Weekly Roundup – Week of 9.28.26
October 2, 2026
This week’s top foodservice stories are about stepping onto someone else’s turf. Toast took its restaurant tech to the gas pump. El Pollo Loco signed its first New York lease. Grubhub wants credit for the meals you eat in the dining room, all curated by our team of strategists and food enthusiasts:
Toast Takes Restaurant Tech to the Gas Pump
Toast launched Toast Fuel on September 29. It puts fuel payments, in-store retail and foodservice on one cloud platform. C-stores sell an estimated 80% of the fuel Americans buy, according to NACS. Many still run the pump and the store on two separate systems. Toast Fuel gives cashiers a live pump dashboard and lets them authorize or stop a pump from the register. Bigger food programs get the kitchen displays, online ordering and drive-thru tools used at about 180,000 Toast locations. It launches first for unbranded, independent operators, with a demo at the NACS Show October 6 to 9. When the gas station runs on restaurant software, nearby QSRs should expect it to compete like a restaurant.
El Pollo Loco Heads East to Queens
El Pollo Loco signed its first New York lease. The Queens restaurant is set to open in mid-2027. The chain also agreed to terms on three development deals for 15 New York area restaurants over five years. One longtime franchisee and two new ones will lead the buildout. CEO Liz Williams called New York “a clear proof point” for disciplined growth. The move follows three straight quarters of positive same-store sales. New COO Damon Thomas held senior operations roles at Shake Shack and Raising Cane’s. Chief Development Officer Tara Hinkle joined in July from The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Suppliers with Northeast distribution should get in front of this pipeline before the first site opens.
Grubhub Pays Diners to Walk In the Front Door
Grubhub is testing The Drop, a dine-in rewards program, with select users in New York City and Chicago. Diners link a card and get three personalized restaurant offers every Thursday. Eat at a participating spot by the following Wednesday and Grubhub credit lands in their account. That credit is good on pickup or delivery for 30 days. Early partners include Tacombi, Juice Generation, Chopt, DIG, Dos Toros and Pokeworks. The program runs on tech from Claim, the rewards app Grubhub parent Wonder bought in January. CEO Howard Migdal says all users in both cities get access later in October, ahead of a national rollout. DoorDash and Uber Eats already run similar plays. Delivery apps now want a piece of the dine-in visit too, so read the data terms before you sign up.
Cava Hires Its Next CMO From the Soap Aisle
Cava named John Ludeke chief marketing officer, effective October 12. He was chief brand officer at Dr. Squatch, the men’s personal care brand Unilever acquired during his tenure. Dr. Squatch built its name on edgy creator and celebrity partnerships. Ludeke fills the seat Andrew Rebhun left in August. Cava grew same-restaurant sales 9% and traffic 5.3% in Q2 2026. It did that while spending just over 1% of revenue on marketing. Chipotle expects about 3% this year. CEO Brett Schulman praised Ludeke’s ability to “quickly understand the essence of a consumer brand.” Fast casual is hiring its marketers from CPG now. B2B partners should pitch content and creator ideas alongside the LTO calendar.
Congress Writes the Rules for the Cash Drawer
Congress cleared the Common Cents Act this week. The Senate’s vote the night of September 28 sent it to President Trump for his signature. The bill sets rounding principles for cash sales when exact change isn’t available. Businesses that follow them get a safe harbor from liability. The National Restaurant Association pushed for it for months. More than a quarter of annual restaurant sales are made in cash. “The Common Cents Act provides clear principles and certainty,” said Association CEO Michelle Korsmo. Reps. Lisa McClain and Robert Garcia and Sens. Cynthia Lummis and Kirsten Gillibrand led the bill. Once it’s signed, update POS rounding settings and retrain cashiers before the first customer complains.
Find more of this week’s top foodservice stories every Friday on the Omnivore blog.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are this week’s top foodservice stories? This week’s top foodservice stories include Toast launching Toast Fuel for convenience stores, El Pollo Loco signing its first New York lease, Grubhub testing The Drop dine-in rewards, Cava naming John Ludeke CMO, and Congress clearing the Common Cents Act.
What does the Common Cents Act mean for restaurants? The Common Cents Act sets national rounding principles for cash sales when exact change isn’t available. Businesses that follow them get a safe harbor from liability. That matters because more than a quarter of restaurant sales are made in cash, according to the National Restaurant Association.
What is Toast Fuel? Toast Fuel is a Toast platform launched September 29, 2026 for fuel and convenience operators. It runs pump payments, retail and foodservice on one system. It is available first to unbranded, independent U.S. operators.
