Biography

Jonathan Maze

Editor-in-Chief

Restaurant Business Editor-in-Chief Jonathan Maze is a longtime industry journalist who writes about restaurant finance, mergers and acquisitions and the economy, with a particular focus on quick-service restaurants. He writes daily about the factors influencing the operating environment, including labor and food costs and various industry trends such as technology and delivery.

Jonathan has been widely quoted in media publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post and has appeared on CNBC, Yahoo Finance and NPR. He writes a weekly finance-focused newsletter for Restaurant Business, The Bottom Line, and is the host of the weekly podcast “A Deeper Dive.”

Financing

California restaurant operators raise prices, look for solutions and try to remain optimistic

Restaurant companies have raised prices to offset the $20 wage. But how much depends on the concept. And brands like McDonald’s are also working to get customers excited about coming in.

Financing

A look at the future of virtual restaurant brands

A Deeper Dive: Robbie Earl, co-founder of MrBeast Burger operator Virtual Dining Concepts, joins the podcast to discuss the digital-only brands.

Financing

Guernsey Holdings buys 20 Zaxby's restaurants

The operator of franchised brands like Sonic Drive-In and Little Caesars is working with the franchisee’s management to acquire the locations in South Carolina.

Premium

Financing

In Red Lobster, a symbol of the challenges with casual dining

The Bottom Line: Consumers have shifted dining toward convenience or occasions, and that has created havoc for full-service restaurant chains. How can these companies get customers back?

Financing

The 10 largest restaurant chains in the U.S.

Technomic Top 500: Here are the country's 10 largest restaurant chains by sales, according to the Technomic Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report.

Financing

Higher prices and more locations drove chain restaurant sales last year

Technomic Top 500: Chain restaurants continued to record strong growth last year, but mostly without higher traffic. And there were wide variations in performance throughout the ranking.

Premium

Financing

Crumbl may be the next frozen yogurt, or the next Krispy Kreme

The Bottom Line: With word that the chain’s unit volumes took a nosedive last year, its future, and that of its operators, depends on what the brand does next.

Financing