QSR September 2022

D E P A R T M E N T S September 22 / BONUS: RESTAURANT FRANCHISING GUIDE || P.57 QSR / LIMITED-SERVICE , UNLIMITED POSSIBILITIES

T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S S E P T E M B E R

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F E A T U R E S

N E W S 9 SHORT ORDER 18 FRANCHISE FORWARD Holding the Price Line As inflation rears, quick-serves guard their value proposition. BY BRYAN REESMAN 53 INNOVATE Seeing Ghosts, and Profits One company is o ering resources for operators to dive in. BY TREVOR GRINER It’s been a roller coaster for one of the sector’s top commodities. BY BARNEY WOLF 16 ONES TO WATCH Frios Gourmet Pops In light of the pandemic, the upstart took to the road. BY BEN COLEY 51 CL IMATE RESPONSIBI L ITY The ROI of ESG Data leaders weigh in on the relationship between customers and brand responsibility. BY RACHEL PITTMAN 56 START TO FINISH Charles Watson The CEO of Tropical Smoothie on where the fast-growing franchise heads next. I N S I G H T 13 FRESH IDEAS The Wild World of Wings

FIREHOUSE SUBS IS NOW PART OF THE RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL FAMILY. AND THE SKY’S THE LIMIT, EXECUTIVES SAY.

FIREHOUSE SUBS

22 Gas on the Fire BY DANNY KLEIN Burger King owner RBI shook up the franchise landscape when it spent $1 billion to acquire Firehouse Subs. What’s next? Growth, synergy, and plenty of both.

30 14 Best Franchise Deals BY DANNY KLEIN Experts make their picks in our yearly roundup of the industry’s top franchise bets. Also, a crystal ball into the sector’s future.

46 Subway’s New Delivery BY BEN COLEY The country’s largest restaurant chain is rethinking its approach to growth. And that begins with a look inside the system.

2 BRANDED CONTENT

6 EDITOR’S LETTER

88 ADVERTISER INDEX

O N T H E C O V E R Firehouse Subs CEO Don Fox and RBI head José Cil enjoy a shared history at Burger King. PHOTOGRAPHY: FIREHOUSE SUBS / MICHAEL MURPHY

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www.qsrmagazine.com | QSR | SEPTEMBER 2022

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