Domino’s, Darden, Starbucks
Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast.
June 26, 2026
Domino’s certainly has big shoes to fill in replacing Russell Weiner when he officially retires at the end of September. But it just so happens that the company has a deep bench. Joe Jordan is next up for the CEO role after moving his way up through the company since he first joined in 2011 as vice president of innovation. Not only has he moved up, he’s also branched out, expanding his scope from innovation to marketing to international to operations. In 2022, he was named president of U.S. and Global Services. By March 2025, he was promoted to chief operations officer and president of U.S. During an interview in September, Jordan stressed the importance of alignment with franchisees to best understand investment priorities. He also said the company refers to itself as a “brand in progress” that is going to continually push to get better.
Business is booming at LongHorn Steakhouse. Same-store sales surged 9.5% at the chain during the three months ended May 31, their highest mark since late 2022. Executives for owner Darden Restaurants credited ongoing investments in food and service; a record Mother’s Day; and demand for lamb chops, which was driven by a viral social media post. LongHorn was the star for Darden in the quarter, though all of its largest brands posted positive sales and traffic, including Olive Garden, where same-store sales rose 2.4%.
Starbucks will begin a pilot later this summer allowing select employees to create content for TikTok and share in ad revenue. The coffee giant announced it is the first brand to pilot custom Creator Networks in Content Suite, a new integrated offering that connects content creation and ad revenue-sharing on TikTok for employee content creators. The pilot marks a continued shift toward leveraging employees as brand ambassadors. Not too long ago, employees were punished or even fired for posting from work, but now they’re part of the overall marketing strategy as they convey authentic moments from behind the counter. Other brands have started to embrace similar “internal influencer” programs featuring employee-created content, including Portillo’s and First Watch.
Get all the headlines in today’s Restaurant Daily podcast.
About the Authors
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister
Managing Editor
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister is a managing editor for Informa’s Foodservices Vertical, specifically Nation’s Restaurant News, Restaurant Hospitality, and Foodservice Director. Leigh Anne works on all of the brands’ special reports, including Nation’s Restaurant News’ annual Top 500 report and Restaurant Hospitality’s Best Cocktails and Best Sandwiches contests. She also manages the group’s digital engagement team, and was the managing editor for Supermarket News until December 2024.
Leigh Anne lives in New York City, but also claims Phoenix, Dallas and Cleveland as hometowns. Leigh Anne holds a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, where she also studied European history.
Email Leigh Anne at [email protected]
Leigh Anne Zinsmeister’s experience:
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Group Managing Editor, Informa’s Foodservices Vertical (Aug. 2021-present)
Group Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (Feb. 2020-Aug. 2021)
Digital Content Manager, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (April 2018-Feb. 2020)
Digital Content Producer, Informa Restaurant and Food Group (June 2016-April 2018)
Community Moderator, Mail Online (March 2014-June 2016)
Wire Editor, Gannett’s Phoenix Design studio (The Arizona Republic, The Reno Gazette-Journal, The Statesman Journal, The Great Falls Tribune, The Visalia Times-Delta, The Tulare Advance Register, The Salinas Californian, The St. George Spectrum, The Desert Sun, The Coloradoan) (Jan. 2012-March 2014)
Lisa Jennings
Executive Editor, Restaurant Business
Lisa Jennings is a veteran restaurant industry reporter and editor who covers the fast-casual sector, independent restaurants and emerging chain concepts. Her experience includes other industry publications as well as the daily newspaper The Commercial Appeal in Memphis, Tenn., where she was Food Editor. Her work has been cited in the Los Angeles Times, Business Insider, FoodBeast, The Huffington Post, Time.com and more.
Content Spotlight
The Technomic Top 500: Another tough year for chain restaurants
Top 500 chain restaurant sales slowed again in 2025 as consumers cut back on dining, but sectors like coffee, beverages and snacks and chicken thrived
Featured
Jun 25, 2026
Jun 17, 2026
Recent News
Content Spotlight
Get to know Rick Cardenas, the Darden CEO who started there as a busser
The executive shares his advice, along with his most-binged TV show, favorite sports team, and most-used app
Source: This story originated with Nation's Restaurant News.
View Original Article →