Weekly Global News Wrap: Domino’s U.S. same-store sales cools; McDonald’s to test plant-based burger in U.S., Popeyes’ celebrity hot sauce

Here is a summary of the most interesting news stories of the week from around the world.

Domino’s same-store sales at U.S. stores dropped 1.9% in the three months through early September compared with the same period last year, the firm’s first same-store sales decline in more than a decade, the Wall Street Journal reported. Read more here.

McDonald’s said it will test the plant-based McPlant burger as part of its partnership with Beyond Meat in eight U.S. restaurants next month, CNBC reported. The fast-food giant has already started selling these burgers in some international markets. Read more here.

Popeyes announced it will partner with American singer Megan Thee Stallion to promote a new hot sauce and sell merchandise. Dubbed the “Megan Thee Stallion Hottie Sauce” the item is made with honey, cider vinegar, and Aleppo pepper and will be served on the chain’s popular chicken sandwich, and also as a dipping sauce for their recently added nuggets. Read more here.

Wendy's has partnered with Google Cloud to leverage the latter’s data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and hybrid cloud tools to enhance its customer experience in the drive thru, on mobile devices and through other touchpoints. As reported by Restaurant Business, the company said that it could use speech-to-text or Google Search and Maps to improve the ordering process. Read more here.

61% of restaurant operators do not agree with the United States’ COVID-19 vaccine mandate for companies with at least 100 employees, according to a new poll from Black Box Intelligence. The survey included 100 restaurant chain operators across QSR, fast casual, family, casual, upscale and fine dining segments. Read more here.