Wendy’s has launched a nationwide contest offering one fan the opportunity to become the company’s “Chief Tasting Officer,” a role tied to a $100,000 compensation package.

The Wendy’s Chief Tasting Officer contest began March 2 and runs through March 30, according to the contest’s official rules.

The grand prize includes “the opportunity to become Wendy’s Chief Tasting Officer and employment by Wendy’s as an independent contractor, receiving a salary equal to $100,000,” conditioned upon completing specified social media content deliverables under contract.

Wendy’s said it is looking for “one lucky fan with genuine brand love, creativity, and a personality that fits everything Wendy’s stands for.”

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“If you’re the type who cares more about fresh, never frozen beef than climbing the corporate ladder or knows more about JBCs than KPIs—we want you,” the company said. “Apply here and show us what you’ve got.”

The contest comes as fast-food brands exchange jabs online.

A recent video posted by McDonald’s CEO Chris Kempczinski reviewing the chain’s new Big Arch burger drew attention after he described the sandwich as a “delicious product.”

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“Holy cow! God, that is a big burger,” Kempczinski said. “That is so good.”

The McDonald’s website describes the limited-time burger as featuring two quarter-pound patties, three slices of cheddar cheese, lettuce and pickles, along with crispy and slivered onions and a “tangy [and] creamy” sauce.

Social media users reacted in the comments.

“He acts like he’s never seen a burger before. Impressed by sesame seeds,” one Instagram user wrote.

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“That was the smallest first bite I’ve ever seen,” another said.

“It scares me when you call food ‘product,’” a third added.

Wendy’s official X account reposted a video shared by account PopCrave, writing: “This is what it looks like when you don’t have to pretend to like your ‘product’”

Popeyes’ official X account posted their own clapback, writing: “they really do need to hire someone to taste their food to be fair.”

Wendy’s responded: “Flopeyes”

According to the official rules, the contest is open to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington, D.C., who are 18 years of age or older. No purchase is necessary.

Participants can enter by posting a public 60-second video on Instagram or TikTok using #WendysCTOContest and tagging @Wendys, or by uploading a submission through www.wendyschieftastingofficer.com.

Entries that feature Wendy’s products, logos, stores or branding receive five additional points during judging.

Ten finalists will be selected based on creativity, brand love, brand safety, personality and potential. Each category accounts for 20% of the judging score.

The company’s promotional listing describes the position as:

Title: Chief Tasting Officer
Pay: $100,000
Job Type: Dream

The required credentials include: “A human mouth. A pulse. Opinions. Creativity. Taste.”

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Babydog Justice, the English bulldog and beloved mascot belonging to West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice, also reacted on X.

“I noticed being human is a requirement for this role… @Wendys is barking up the wrong tree,” the account wrote. “This job is clearly meant for a paw-fessional taste tester like me!”

Entrants must be at least 18 years old and legal residents of the United States or Washington, D.C.

Fox News Digital’s Andrea Margolis contributed to this reporting.

Target announced on Thursday it will open its 2,000th store this month in North Carolina as part of an expansion that will include dozens more stores opening this year.

The milestone 2,000th location will open in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, on March 15. It will be Target’s 55th store in North Carolina. The new 148,000-square-foot store, located near Raleigh, will include a CVS Pharmacy, Starbucks Cafe and Disney Shop inside.

The company said this location “represents the future of Target’s elevated guest experience with its open, easily navigable layout, convenient same-day services and winning team delivering a more relaxed and enjoyable shopping visit.”

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Target also plans to open 30 new stores this year and 300 by 2035 in what the company described as a new chapter in its strategy to drive long-term, sustainable growth by investing in stores.

In addition to the new store in North Carolina, other new Target stores are set to open this month in Bakersfield and Delano, California; Springfield, Missouri; Jersey City and West Orange, New Jersey; and Dallas, Texas.

“Guests tell us all the time they want a Target closer to home, and this investment helps us do exactly that,” Adrienne Costanzo, chief stores officer at Target said in a press release. “That means even more neighborhoods will get the full Target experience: trend-forward style and value, technology that makes the trip effortless and awesome teams who deliver easy, inspiring and friendly moments every single day.”

The company said there is a Target store within 10 miles of most doorsteps across the U.S.

Target has listed more than 40 additional communities across 25 states that will eventually have a new store open. Based on the future store openings Target has already confirmed, the states that will have the most new stores are Florida, North Carolina and Texas.

It also said there would be more than 130 remodels on top of the store openings. Next-day delivery will also launch in more than 20 new metro areas, which the company said reaches 60% of the U.S. population.

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The retailer said it is “making a commitment to the neighborhoods it calls home.”

“Every time we open a new Target store, we’re planting roots in that community,” Costanzo said. “That means in addition to delivering a better shopping experience that’s faster and more reliable, we’re creating growth and opportunity — through good jobs, support for local nonprofits and long-term economic investment in the neighborhoods we serve. When our teams and communities thrive, so do we.”

Market Overview

Inflation trends lower, for now

Inflation, as measured by the U.S. Consumer Price Index (CPI), continued easing during the fourth quarter. However, the government shutdown caused disruptions in the data collection process that may have called its reliability

ET Intelligence Group: A sharp rise in crude oil prices is set to dent the March-quarter profit margins of oil marketing companies (OMCs) as higher feedstock costs compress refining margins, soften fuel-price spreads and widen LPG under-recoveries. Brent crude has jumped nearly 16% so far in calendar 2026 rising from about $71 per barrel at the start of January to $82.3 per barrel as of March 05. While upstream companies including ONGC and Oil India benefit from rising crude prices, the extent of gains will depend upon the government policies related to windfall taxing and subsidy allocations.

Rising crude oil prices compress the gross refining margins (GRM) of OMCs because retail prices of petroleum products such as diesel and petrol do not adjust immediately. GRM is the difference between prices of crude oil and petroleum products.

“For every $1 per barrel rise in crude price, OMCs’ auto-fuel gross marketing margin declines by ‘0.55 per litre (assuming no change in retail petrol, diesel price and excise duty on petrol and diesel) and drags down their consolidated Ebitda (Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation, and Amortisation) by 7-9%,” said JM Financial Institutional Securities in a report adding that OMCs typically earn a gross marketing margin of about ‘3.5- 4 per litre on petrol and diesel when Brent is around $70 per barrel.

Nomura Financial Advisory and Securities expects integrated margins, which include refining, fuel marketing and LPG under-recoveries, to decline by around $3-4 per barrel at the current crude oil prices for IOCL, HPCL and BPCL compared with the previous quarter.
Higher crude prices also worsen LPG under-recoveries, which eat into OMC profits. Nomura highlights that LPG under-recoveries have more than doubled to ’69 per cylinder in the March quarter till date from ’33 per cylinder in the previous quarter. Since LPG prices are subsidised, any increase in crude oil costs pushes OMCs’ LPG under-recoveries higher.

Upstream companies including ONGC and Oil India, which benefit directly from rising crude prices, are likely to see stronger earnings on the back of higher realisations. ONGC and Oil India would be key beneficiaries if Brent crude sustains above $70 per barrel, as every $1 rise in oil prices boosts their earnings by 1.5-2%, said JM Financial Institutional Securities. Spot LNG prices have more than doubled to $25 per mmbtu (Million British Thermal Units) after QatarGas announced a shutdown in LNG production on March 02. This is likely to affect gas utilities such as GAIL, Petronet LNG, Gujarat Gas and other city gas distributors since both volumes and margins are likely to come under pressure.

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Lineage Cell Therapeutics, Inc. (LCTX) Q4 2025 Earnings Call March 5, 2026 4:30 PM EST

Company Participants

Ioana Hone – Director of Investor Relations
Brian Culley – CEO, President & Director
Jill Howe – CFO & Principal Financial and Accounting Officer

Conference Call Participants

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Joseph Pantginis – H.C. Wainwright & Co, LLC, Research Division
Jack Allen – Robert W. Baird & Co. Incorporated, Research Division
Mayank Mamtani – B. Riley Securities, Inc., Research Division
Gum-Ming Lowe – Craig-Hallum Capital Group LLC, Research Division
Yang Chen – Raymond James & Associates, Inc., Research Division

Presentation

Operator

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Welcome to the Lineage Cell Therapeutics Third (sic) [ Fourth ] Quarter 2025 Conference Call. [Operator Instructions] An audio webcast of this call is available on the Investors section of Lineage’s website at www.lineagecell.com. This call is subject to copyright and is the property of Lineage. And recordings, reproductions or transmission of this call without the expressed written consent of Lineage are strictly prohibited. As a reminder, today’s call is being recorded.

I would now like to introduce your host for today’s call, Ioana Hone, Head of Investor Relations at Lineage. Ms. Hone, please go ahead.

Ioana Hone
Director of Investor Relations

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Thank you, Jamie. Good afternoon, and thank you for joining us. A press release reporting our fourth quarter and full year 2025 financial results was issued earlier today, March 5, 2026, and can be found on the Investors section of our website.

Please note that today’s remarks and responses to your questions reflect management’s views as of today only and will contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of federal securities laws. Statements made during this discussion that are not statements of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, which are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. The company’s actual results or performance may differ materially from the expectations indicated by

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