by 15% of diners who are tipping 5 per cent or less. Additionally, despite Gen Z planning to dine out more often, they are also the stingiest tippers – tipping 13%on average. That is five% less than the average tip from Boomers (18%).

As for delivery and takeout, 64% of diners said their tipping habits remain unchanged. 29% do not tip at all, and what may be even more surprising is that 12% said they tip 20% or more on take out and delivery.

Navigating 2025

“Even with rising cost of living, diners consistently demonstrate their commitment to dining out and supporting restaurants,” added Zabaneh. “This enduring customer loyalty drives the restaurant industry forward, creating clear opportunities for restaurants to enhance the dining experience through strategic limited time offers, efficient delivery and exceptional in-person service.”

Here are five ways restaurant operators can bring in new and returning customers in 2025:

1. Minimizing Menu Price Increases: Just because diners are still eating out and ordering in, does not mean they are happy about higher menu prices. Restaurant operators should limit significant menu price increases, explore value menus when possible, and avoid implementing any sneaky service charges.
2. Expanding Off-Premise Options: Takeout and delivery is not going away any time soon, with consumers enjoying both the lower cost and being able to eat in the comfort of their own home. Restaurants who are looking to launch or expand their off-premise capabilities should optimize for speed and convenience, the two main factors driving consumers’ takeout and delivery decisions.
3. Leveraging Limited Time Offerings (LTOs): With increased competition and higher food costs, one way restaurants can stand out is with LTOs, which appeal to every generation of diners and are an easy way to draw in new customers. The key is to keep these promotions short to avoid menu bloat.
4. Maximizing Diner Discovery: Most restaurant operators know that their digital presence is an essential marketing tool. By polishing their own profiles and encouraging user-generated content like social media and Google reviews, savvy restaurateurs can boost organic diner discovery.
5. Experimenting with Tech: Diners are increasingly comfortable with foodservice automation and AI, and they can be a huge boost in efficiency. For back of house, operators should focus on tech that drives speed, efficiency, and cost savings. In the front of house, there should be a more cautious approach to ensure customer service is always at the forefront.

The 2025 American Diner Trends Report can be downloaded for free HERE.

Odd Burger has launched a custom-designed AI chatbot on its website (oddburger.com) so that it can begin the process of automating the company's customer support, franchise sales and investor relations activities.  

The chatbot is expected to help the Canadian QSR  scale more efficiently and provide better response times and resolutions for its customers, investors and franchise partners.

"We are excited to launch our first AI system," says CEO James McInnes.  "AI is shifting the way companies do business, and I believe early movers will have a significant advantage in the marketplace."

The company also plans on launching an AI voice agent, which will allow users to get a human-like experience when contacting the Company through the phone. In related news, the company announced that it has appointed AI expert Graham Taylor, a leading expert in the field of Artificial Intelligence, to its board of directors.  Taylor is currently Professor of Engineering at the University of Guelph. He co-directs the University of Guelph Centre for Advancing Responsible and Ethical AI and is a Faculty Member at the Vector Institute for AI.

Based in London, Ontario, Canada, Odd Burger Corp. is a franchised vegan fast-food restaurant chain and food technology company that manufactures a proprietary line of plant-based protein and dairy alternatives. Its manufactured products are distributed to Odd Burger restaurant locations through its foodservice line and sold at grocery retailers through its consumer-packaged goods (CPG) line. Odd Burger restaurants operate as smart kitchens, "which use state-of-the art cooking technology and automation solutions to deliver a delicious food experience to customers craving healthier and more sustainable fast food." With small store footprints optimized for delivery and takeout, advanced cooking technology, competitive pricing, a vertically integrated supply chain along with healthier ingredients, Odd Burger plans to revolutionize the fast-food industry. 

• Impact: Restaurants using AI Responses have seen a 27% decrease in time to respond to guest feedback and responded to 35% more feedback than those not using it. Plus, an 80% increase in messages sent within two minutes of starting a draft. 

• Impact: Operators get a pulse on actionable guest sentiment in seconds, making it easier to coach staff and improve operations, without spending hours searching through online reviews across an array of channels.

• Impact: Teams are equipped with better guest data to deliver "wow" moments every time, without having to sort through long, unstructured notes and histories of long-time guests.