Restaurant chains rebuild menus as food quality drives sales

By Grace Kim

Burger King reported an 8.4% jump in U.S. same-store sales in the third quarter after the chain remade the Whopper and its nuggets.

Can better food bring diners back?

Black Box Intelligence data for the last two years show that consumers have dined out less frequently and grown pickier about where they choose to eat. Restaurant executives have told analysts and investors that “value” now extends beyond menu pricing. Those CEOs are turning to their corporate chefs to beat rivals on quality and taste.

Discounts and one-off promotions can lift traffic for a time, but restaurant executives say the product remains central to long-term growth and franchisee profitability.

On the late-October earnings call, Chipotle Mexican Grill CEO Scott Boatwright told analysts: “We think the product's improved and even better.” He referred to Chipotle's brisket, which returned to menus for a limited time Thursday.

Executives are now treating taste as a durable component of value rather than a temporary promotion.

What has the turnaround playbook produced?

Wendy's five-part turnaround strategy, unveiled Thursday, includes the pillar “quality food at real value.” Wendy's CEO Bob Wright told analysts on the call: “We're also rebuilding our food offerings and have begun testing improvements to quality and craveability of our core items, including thicker, crispier bacon, a richer and creamier Frosty, whole leaf lettuce on sandwiches and improved salads.”

That same day, Wendy's reported a seventh straight quarter of same-store sales declines and publicly rejected a $1.4 billion takeover bid led by Nelson Peltz's Trian Partners. Wendy's said the proposal did not account for the potential value that its turnaround plan could unlock.

Domino's Pizza offers a precedent. In 2009, the chain changed its recipe: it swapped out its sauce, added garlic to the crust and switched to shredded mozzarella with a hint of provolone. Blunt commercials compared the previous crust with “cardboard” and the old sauce with “ketchup.” The changes helped spur U.S. same-store sales growth of 9.9% in the following year.

Some of the same team that led the Domino's turnaround is now copying that playbook at Burger King's U.S. restaurants. Earlier this year, Burger King gave the Whopper a better bun and a new mayonnaise. In September, it overhauled its nuggets with 100% white meat, crispier breading and a more flavorful marinade. It also reformulated its sauces.

Restaurant Brands International CEO Josh Kobza told CNBC: “We've tried to look at our biggest categories first.” He added: “We've also thought about the ones where the fixes are more straightforward and less operationally involved.”

Following the changes, Whopper sales rose by a double-digit percentage in the third quarter, while nugget sales climbed more than 35%, Kobza said on the late-October earnings call. Burger King said its U.S. same-store sales jumped 8.4% in the quarter.

Burger King's advertisements highlight diners' past gripes with the Whopper and nuggets. They star Burger King U.S. president and former Domino's executive Tom Curtis.

Burger King's results put a number on the playbook: revamped core items can lift both product sales and same-store sales.

How are established chains extending the menu overhaul?

Food improvement is no longer confined to brands in distress. Chili's same-store sales have soared 52% over the past three years, and the chain continues upgrading existing menu options. After improving baby back ribs, burgers and nachos, Brinker International CEO Kevin Hochman told CNBC the chain will turn next to salads and steaks.

“We're going to be doing more dry aging of our beef to make it more tender, versus doing it in a plant,” Hochman said. “It's a little bit more expensive, but we think the taste is going to be a whole lot better.”

Applebee's launched a juicier chicken tender during its latest quarter, Dine Brands CEO John Peyton told CNBC. In 2027, Applebee's plans to overhaul more of its protein options.

“We think proteins are, number one, our biggest opportunity,” Peyton told CNBC. “Number two, they're a big focus of the way people are thinking about eating right now, leaning into proteins and a little bit less with the carbs.”

McDonald's is testing hand-breaded wings, strips and a sandwich in a handful of Chicago-area restaurants. It plans to expand the trial to more locations in the U.S. and Ireland in early 2027.

At its September investor day, executives said McDonald's would improve its coffee with fresher beans and upgraded equipment. McDonald's identified chicken and coffee as fast-growing categories, offering more opportunity to lift sales than its signature beef burgers.

McDonald's is not in full turnaround mode like Wendy's and Burger King, but its U.S. business has struggled in recent quarters after its value strategy failed to gain the expected traction. U.S. same-store sales fell 0.2% in the third quarter.

Starting in October, McDonald's launched “Make It Golden,” a multiyear training program for corporate employees, restaurant workers and franchisees to improve the quality and consistency of core menu items.

Recipe changes mean little if restaurants do not execute them consistently. McDonald's early-2027 chicken expansion and multiyear “Make It Golden” training program will test whether product gains can scale without sacrificing consistency.