Starbucks is back. Or so says Brian Niccol, who marked his second anniversary as the coffee shop chain’s CEO this week. In a message to the system on Thursday, he lauded the company’s staff for the efforts made over the past two years to improve the operations of its coffee shop, technology and marketing. All those efforts have helped lift sales at the Seattle-based chain, including 7.9% in the U.S. last quarter. Niccol said in his message that the company would use the same principles to keep its focus in the coming years.
Add Papa Johns to the list of restaurants Walmart delivers from. The retail giant said Thursday that it will start offering delivery from the pizza chain, which joins Dunkin’ and Subway in Walmart’s growing delivery network. It also marks the first time Walmart will deliver from restaurants not located in its stores. The company said it will give customers more reasons to shop at Walmart, allowing them to get a hot meal delivered alongside groceries and other everyday items.
The owner of Pollo Tropical landed a big investment. Authentic Restaurant Brands received a $325 million “flexible capital solution” from Trimontium, a London-based asset manager, to help it grow. Authentic’s strategy has been to acquire regional restaurant brands like Pollo Tropical and P.J. Whelihan’s and grow them in their home markets while investing in things like technology. It currently owns five brands spanning 225 locations. It plans to use the investment to open more locations and acquire more brands.
Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast.
