Quick Service Restaurant

The coffee chain is taking mobile ordering to a new level.   Through a partnership with mapping and navigation app Waze, Dunkin’ Donuts is launching its new “Order Ahead” program — a move that not only streamlines the mobile ordering process, but helps guests get to their destination faster.  

The parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins announced that Paul Carbone, CFO, is leaving the company effective April 21, 2017.  

It’s easier than ever for McDonald’s customers to order a Big Mac — and avoid long lines at service counters.   The fast-food chain began testing mobile ordering and payment functionality within its app at 29 restaurants in Monterey and Salinas, California, on Wednesday, March 15. Another 51 restaurants in Spokane, Washington, are slated to launch the service on March 20, according to Reuters.   

Supermarkets and fast-casual restaurant brands took the top positions in an annual ranking of customer experience. Publix, Chick-fil-A, and H-E-B earned top three positions in Temkin Group’s 2017 Temkin Experience Ratings, a cross-industry benchmark of customer experience. Publix had a score of 84%, closely followed by Chick-fil-A and H-E-B, which both scored 83% in the seventh annual rating.

InvenTrust Properties has acquired The Shops at Town Center in Germantown, Maryland for $53.6 million. The necessity-based property boasts a strong lineup of food and beverage tenants including Baja Fresh, Chipotle, and Zoe’s Kitchen.  

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is about to get a new owner.    Restaurant Brands International Inc., owner of Burger King and Tim Hortons, announced it would acquire Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen for $1.8 billion in cash.  

Restaurants are the current darlings of the shopping center developers. It was reported last year that Americans spent more money at bars and restaurants (a total of nearly $55 billion) than they did on groceries. In case you were wondering how big a deal that is, consider this: It was the first time in recorded history that that was the case. But that’s not the only reason that shopping center owners are mad for restaurants. They are also hubs of social activity that contribute to that all-important and often elusive experiential energy.  

The Wendy’s Co. is bullish on expansion.   The chain wants to add approximately 1,000 locations by 2020, reported Nation’s Restaurant News.    

Soaring customer expectations are creating an increasingly challenging environment for brands seeking engagement.   That’s according to the 22nd annual Brand Keys Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, which recognizes the brands that receive the highest loyalty and engagement assessments and surpass competitors for "delighting" customers.  

A site near the entrance to Innsbrook Office Park in Glen Allen, Virginia, north of Richmond, has been slated as the home of Dominion Shoppes at Innsbrook, a project of Dominion GA, LLC.   In a deal brokered by Cushman & Wakefield/Thalhimer, Dominion acquired the 2.4-acre tract from Doswell Properties for $2.9 million. The planned center is 100% pre-leased to tenants including Starbucks, Blaze Pizza, American Family Care, and Noodles & Company.