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[ad_1] A waitress delivers sushi orders at Masa Hibachi Steakhouse & Sushi in Silver Spring, Maryland. Bill O'Leary | The Washington Post | Getty Images Warmer weather usually boosts restaurant sales, but diners may hold back for the second straight summer as inflation weighs on consumers' minds — and wallets. "I think operators are still hopeful for a good summer boon in foot traffic and sales ... but I think on the consumer side, they're more hesitant," said Huy Do, research and insights manager at market research firm Datassential. Last year, consumers pulled back on their restaurant visits in May, June and July amid inflation concerns. In addition to higher restaurant bills , diners were also paying more at the gas pump and in grocery stores. Salad chain Sweetgreen said its sales slowed after Memorial Day and blamed the trend on a range of factors, including erratic returns to offices and surging summer travel. Chipotle told investors that its sal...

[ad_1] Nicolas Jammet, chief concept officer and co-founder of Sweetgreen Inc., right, eats a salad during the company's initial public offering (IPO) on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Thursday, Nov. 18, 2021. Michael Nagle | Bloomberg | Getty Images Sweetgreen on Thursday reported a narrower-than-expected loss in its first quarter after slowing its expansion to focus on profitability. The salad chain, which went public in November 2021, is aiming to turn a profit for the first time by 2024. Last quarter, it announced it would take a more conservative approach to entering new markets. It's also cutting support-center costs and simplifying its management structure. Sweetgreen shares rose 7% in extended trading. Here's what the company reported compared with what Wall Street was expecting, based on a survey of analysts by Refinitiv: Loss per share: 30 cents vs. 35 cents expected Revenue: $125.1 million vs. $126 million expected ...

[ad_1] Food-delivery company Wonder Group has gotten a cash infusion from Nestle , as the startup looks to sell high-tech kitchen equipment and prepared ingredients to businesses such as hotels, hospitals and sports arenas. The deal includes a $100 million investment from Nestle, along with a strategic partnership, according to sources familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because financial terms of the deal are not public. Nestle and Wonder confirmed the deal but declined to reveal transaction details. The funding could get Wonder a step closer to its ambitions of making it easier, faster and cheaper for busy families to have high-quality meals at home. The startup, which was valued at about $3.5 billion when it closed a $350 million funding round in June, was founded in 2018 by serial entrepreneur and former Walmart e-commerce chief Marc Lore. Wonder recently struck a deal to acquire meal-kit company Blue Apron for $103 million. It has also developed kitchen equ...