Latest news with #SquishmallowHappyMeal
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Noodles & Company increases projected closures, could shutter up to 21 locations in 2025
Fast casual restaurant chain Noodles & Company is planning to close up to 21 of its restaurants this year, the company disclosed in its first quarter earnings report earlier this month. The Broomfield, Colorado-based company said on May 7 it is planning to close 13 to 17 company-owned restaurants and four franchised locations. That's up from a prior projection of 12 to 15 company-owned closures, the chain said. Noodles & Company said it planned to add two new company-owned locations in 2025. According to the first quarter earnings report, Noodles & Company currently has 380 company-owned restaurants and 89 franchised locations. The company's location finder shows locations in 31 states. Noodles & Company did not immediately respond to a USA TODAY request for more information regarding which locations it is planning to close. Starbucks dress code: Workers are walking out. How many are protesting and why? McDonald's: Squishmallow Happy Meal toys are back for a limited time The company, founded in 1995, offers a menu "devoted to noodles," serving items such as mac & cheese, pad thai, and Japanese pan noodles, among others. The company last month introduced new variations of mac and cheese, including Buffalo Chicken Ranch Mac & Cheese and Pulled Pork BBQ Mac & Cheese, in addition to a new Green Goddess Cobb Salad and a Cajun Shrimp Fettuccine. Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at Gdhauari@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Noodles & Company closing up to 21 restaurant locations in 2025 Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Miami Herald
15-05-2025
- Business
- Miami Herald
McDonald's announces return of beloved menu item
McDonald's (MCD) has officially caused a stir with its latest move to lure customers back amid an alarming consumer trend. Earlier this month, McDonald's revealed that its sales dropped by 3.6% year-over-year during the first quarter of this year. This contributed to the fast-food chain's 3% year-over-year decline in operating income, which is its profit after paying operating expenses. Don't miss the move: Subscribe to TheStreet's free daily newsletter During an earnings call on May 1, McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski flagged that consumers are cutting their spending on fast food more than expected. Related: McDonald's CEO sounds alarm on major customer problem "We entered 2025 knowing that it would be a challenging time for the QSR industry due to macroeconomic uncertainty and pressures weighing on the consumer," said Kempczinski. "During the first quarter, geopolitical tensions added to the economic uncertainty and dampened consumer sentiment more than we expected." Image source: Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images While McDonald's said during the call that it will continue to focus on providing customers with "value and affordability" in order to win them back, it has also recently decided to bring back a popular menu item to help boost sales. McDonald's has announced the return of Happy Meals with Squishmallow toys, which are currently available nationwide for a limited time. Squishmallows became popular in 2020 during the Covid pandemic. Social media app TikTok appears to have had a large impact on the popularity of the kids' toy (which is also popular among adults) as it went viral on the platform. At the time, Squishmallows managed to sell out quickly in stores such as Walgreens and Walmart across the country. Related: Papa Johns struggles to recover from concerning customer behavior The last time McDonald's had Squishmallow Happy Meals was in 2023. McDonald's said that customers who order the Happy Meal will now have a chance to obtain a "never-before-seen" Squishmallow character. "Inside each Happy Meal box, you will find your classic McDonald's order of choice, along with one of 12 adorable Squishmallows, including a never-before-seen Intergalactic Axolotl named Halley," said McDonald's in a press release. "Each Squishmallows comes with a character hang tag, telling you the name and a little about each Squish, plus a code to scan and immerse yourself in an interactive game." The popular Squishmallow Happy Meal will remain on menus until June 9, according to a recent report from Today. The new Happy Meal is already gaining steam, as the complete set of Squishmallows from the meal is already selling on eBay for prices between $50 and $85. McDonald's customers are also already flooding TikTok with posts reviewing the Squishmallow Happy Meal. This is not the first time in recent months that McDonald's has opted to resurrect a fan-favorite menu item to boost demand at its restaurants. In December last year, McDonald's USA President Joe Erlinger announced in an interview on "Good Morning America" that the fast-food chain will be putting its Snack Wrap back on its menus sometime this year after discontinuing it in 2016. The Snack Wrap consists of chicken tenders, lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, and ranch wrapped in a soft flour tortilla. More Food + Dining: Domino's Pizza unveils generous deal amid alarming consumer trendSteak 'n Shake's beef tallow fries aren't as healthy as they appearThe Cheesecake Factory makes bittersweet changes to its menu "Snack Wrap will be back in 2025," said Erlinger. "It has a cult following, I get so many emails into my inbox about this product." Last month, McDonald's also announced the permanent return of chicken strips at its restaurants nationwide. It officially added McCrispy Strips to its menus on May 5, which is a revamped version of its discontinued Chicken Selects. McDonald's bold menu changes come after foot traffic at its restaurants recently declined. According to recent data from foot traffic in McDonald's stores fell by 2.6% during the first few months of this year. This doesn't come as a surprise as the fast-food chain faced sharp criticism from consumers last year for hiking its menu prices. Also, in October, McDonald's temporarily suffered an unsettling E. coli outbreak at multiple store locations, which further scared away customers. Related: Veteran fund manager unveils eye-popping S&P 500 forecast The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
USA Today
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
McDonald's Squishmallow Happy Meal toys are back for a limited time
McDonald's Squishmallow Happy Meal toys are back for a limited time Show Caption Hide Caption McDonald's adult Happy Meals spark collector frenzy McDonald's recently started selling "Collector's Meals," also known as adult Happy Meals. Benzinga - News Squishmallows are back on the menu at McDonald's. Happy Meals with those popular squishy stuffed toys inside have returned and are available at the fast-food restaurant chain for a limited time, McDonald's said on Tuesday, May 13. Meals will include one of a dozen different toys including a new character named Halley, a previously unseen Squishmallow of the salamander-shaped axolotl type. Each Squishmallow toy comes with a character hang tag, which details its name and its story – in the case of Halley, for instance, it would mention its intergalactic travel ability. Each toy also includes a code you can scan to play an interactive game. Rite Aid: Drug store chain closing an additional 68 locations across 7 states: See the full list Popularity of Squishmallows The Squishmallows Happy Meals were a big hit when they last were available in December 2023. The toy brand has a huge following as toy maker Jazwares has sold more than 400 million of the Squishmallows plush toys worldwide. Complete sets of the toys are already being hawked on eBay, starting at about $50. McDonald's says the toys will be available while supplies last. Mike Snider is a reporter on USA TODAY's Trending team. You can follow him on Threads, Bluesky, X and email him at mikegsnider & @ & @mikesnider & msnider@ What's everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
