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Pal’s Sudden Service is almost unknown nationally but loved with cult-like ardor in its Tennessee/Virginia territory. Its 23 funky, boxy double-drive-thru restaurants tell you that Pal’s isn’t like other QSRs, which has been a point of pride since Pal Barger founded it in 1956. The Kingsport, Tenn.-based chain’s menu is limited to a few burgers, [...]

What does the income statement of the “average” McDonald’s look like? Janney Montgomery Scott restaurant analyst Mark Kalinowski says he’s often asked that. As a result, he has compiled an interesting table detailing his best estimate of the typical income statement for that “average” franchised, standard-format, U.S. McDonald’s restaurant. Among his estimates: ● Average annual [...]

Happy Holidays from BurgerBusiness.com. Here’s hoping the holidays are merry and 2012 is brighter for loyal subscribers and occasional readers alike. Our warmest thoughts go to the good folks at Red Gold, a wonderful brand that keeps this site’s lights on. Traditionally, the year closes with a roundup of burger chains worth watching in the [...]

Say goodbye to Jack’s little friends: Mini Sirloin Burgers are history.  In a May 19 conference call with analysts to discuss fiscal Q2 earnings, Jack in the Box Chairman-President-CEO Linda Lang said the chain would install new menu boards in June. The goal is to make room on the menu for “showcasing our variety, highlighting average check [...]

Former NFL coach and current steakhouse entrepreneur Don Shula announced plans to open a chain of fast-casual burger restaurants under the Shula Burger name.  Shula said in a release that the first franchisee is being sought in Florida, with 100 locations projected within 10 years. That’s an ambitious timetable in this economy, but the chain [...]

Hardee’s shifts the QSR marketplace’s focus back to breakfast and back to budget pricing with next week’s introduction of a new Hardee Breakfast Platter (yep, no apostrophe-s on the name here). Rather than add just an item, Hardee’s put together a meal that has a scratch-made buttermilk biscuit with a bowl of sausage gravy, one scrambled or folded egg, two [...]

Ξ Give Wendy’s credit for making social networking truly social. So often it’s one-way nonsense like the endless “Tell us why you love us!” Facebook promotions and pointless “So what’s going on?” Twitter chatter. Most chains and indies would rather than speak than listen. After all, now that you’ve amassed several hundred Twitter and Facebook [...]

Big Boy, the iconic American burger concept that looks retro but really just dates to 1936, is recognizing that tastes, times and business models have changed. In mid-July, Big Boy will open @burger, an upscale fast-casual burger concept with beer and wine in Ann Arbor, Mich., with intentions of opening more. That doesn’t mean the [...]

To say someone is talking through their hat used to be an insult, meaning they didn’t know what they were talking about. But Steak ‘n Shake gives the idiom a different spin in new TV spots that feature a talking hat.  The chain may know what it’s talking about but it doesn’t have anything to [...]

Where “everyone loves burgers” trend intersects with the “better-for-you foods” movement, a growing number of chains are appealing both to happiness and healthfulness. In this “ethical burgers” category, quality is defined by much more than whether beef is “fresh, never frozen.  Chef-owner Hilary Brown’s Local Burger in Lawrence, Kan., is among the burger joints arguing [...]

[More fun: East Coast chain Friendly's has added new BurgerMelts: Grilled Cheese BurgerMelt and Zesty Queso BurgerMelt.] On Jan. 19, not even three weeks into the new year, BurgerBusiness.com forecast 2010 as the Year of the Melt. That projection came when Whataburger revived its Patty Melt as a limited-time offer. The chain followed the Patty Melt with [...]

Ξ Chili’s becomes the first casual-dining chain to do a “better burgers” upgrade twice when it introduces new Handmade Burgers this week. The three new burgers—Rojo (with barbecue sauce), Avocado and Ultimate Stacked—join the menu beginning at just $5.99. Hand-Made Burgers come to Chili’s less than six months after the chain unveiled a new menu [...]

The Checkers/Rally’s system includes 820 drive-in restaurants in the U.S., but just 18 of those units are getting an ambitious new array of burgers. The Flavor Built Burgers menu encompasses six different sandwiches, each of which can be ordered as a single-, double- or triple-patty build. Whether its kitchen operations can handle the arrival of essentially [...]

[May 20 Update: As expected, Red Robin announced the new menu, in stores by 5/24. Announced two $6.99 LTOs—Big Melt Bacon Burger and Honey Mustard Chicken sandwich—coming June 14. Comp sales for Q1 were a respectable -2.3%, compared with -10.5% and -14.9% the previous two quarters.] Red Robin Gourmet Burgers will announce a new menu this [...]

[May 11: More fowl play as Whataburger adds Honey BBQ Chicken Strip Sandwich.] It’s National Burger Month but high beef prices threaten to ruin the party. Already this week, three burger-menu chains have added non-beef sandwiches. One is Carl’s Jr. , which introduced the Teriyaki Chicken Sandwich today. A variation of a teriyaki-style burger it [...]