business

J. Edward Moreno

11/4/24

Americans still love Fridays, just not TGI Fridays

It’s been a rough couple years for the chain sit-down restaurants of America. TGI Fridays, however, has had a particularly bad time.

TGI Fridays (which if it wasn’t obvious, stands for “Thank God It’s Friday”) filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on Saturday, reporting between $100 million and $500 million in debt. It joins Red Lobster and Buca di Beppo in the undesirable club of bankrupt sit-down chains battered by consumer pullback.

The chain has been in business since 1965 and owned since 2014 by private-equity firms TriArtisan and Sentinel Capital Partners. As one of a few non-publicly traded brands in its category, TGI Fridays suffered in silence while its peers had to report their lackluster same-store sales declines each quarter.

Foot traffic to TGI Fridays started to decline in 2023, according to data compiled by Placer.ai. By the week of October 21, visits were down almost 39% year over year. It’s hard to imagine it saw any revenue growth during that period.

Its overall foot traffic decline is inflated by the fact that the chain closed between 20% and 30% of its stores in the past year. Still, its visits per venue are down 10.3%.

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business

9/12/25

Amazon is testing adding GM electric vans to its EV delivery fleet dominated by Rivian

Rivian may have some competition in its electric delivery van division: Bloomberg reports that Amazon is testing a small number of GM’s BrightDrop vans for its fleet.

According to Amazon, the test currently only includes a dozen of the vehicles. Amazon’s fleet also contains EVs from Ford, Stellantis, and Mercedes-Benz.

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

The test comes as Rivian struggles through tariffs and the end of EV tax credits. Earlier this year, it lowered its annual delivery outlook by about 13%. As of June, Amazon said it has more than 25,000 Rivian vans across the US. Earlier this week, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is still on track to deliver 100,000 vans to Amazon by 2030 and is “thinking about what comes beyond” that initial target.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

Amazon Tests GM EV Delivery Vans in Bid to Meet Climate Goals

Amazon Tests GM EV Delivery Vans in Bid to Meet Climate Goals

GM debuted BrightDrop in 2021, but the vehicles have struggled to sell and piled up on GM lots due to high prices and steep competition. GM began offering up to 40% rebates on the vehicles this year.

The test comes as Rivian struggles through tariffs and the end of EV tax credits. Earlier this year, it lowered its annual delivery outlook by about 13%. As of June, Amazon said it has more than 25,000 Rivian vans across the US. Earlier this week, Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said the company is still on track to deliver 100,000 vans to Amazon by 2030 and is “thinking about what comes beyond” that initial target.

GM has sold 1,592 BrightDrop vans through the first half of the year, more than the full-year total it sold in 2024.

Chris Stokel-Walker9/12/25

Claire Yubin Oh

Shake Shack is launching a French onion soup... burger

The fast-casual chain will be hoping premium upsells can fatten up its profit margins.

Shake Shack French onion soup burger

business

9/11/25

Paramount Skydance reportedly preparing an Ellison-backed Warner Bros. Discovery takeover bid, sending shares soaring

Paramount Skydance is preparing a majority cash bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, The Wall Street Journal reported, sending shares of both companies surging. The Journal’s sources say the deal is backed by the Ellison family, led by David Ellison.

WBD shares were up 30% on the report, while Paramount Skydance jumped 8%.

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

Exclusive | Paramount Skydance Prepares Ellison-Backed Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery

The offer would cover WBD’s entire business — cable networks, movie studios, the whole enchilada. That comes after WBD announced plans last year to split into two divisions: one for streaming and studios, the other for its traditional cable and TV assets. A recent Wells Fargo note gave WBD a price target hike, primarily because the analysts viewed it as a prime takeover candidate.

If the deal goes through, it would bring together HBO, CNN, DC Studios, and Warner Bros.’ film library with Paramount+, Nickelodeon, and MTV, all under one umbrella.

As tariffs take root, August new vehicle prices climb by the most in more than 2 years

According to data from Cox Automotive, 17 vehicle brands raised prices of their new vehicles by more than 3% in August.

Ford Issues Recalls On Some Of Its Mach-E Mustangs And Aviators

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