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

KFC went through a highly publicized, somewhat bizarre crisis in the U.K. this week: The fast food joint known for its fried chicken ran out of chicken. Now, KFC is apologizing with a creative stunt: rearranging its name to spell “FCK.” According to AdWeek, the ad grabs readers’ attention with a reimagining of the chain’s logo echoing the sentiments of both fast food fans and company executives to the chicken shortage: reordering “KFC” to read “FCK.”

Subway wants to reward its loyal customers—regardless of the store they visit. The sandwich giant is making an upgrade to its loyalty programme, offering a combination of points-based rewards and “surprise and delight” offers tailored for the customer, and it will now be available at all of its locations in the U.S. and Canada, rather than the limited number of locations it’s available in right now. Read more here.

Dunkin' Donuts US has ramped up its expansion with the launch of 86 new non-traditional locations across the country in 2017. Further expanding the Dunkin' Donuts footprint within rest stops and travel centers, the brands franchisees opened a total of 12 travel center restaurants around the country. The company also significantly increased its partnership with Pilot Flying J Travel Centers in 2017, accounting for five of the total 12 locations open throughout the year, with a commitment for an additional 20 in 2018. These new locations expanded the brand's portfolio to include full-service restaurants, as well as additional self-serve locations. Read more here.

Carl’s Jr. US launched The Call of Carl’s, the brand’s first Carl’s-only national campaign. The campaign marks a shift for the brand’s parent company CKE Restaurants Holdings Inc., which had for nearly two decades worked to merge their Carl’s Jr and Hardee’s brands. The company will reveal Hardee’s makeover in a few weeks which will focus on Hardee’s “Southern classic brand” and “food that feeds the soul".

Photo credit: Sopitas

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

A new KFC television commercial in Australia that features a drawing of parents captioned “naked wrestling” has prompted an investigation by the industry watchdog. The ad shows a mum and dad reacting with horror to the drawing, which is held up by a teacher. According to 9news, the clip received complaints from viewers.

Smashburger, the Denver-based "Better Burger" concept, announced that Jollibee Foods Corporation, Asia's largest food service company, has agreed to acquire an additional 45% of the Smashburger brand for $100M USD, bringing JFC ownership stake to 85%. Read more here.

Yum! Brands announced that Brian Niccol will step down from his role as Taco Bell CEO to assume a senior position at another public company, effective immediately. With Brian’s departure, Julie Felss Masino, 47, President, Taco Bell North America, and Liz Williams, 42, President, Taco Bell International, will assume leadership of the Taco Bell Division in their respective roles, reporting to Yum! Brands Chief Executive Officer Greg Creed. Read more here.

KFC branches in Leicestershire have been forced to close due to a lack of chicken and chips. According to Leicester Mercury, KFC said the issues were down to "teething problems" with a new delivery partner and that “getting fresh chicken out to 900 restaurants across the country is pretty complex." They added, "We won't compromise on quality, so no deliveries has meant some of our restaurants are closed, others are operating a limited menu or shortened hours."

TV chef Jamie Oliver has already planned to close 12 of 37 Jamie's Italian restaurants, as his food empire struggles with falling bookings and rising costs. According to Daily Mail, fierce competition and a switch to home deliveries is taking its toll on chain restaurants, with Byron and Strada also announcing closures. Read more here.

Flippy, the hamburger-flipping robot, has garnered enough interest from investors that the company behind it, Miso Robotics has reportedly secured an additional $10 million in its latest round of funding. According to Food and Wine, this brings the total disclosed investment in the Pasadena, California-based startup to $14 million—or about 1.9 million hours of work paid at the federal minimum wage. Read more here. 

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

Renamed as Inspire Brands, Arby's Restaurant Group Inc. has merged with Buffalo Wild Wings Inc. to continue acquiring chains and targeting consumers in fast food and casual dining segments. According to The Wall Street Journal, the renamed Inspire Brands Inc. aims to acquire more chains to mitigate the threat of consumers losing their appetite for any one type of restaurant concept or cuisine. 

Chipotle has announced enhancements to benefits that will reach all of its 71,000 employees which will include bonuses, new training programs, and expanded parental leave for employees as a result of changes in U.S. tax law. Chipotle will reinvest more than one-third of its anticipated savings from tax law changes into its employees. 

As part of its commitment to serve the planet responsibly, Dunkin' Donuts announced plans to eliminate all polystyrene foam cups in its global supply chain beginning in spring 2018, with a targeted completion date of 2020. In U.S. restaurants, Dunkin' Donuts will replace the foam cup with a new, double-walled paper cup.

Yum Brands has announced a plan to invest $200 million in the online food ordering company Grubhub as part of a broad delivery and ordering partnership that will rapidly expand delivery at the company’s KFC and Taco Bell brands.Grubhub will be YUM’s only national partner providing dedicated support for KFC and Taco Bell branded online delivery channels, along with access to Grubhub’s online ordering platform, logistics, and last-mile support for delivery orders, and point-of-sale integration to streamline operations. 

To celebrate fifty years of Big Mac, McDonald's is introducing three new sizes of the burger. From February 7 until March 20, the Birthday Burger, Mac Jr., and Big Mac will be available to the guests in UK stores.

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

Starbucks and Chase announced the availability of the Starbucks Rewards Visa Card, a co-brand credit card integrated directly into the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program. Customers using the card earn Stars with every purchase both in and out of Starbucks stores wherever Visa is accepted worldwide, and can be redeemed for food and beverage items at more than 8,000 participating Starbucks locations. Card members will also become members of the Starbucks Rewards loyalty program, receiving exclusive perks and benefits already enjoyed by more than 14 million members daily. Starbucks Rewards Visa Card has an annual fee of $49.

Wendy's is launching a whole new TV ad campaign to call out rival McDonald’s for using frozen beef patties in its hamburgers in two ads: a 15-second ad and a 30-second ad. According to Business Insider, Wendy’s TV campaign is the latest move in the chain’s bid for greater awareness, not around its brand, but around the fact that it uses fresh beef in its own burgers.

Dubai has opened the world’s first floating sustainable fast food drive-thru. Aqua Pod, which launched in Dubai's lagoons, will either deliver food by jet ski to boats or accept orders directly from smaller watercraft. According to The Sun, the first Aqua Pod will initially be situated in Jumeirah, and will also cover areas like Al Sufouh and Kite Beach. Running on electrical propulsion, the pod also has a built- in system enabling it to collect any waste wrappers or trash from the sea.

McDonald's plans to open about 1,000 new stores worldwide and speed up plans to add new self-service ordering systems and other store upgrades as the fast-food giant's momentum continues. The company reported strong fourth-quarter sales on Tuesday, fueled by strong interest in its McPick 2 options, beverage deals and a "strong consumer response" to its new Buttermilk Crispy Tenders. "Our business is growing, and it’s fundamentally sound," McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook said during the analyst call. "2017 was our best performance in six years. Customers are rewarding us with more visits."

Panera Bread Co. has started a consulting service to help other chains remove artificial preservatives, sweeteners, flavors and colors from menus. In an article by Reuters, the bakery/cafe chain’s “clean consultant” services include helping clients find ways to source healthier and more natural ingredients and to improve and differentiate menus. “We want to help industry peers devise strategies that prioritize clean across their whole menu, rather than focusing on a single ingredient or product,” said Sara Burnett, Panera’s director of wellness and food policy. Panera founder and Chairman Ron Shaich said the service would help end “clean washing,” where companies reformulate a product like chicken nuggets to be more natural and then serve it with dipping sauces made from unnatural or unhealthy ingredients.

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

Inspired by global television show, the world's first Gordon Ramsay HELL'S KITCHEN restaurant marked its official grand opening at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas. Designed to be an experiential and immersive destination restaurant, guests at Gordon Ramsay HELL'S KITCHEN will feel transported to the studio set of the FOX television show. The inspiration from the show is evident from the signature pitchfork – direct from the set of the TV show – that marks the entryway, to the life-size video screen of Chef Ramsay that greets guests upon arrival, to the chef uniforms and menu items. The winner of current Season 17 of HELL'S KITCHEN All-Stars will be named Head Chef and have portrait hung with the other previous champions on the winner's wall.

After casting nearly two million votes online over a week, America selected lemon as Krispy Kreme Doughnuts' next, all-new Glazed Doughnut flavour. Fans selected from four flavours – blueberry, caramel, lemon and maple – from January 16 through 22 at www.voteforglaze.com. Lemon was America’s top choice, garnering 36% of the vote. Caramel received 26% of the vote, blueberry received 20% followed by maple, which received 18%. Krispy Kreme will announce this spring the exact dates the all-new Lemon Glazed Doughnut will be available.

Burger King US released a video called Whopper Neutrality which replicates scenarios that show the potential effect of the repeal of Net Neutrality. The recent repeal of Net Neutrality means that internet providers can throttle bandwidth, offer paid fast lanes, block and prioritize content as they wish. During the Whopper Neutrality experiment, Burger King restaurant guests that ordered their Whopper Sandwiches at the regular price had to wait a very long time to receive their orders. Other customers received their orders swiftly, because they paid increased fees for faster service. “We believe the internet should be like Burger King restaurants, a place that doesn’t prioritize and welcomes everyone,” said Fernando Machado, global chief marketing officer.

Starbucks Coffee Company announced a series of new partner (employee) offerings that span across wage and benefits. In April, all eligible U.S. hourly and salaried partners will receive a second wage increase in addition to the annual increases that they have already received this fiscal year. This will include an investment of approximately $120 million in wage increases that will be allocated based on regional cost of living and laws that vary from state to state. Also, a new Partner and Family Sick Time benefit will be available to all eligible U.S. partners, which will allow partners to accrue paid sick time based on hours worked and then use them if they or a family member needs care. When this benefit goes into effect this year, Sick Time will accrue at a rate of one hour for every 30 hours worked, thus a partner working 23 hours a week can expect to accrue approximately five days of sick time benefit over the course of one year.

Jack in the Box Inc. announced two leadership changes in the brand. Frances Allen has informed the company of her decision to resign as Brand President, effective February 9, 2018, and Marcus Tom will join the company on February 12, 2018, as vice president and chief operating officer. Tom will oversee Operations for company and franchise restaurants as well as Strategic Initiatives & Operations Services.

Panera slammed chains like Chick-fil-A and Starbucks for using fake, 'hockey puck' eggs. According to Business Insider, the chain says breakfast sandwiches from rivals like Chick-fil-A and Starbucks contain additives and artificial ingredients. It also announced that it was petitioning the US Food and Drug Administration to establish a clear definition of the term "egg," something that it does not currently have.

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

McDonald's USA has teamed up with internationally-renowned Chinese-American fashion designer Anna Sui to ring in the 2018 Lunar New Year by creating a series of limited edition lucky red envelopes. The envelopes feature original designs by Sui and will be available in San Francisco on Tuesday, January 23. McDonald's and Anna Sui have partnered up on creating 2018 Lunar New Year Red Envelopes to celebrate the $1 $2 $3 dollar menu launch. The Lunar New Year red envelopes feature Pug and Shiba Inu inspired art.

Dunkin' Donuts USA has unveiled its next generation concept store in the city where it opened its very first location 68 years ago. The new Dunkin' Donuts restaurant at 588 Washington Street in Quincy, Massachusetts offers the first drive-thru exclusively for mobile ordering. Dunkin' Donuts' signature cold beverages are now served through a tap system serving eight cold beverages such as coffees, iced teas, cold brew coffee and nitro infused cold brew coffee. An expanded, custom Grab & Go unit will feature bottled beverages, as well as snacks from leading brands that complement Dunkin's menu.

KFC has landed a new campaign by Sid Lee Paris in France as it aims to introduce the Colonel character in advertising for the first time. Also, according to Fortune, KFC has rolled out the Bitcoin Bucket in Canada. “Sure, we don’t know exactly what Bitcoins are, or how they work, but that shouldn’t come between you and some finger lickin’ good chicken,” the company said in a tweet. For $20 worth of your digital currency, customers will get 10 original recipe tenders, waffle fries, a medium side, gravy, and 2 dipping sauces - an offering that can only be paid for using Bitcoin.

Britain's food chain Leon announces it will ditch plastic cutlery from its outlets within months. According to Daily Mail, healthy fast food chain Leon said, "We are proud to announce we are switching from plastic straws to paper alternatives. We will also be moving from plastic cutlery to compostable and biodegradable alternatives."

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

Taco Bell has expanded its current executive roles with the addition of three new positions as the brand continues its journey to become a $15 billion company with 9,000 restaurants globally by 2022. According to a release, Taco Bell is bringing on Julie Felss Masino as Brand President. Taco Bell also announced that Chief Food Innovation Officer Liz Matthews' role will be elevated to include Research and Development, Quality Assurance and Engineering. Mike Grams is expanding his title to Chief Operations and Development Officer; Marisa Thalberg will now serve as Chief Brand Officer, and Elizabeth Baicy is appointed as Vice President, Digital and Future Works.

To ring in the new year, Dunkin' Donuts has removed the artificial dyes from its doughnuts in the US, declaring donuts now sold at Dunkin' Donuts restaurants nationwide are no longer being made using colors from artificial sources. As part of the company's ongoing efforts to offer guests high-quality products and cleaner menu labels, Dunkin' Brands Group, the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, previously pledged to eliminate artificial dyes from all of its food and beverages in the U.S. by the end of 2018.

Wendy's has changed the game again with the expansion of 4 for $4 deal menu. Customers can now choose from eight different quality entrées, including menu items served with premium chicken, oven-baked Applewood Smoked Bacon, and fresh beef. The deals include the Double Stack, Crispy Chicken Sandwich, Grilled Go-Wrap, Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger, Crispy Chicken BLT, Jr. Cheeseburger, Spicy Go-Wrap, or a Jr. Cheeseburger Deluxe, along with fries, chicken nuggets, and a drink – all for just $4.

KFC Japan has launched a low-odour fried chicken at a pop-up store in Tokyo. According to Daily Mail, the menu item has been named 'Fried Chicken Home Type', and has the same taste of regular KFC chicken despite being almost odourless.

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

Burger King restaurants across the world got into the festive spirit by 'gifting' its main competitor, McDonald's, with gas braais to flame-grill their burgers. Locally, the fast-food chain's mascot surprised McDonald’s in N1 City, Cape Town with the grill. According to Burger King, no expense was spared to make the special delivery possible.

Uber Eats has released findings from its first How America Eats survey, capturing data and trends from US adults across generations and regions. The survey reveals Americans' changing eating habits, food preferences and dislikes, guilt-inducing delivery attitudes, and more. It found that brunch is taking a major hit as eating supper at least once a week is now nearly twice as common as brunch. The survey also found that Generation X (28%) and Baby Boomers (27%) prefer salty snacks, while Millennials (24%) tend to crave sweets.

McDonald's is trying to widen its appeal with McVegan, its first-ever vegan burger, by permanently adding the offering to the menu in Finland and Sweden from December 28, 2017. According to Business Insider Nordic, McDonald’s says in a press release it's rolling out the McVegan nationwide – not just in Finland but in Sweden as well.

In time for the holidays, KFC launched its new limited-edition collection of apparel and merchandise on the brand's e-commerce store, KFC Ltd. With products starting at just $4, The KFC Ltd. refresh includes a mix of vintage-style apparel and prints, accessories, along with Colonel Sanders and fried chicken-themed wrapping paper. This is the first time the collection has undergone a full refresh since its initial launch.

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

Starbucks has unveiled a multi-sensory retail experience in the first Starbucks Reserve Roastery in Shanghai. It is the first Starbucks location to integrate a real-time, in-store and online customer experience. It features the first Starbucks augmented reality (AR) experience which is accessible through the custom-designed Roastery digital web-app platform or on Alibaba’s Taobao app. Guest can simply point their mobile devices at key features around the Roastery to bring to life information about the Starbucks bean-to-cup story. The launch of the Roastery also sees the debut of Italian artisan Rocco Princi bakery and Teavana bar in China.

Mintel predicted that 2018 will see the blurring of retail, foodservice, and social media, as well as health and indulgence. Automated order and delivery processes will meet the need for convenience as consumers become more comfortable with and reliant on restaurant technology. As Americans prioritize self-care, food and drink offerings that are both functional and flavorful will rise to the top. Finally, the routine use of social media will impact the creation of next-level menus and food presentation.

Grubhub, online and mobile food-ordering company, has released its second annual 'Year In Delivery' trends analysis. The data found that poke was trendier than ever for delivery in 2017 and is forecasted to stay popular in 2018. Vegetable entrees, such as jackfruit and cauliflower steaks, are on the rise for delivery in 2018, reinforcing national culinary forecasts. The dishes forecasted for popularity in 2018 includes Lettuce chicken wraps with a 184% rise in average monthly popularity, poke (91% rise), bulgogi bibimbap (89% rise), roasted cauliflower (88% rise), and Spicy tonkotsu ramen with a 76% rise in average monthly popularity.

Following McDonald's announcement of the resurgence of its $1 value meals, Taco Bell, the Mexican-themed chain owned by Yum Brands, is responding with what it calls its “biggest value push in company history.” According to Time, the chain is reminding customers that it has a $1 menu with 20 items, and this dollar lineup will be boosted by 20 more limited-time offerings in 2018. The menu will include nacho French fries and a new “stacker” quesadilla — beef and cheese in a folded flour tortilla.

In collaboration with Bank of America Merchant Services and Bypass Mobile, PYMNTS.com launched its first-ever Restaurant Readiness Index that assesses the level of innovation in the U.S. quick-service restaurant industry. PYMNTS.com studied 178 QSRs and tracked the presence or absence of key convenience features when customers order and pay in-store, on a mobile device or via the web. According to the study, the innovations most likely to place a QSR at the top of the index include accepting new and alternative payment methods, kiosks to enable self-service ordering, and cloud-based point-of-sale systems. Most QSRs, however, are failing to implement those features. 53% of QSRs use cloud-based POS systems and just over 74% of QSR’s offer in-store promotions. Soup/salad sellers had the highest average scores (50 out of 100), while frozen dessert distributors did the worst (26 out of 100).

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

Starbucks has unveiled its new holiday Red Cup which design features a white heart in the middle. According to Biz Journal's article, the white heart is a space for customers to write someone's name. Starbucks aims to encourage customers to "recognize those who fill their heart and embody goodness this holiday season" and share their dedicated cup on social media with the hashtag #GiveGood.

Domino's US has launched a baby registry powered by Gugu Guru. Starting November 29, 2017, parents-to-be can create their own registry at dominosbabyregistry.com. After creating and customizing their registry, parents can choose from a variety of gift card themes to use before and after their little ones' arrival. All gifts will be delivered to the parents-to-be as Domino's eGift cards. One lucky person will win free pizza for a year and several other pizza-themed gifts such as onesies, leggings, moccasins, and mugs from Gugu Guru by entering on their blog or via the widget displayed on the Gugu Guru Facebook page.

Pizza Hut is now adding vegan cheese to its UK offerings nationwide, following the success of the initial trial and the huge customer demand for the product. According to head of communication Gareth Hopley, the vegan will now be feature as a permanent fixture on Pizza Hur's menus.The Cheese is priced at £1 extra on any pizza.

According to Reuters, Chipotle founder and CEO Steve Ells has stepped down from the position after failing for two years to rescue the burrito chain’s sales and reputation from a string of food safety lapses. Investors welcomed the move, sending Chipotle shares up more than 5% to $301.99. Chipotle said it hired executive recruitment firm Spencer Stuart to find a “new leader with demonstrated turnaround expertise” to replace Ells, who will stay on as executive chairman once a new CEO is found.

Arby's Restaurant Group is set to acquire Buffalo Wild Wings in a $2.9 billion deal. Arby's and Buffalo Wild Wings announced that they have agreed to a merger through which Arby's will acquire the wing chain for $157 per share in cash, plus Buffalo Wild Wings' net debt. The per-share offering price marks a 38% premium to Buffalo Wild Wings' 30-day weighted average stock price as of November 13. Including the cost of the debt, the total transaction value is $2.9 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2018, pending necessary shareholder approval and closing conditions. This story is originally posted on Forbes. 

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

Pasta Flyer, a new fast-food restaurant that's aiming to be the McDonald's of pasta, has opened earlier this month in Greenwich Village at 510 Sixth Avenue. Business Insider has reported that the brand's pasta bowls cost between $7 and $8, while combos cost $10 and sides run from $2 to $4.

Starbucks is set to launch its first Princi bakery and café in the US as part of Starbucks’ plan to expand Princi globally through its Starbucks Reserve retail formats. Princi will become the exclusive food offering in all new Starbucks Reserve Roastery locations including Shanghai, opening in December 2017, Milan in late 2018, and New York, Tokyo and Chicago thereafter. The story is originally published on Business Wire.

Deliveroo has launched a brand new service which gives its customers unlimited free delivery all day, every day. The premium service, dubbed as Deliveroo Plus, will let guests pay a £7.99 fee each month for unlimited deliveries, as reported by Manchester Evening News.

KFC has reached out to the man who spotted the brand’s Twitter stunt with a painting. South Dakota man Mike Edgette recently discovered that the only accounts followed by KFC were the five Spice Girls and six guys named Herb, adding up to the chain's famed 11 herbs and spices. According to CNET, As a reward, KFC sent him a painting of a man, apparently Edgette, riding on KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders' back, waving a piece of chicken, with a background of purple mountains' majesty.

According to Sterling-Rice Group’s Culinary Trends 2018 report – which highlights the trends that will shape meals in 2018 – moringa will be the thing in 2018 and beyond. The report has predicted that moringa will become the next matcha or golden milk. Also, the objectification of food will continue to emerge. Next year the Culinary Institute of America will start offering classes on how to take "Insta-ready" photos of food. Heading into 2018, we will continue to see visual food experiences created with the explicit purpose of getting the perfect photo opp. 

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

In a release from Starbucks Newsroom, Starbucks US has announced the selling of its Tazo brand to Unilever for $384 million. It will drive a single tea brand strategy and focus with its super premium tea brand, Teavana.

According to a release from Business Wire, the King of Burger King is shaving his iconic moustache and grow a kingstache for the Movember challenge. The King encourages others out there to participate in the challenge and raise awareness for men’s health by growing their own mustache and sharing on social media with the hashtag #kingstachechallenge. The video of the King’s transformation can be found here.

According to Newsweek, McDonald's has announced new guidelines for all its chicken suppliers, mandating such bird-friendly standards as access to perches, clean coops, peaceful suffocation instead of live slaughter and pen-to-plate monitoring to make sure birds aren't injured during their growth.

According to USA Today, fast-food chains like Taco Bell, Chipotle and Shake Shack are using alcohol to drive traffic and increase footfalls. Taco Bell plans to open approximately 150 new locations across the United States that will serve beer and frozen mixed drinks featuring tequila, rum, vodka and whiskey. And Pizza Hut, which serves beer and wine at approximately 3,500 of its sit-down restaurants, is set to add alcohol to the menus at another 200. Chipotle is market-testing a frozen version of its margarita, while Shake Shack, which features ShackMeister Ale and red and white wine, offered a limited-time wine shake to mark the return of the NBC TV show "Will & Grace."

In the 2018 Restaurant Trends Forecast, Restaurant Business and Technomic predict that even more so, data will drive restaurants in order to achieve a level of personalization that sets brands apart. The highlights from Winsight's 2018 Restaurant Trends Forecast include restaurants exploring the next health frontier: lower-intensity, gut-friendly menu items. Baby boomers is bound to bounce back. Also, federal and local governments will face off over labor issues.

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

Burger King US continues to take a jab on McDonald's in the release of its new Whopper promotion. The promotion comes with a Youtube advertisement that shows a man being chased down by clowns until he reaches a Burger King restaurant. The first 500 clown-clad guests to visit the participating outlets in five cities this Halloween will be entitled to a Whopper burger.

CNBC reported that the Dunkin' Brands' CEO is planning to cut down its menu items to make its stores less complicated to operate. Dunkin' Brands executives believe simplifying the menu will help with training and employee turnover.

According to Motley Fool, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. has fallen short of expectations with its third quarter results. Revenue, earnings per share, and comparable restaurant sales were all below analyst estimates. Another article from Motley Fool also highlighted the fact that for the first time in nearly five years, Chipotle Mexican Grill's stock is trading for less than $300.

According to The Sun, supermarket Aldi has launched a new restaurant in Munich where a three course meal costs less than a tenner. Aldi's new restaurant is built inside a shipping container with natural wood accents, and features Aldi's range of soft furnishings.

Adage reported that McDonald's US is set to bring back its U.S. value menu that will include items priced at $1, $2, and $3 in 2018. The move comes years after McDonald's backed away from its Dollar Menu and suggests the heat is on for other chains, particularly direct competitors in the burger category including Burger King and Wendy's. 

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

According to a release from PR Newswire, Subway is going global with the introduction of "Live Feed" to combat hunger on World Sandwich Day (November 3, 2017). More than 40,000 Subway restaurants in more than 60 countries will invite customers to join its "Live Feed" with a meal offer that will help fight hunger around the world. Customers in the US will get a free sandwich and Subway will donate a meal to Feeding America when they purchase a sub and a 30 oz. drink.

According to a release from Business Wire, Burger King Restaurants has released a timely advertisement campaign for National Bullying Prevention Month. In a social experiment in one of its stores, a high school junior was bullied by friends (all actors), and then a WHOPPER JR. sandwich was also bullied – punched, smashed, and then served by a staffer (actor). 95% of the real-life customers reported their bullied Whopper Jr. - which was noticeably roughed-up badly upon unwrapping. But only 12% reported the high school junior who was being noticeably bullied right in front of customers’ faces.

According to Business Insider, fast-food companies like Wendy's has partnered with the digital startup Tenor to produce a series of branded GIFs. The fast food chain is reportedly trying to tap into Tenor's unique data on how and when people use GIFs.

According to a release from Business Wire, the NetBase report has found Taco Bell as the Top Performing Restaurant Brand on social media in 2017. The study found consumers are most passionate about Taco Bell, Chick-fil-A, Domino's Pizza, Olive Garden, Wendy's, Dunkin' Donuts, Starbucks, McDonalds, Panera Bread and Subway.

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

According to a release from PR Newswire, KFC US has cooked up vintage-inspired Colonel Sanders Halloween costumes and limited-edition trick-or-treat buckets. Starting October 11, KFC fans can purchase the Colonel Sanders costume kits on the brand's recently launched online merchandise shop, KFCLimited.com. The custom Halloween buckets come in five different designs, featuring the Colonel dressed in Halloween costumes, including: mummy, astronaut, cat, firefighter, pirate, cowboy, werewolf, robot and vampire.

According to a release from PR Newswire, Pizza Hut US has introduced its new "oven hot delivery system" with limited-edition "Pizza Parka" featuring same materials used in new hot pouches, and a new system which includes thousands of new drivers and algorithm designed to improve speed of delivery. The new and improved Pizza Hut pizza boxes feature thicker sides to lock in heat and keep the pizza in place throughout the delivery process across all 6,300 U.S. Pizza Hut restaurant locations.

According to Business Insider, Starbucks has topped Piper Jaffray's biannual survey of teen preferences, six years in a row. The Top 5 fast food chains preferred by teenagers include: Starbucks, Chick-fil-A, McDonald’s, Olive Garden, and Buffalo Wild Wings.

According to Geekwire, fast food chain Carl’s Jr. has expressed its interest on being bought by the tech giant Amazon. In a series of tweets, the burger joint is using the hashtag #AmazonBuyUs to attract the attention of the Seattle-based tech giant. The ideas include such things as a “Tender Button” which users can push to get a tender; the self-driving restaurant; a happy drone hive which serves as a docking spot for the Amazon drone fleet; and more.

According to Fast Company, Facebook has made partnerships with services including EatStreet, Delivery.com, Chownow, and Olo, as well as restaurants like Papa John’s, Five Guys, and Panera. Users will be able to use the Facebook app to order delivery food. This new service, called “Order Food,” lets people see what restaurants are nearby and then order food.

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

According to The Drum, Burger King Germany acknowledged Ronald McDonald with a movie marketing stunt at a showing Stephen King’s IT movie. It involved the projection of a message onto the theatre wall after it showed the movie, which reads “The Moral is: Never Trust a Clown… Burger King”.

Meanwhile in England, a group of 'Ronald McDonald's' stormed into Burger King to playfully taunt the fast-food workers for around five minutes, according to Fox News.

According to USA Today, moderately-priced restaurants – from Shake Shack to Cheesecake Factory – are losing their edge as diners seek out even cheaper alternatives, such as fast food. Instead of spending $8 to $20 for a meal in a restaurant, customers are seeking out fast-food counters where they will pay $4 to $8.

According to a release from Business Wire, Shake Shack has evolved its in-shack experience at Astor Place, New York City. The new Shack site will feature kiosk only-ordering, optimized kitchen and higher wages for best-in-class hospitality to heighten guest experience and convenience. Several kiosks will line the Shack and team members known as Hospitality Champs will be stationed around the kiosks to assist guests with their orders and answer any questions.

According to Glory Global’s research study which surveyed UK, US and Australian consumers, physical money offers familiarity, convenience and security well beyond other payment methods. Based on the findings, only 16% of consumers feel that electronic payment is more secure than cash. Glory’s data found that 54% prefer to use physical money in cafes, and 52% in fast food outlets. In the UK, 58% of consumers use cash to make pub/bar payments, while over a third (37%) of Americans prefer to pay by cash in restaurants.

According to a note Starbucks wrote for its US customers, the company has dissolved its online store as of October 1, 2017, 11:59 p.m. Store.Starbucks.com is no longer available for customers to purchase products online or by phone. Syrups and sauces which are originally sold in the online store will no longer be available for retail purchase.

According to Food & Wine, McDonald's Finland is testing a McVegan burger in its Tampere site from October 4 until November 21. McDonald's Finland marketing director Christoffer Rönnblad also noted that the fries served in the country's McDonalds are completely vegan as well.

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

According to a release from PR Newswire, Dunkin' US has partnered with Amazon Alexa to offer its fans additional ways to celebrate the International Coffee Day. Customers can increase their coffee and donut IQ with a single voice command using the new Dunkin' Donuts skill for Alexa. With this new skill, users can enjoy a quiz that includes questions on everything from hot and iced coffee facts and the history of coffee, to Dunkin' knowledge and donut trivia. To play, customers must enable the Dunkin' Donuts skill in their Alexa app and say "Alexa, open Dunkin' Donuts."

According to RestaurantOwner.com's 2017 Recruiting Survey Report, despite technology-based solutions, word-of-mouth is still the best recruiting tool to find top candidates in today's labour market. A majority (86%) of restaurant operators rely on employee referrals to find new team members. And when asked where they found the best employees, 48% responded with employee referrals. A positive restaurant culture (48%) was the most cited response to, "What's the #1 reason people want to work in your restaurant?" Culture was more important than a desirable schedule (8%), the need for a job (10%), and even good pay/benefits (22%). Despite this, only 39% of respondents included information about their restaurant culture in job postings.

According to Fox News, Burger King Russia is reportedly petitioning the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS) to ban the clown-centric horror flick “It” within the country on the grounds that it advertises for McDonald's.

According to a release from PR Newswire, Taco Bell has partnered with Forever 21 to launch an exclusive collection which features tops, bodysuits and cropped hoodies for women. For men, sweatshirts, hoodies, and anorak jackets are updated with pops of color and distinctive illustrations. The new limited edition Forever 21 x Taco Bell collection will launch in Forever 21 stores and online globally on October 11.

According to a release from Business Wire, Amazon Restaurants has collaborated with Olo to kickstart its delivery service with streamlined online ordering. General manager, Gus Lopez, said that the integration will enable Amazon Restaurants to onboard new restaurants with ease, as well as quickly add more new choices and delivery options for customers.

According to the key findings of the 2017 Southwest Food Service Marketing Report, consumers prefer images of food as well as promotional offerings, and are influenced to make decisions when they see and hear advertising that is humorous. Additionally, consumers strongly resonated with friendly customer service and ads that included the words “tasty” and “delicious.” The findings determine several behaviors about the way consumers respond to food service ads.