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Taco Bell Corp. is pushing back against a lawsuit that claims the fast food chain’s “seasoned ground beef” is not all it’s made out to be.
Taco Bell said on Tuesday that it plans to take legal action against the “false statements” being made about its food. The chain operates, manages or franchises more than 5,600 locations in the United States, according to the lawsuit. Get the full story »
Taco Bell's lineup of beef tacos. (Taco Bell)
“Where’s the beef?” Wendy’s restaurants once famously asked through its advertising as a swipe at its small-burger competitors.
The same question is now being asked by a California woman regarding Taco Bell’s beef products, which she claims contain very little meat. So little in fact, she’s brought a false-advertising lawsuit against the huge fast-food Mexican restaurant chain. Get the full story »
McDonald’s Corp. will raise prices in the U.S. this year to combat rising commodity costs, the company said in its fourth-quarter earnings call Monday morning.
The Oak Brook-based burger chain estimates that ingredient costs will rise 2 percent to 2.5 percent, with some of those costs passed on to consumers. Get the full story »
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group Inc. plans to slice away the Arby’s sandwich chain by putting it up for sale, people familiar with the matter said.
The move represents a concession by activist investor Nelson Peltz that Arby’s, known for its roast beef sandwiches, is having trouble competing in an industry where the only viable ways to grow are to steal market share from rivals or expand overseas-two things Wendy’s is better positioned than Arby’s to accomplish. Get the full story »
McDonald’s Corp. plans to double the number of its restaurants in China to 2,000 by 2013, a senior executive said on Wednesday as it speeds up expansion in the fastest growing major economy.
The top global fast food chain, which opened its first outlet in the southern boom town of Shenzhen 20 years ago, is facing fierce competition with Yum Brands Inc., the parent of Pizza Hut and KFC, which has roughly 3,700 outlets in China. Get the full story »
From the Financial Times | The chief executive of McDonald’s has described critics of the company who have tried to curtail the sale of Happy Meals aimed at children as “food police” and accused them of undermining parents in making decisions for their families, in an interview with the Financial Times
“We’ll continue to sell Happy Meals,” said Skinner adding that the new rule “really takes personal choice away from families who are more than capable of making their own decisions”. Get the full story>>
Yum Brands said China would surpass the United States as the fast-food restaurant operator’s top profit generator this year, and the Chinese market’s potential is still largely untapped.
Yum has more than 3,700 restaurants in China, mostly KFC outlets, and has a big lead over Western rivals like McDonald’s in the world’s fastest-growing major economy. Get the full story »
McDonald’s Corp. reported global comparable sales for November were up 4.8 percent, which was weaker than anticipated in its key domestic market and Japan.
In the U.S., McDonald’s credited the McRib sandwich, demand for McCafe beverages and its core menu for boosting sales 4.9 percent. Although winter is a historically slow period for McDonald’s is likely to grab its share of media attention with a nationwide promotion of oatmeal in the wings. Get the full story »
A woman walks out of a McDonald's outlet in Beijing Nov. 17, 2010. (Christina Hu/Reuters)
McDonald’s has raised menu prices in mainland China by 0.5 yuan to 1 yuan per item with immediate effect because of rising materials costs as the country grapples with accelerating food inflation.
McDonald’s, which has more than 1,000 outlets in China, was raising prices for the first time this year, while Yum! Brands, parent of KFC and Pizza Hut chains, had so far kept prices unchanged, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
“Because some materials prices have increased, we have adjusted menu prices accordingly,” a McDonald’s (China) Co. Ltd spokeswoman said. Get the full story »
McDonald’s Corp. said it raised prices of some food items sold at its China outlets 7 to 15 cents per item effective Wednesday because of higher costs, which come amid growing concerns about spiralling inflation.
The increase “is because of higher raw material prices and we’ve adjusted our prices accordingly,” said Sophia Luan, vice president of corporate affairs and communications at McDonald’s China. Get the full story »
Wendy's new fries. (Wendy's)
With an eye toward appealing to foodies, Wendy’s is remaking its fries with Russett potatoes, leaving the skin on and sprinkling sea salt on top as it changes its menu to focus on “real” ingredients to win more fans.
The first move in the strategy was a new line of salads such as Apple Pecan Chicken in the summer. Now, the fries, which first appear on Thursday and roll out over the next two weeks. This is the first major overhaul of the 41-year-old company’s fries, although it has adjusted the recipe in the past. Get the full story »
San Francisco has become the first major American city to prohibit fast-food restaurants from including toys with children’s meals that do not meet nutritional guidelines.
The city’s Board of Supervisors voted 8-3 in favor of the measure Tuesday after giving it preliminary approval last week. That’s enough votes to survive a likely veto by Mayor Gavin Newsom.
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. is developing an Asian restaurant concept modeled after the successful fast-casual burrito chain.
Chipotle founder and co-Chief Executive Steve Ells and a small team from the company are developing the concept, whose name wasn’t disclosed. They plan to open one location next year. Get the full story »
Burger King is looking to put some pep into its new breakfast push by giving out free cups of coffee every Friday morning this month. The goal is to promote the company’s new breakfast menu, which rolled out in September. The company launched a major marketing blitz, with the aim of eating up some of McDonald’s market-leading morning business. Get the full story »
San Francisco’s board of supervisors has voted, by a veto-proof margin, to ban most of McDonald’s Happy Meals as they are now served in the restaurants.
The measure will make San Francisco the first major city in the country to forbid restaurants from offering a free toy with meals that contain more than set levels of calories, sugar and fat. Get the full story »
