The fast-food industry is starting 2025 off on the wrong foot. Tariffs are back on steel and aluminum. And Patrick Doyle shares his thoughts on franchising.

McDonald’s is still struggling a bit after last fall’s E. coli outbreak. Chick-fil-A is testing a new environmentally friendly drink solution. And does greater restaurant tech lead to profitability?

Restaurants cut jobs in January. KFC’s struggles continue, but the company is bullish on Saucy. And a dispute is brewing at one of Twin Peaks’ most successful franchisees.

The National Restaurant Association expects 2025 to be a big year for the industry. Yum Brands has formed a new tech platform. And one of the country’s most notable independent restaurants is in the midst of a major shakeup.

Starbucks is revving up its marketing with free coffee for everybody the day after the Super Bowl. Franchising growth is outpacing the broader economy. And Chipotle says it’s prepared, even if the price of Mexican avocados shoots up.

McDonald’s is bringing back a character who disappeared in the ’80s. Waffle House has added an egg surcharge. And another chain has gone seed-oil free. Welcome to Restaurant Daily, a quick look at the industry’s top stories from the editors of Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Business. I’m NRN Managing Editor Leigh Anne Zinsmeister.

How will proposed tariffs impact the restaurant industry? Here’s how one Pizza Hut franchisee lost his 142-store empire. And Applebee’s is laying off some of its corporate staff.

77 Pizza Hut restaurants have been bought out of bankruptcy. Menu price inflation may be normalizing. And Starbucks and its union are going to mediation.

TGI Fridays continues to dwindle. Twin Peaks is now a publicly traded restaurant company. And Chuck E. Cheese is undergoing a rebirth.

An unlikely turnaround at Chili’s is now complete. Who is Alyssa Buetikofer (BUTTE-i-cougher), McDonald’s U.S.’s new CMO? And the Trump administration has frozen - and unfrozen - federal grants and loans that don’t align with the new president’s priorities.