Once, getting off the highway for gas meant a quick detour, with maybe a stop at a convenience store with hot dogs of dubious provenance and facilities that weren’t all that sanitary. But that side-of-the-road experience has changed in recent years.

Convenience store chains like Wawa, Sheetz, and Buc-ee’s have garnered cult followings with made-to-order food, branded merchandise, and, yes, super-clean restrooms. Car washes are suddenly everywhere, and many of them offer subscriptions. And gas pumps now share the same stretch of asphalt with EV chargers.

Anshooman Aga, CFO of Fortune 500 company Vontier, told CFO Brew that his company is well positioned to capitalize on these trends. The subsidiaries under its umbrella address many different aspects of what’s called the “mobility ecosystem,” he said, and Vontier’s people and processes give it a leg up as well.

A multifaceted view on the mobility space: You might not recognize the name Vontier, but if you drive, you’ve very likely encountered the hardware and software it manufactures and supports. Its subsidiaries include gas pump manufacturer Gilbarco Veeder-Root; car repair tools maker Matco Tools; EV charging station business EVolve; car wash software provider DRB; and Invenco, which produces point-of-sale systems and software for convenience stores. They have a broad reach: Vontier technology is used at some 250,000 fueling sites, 65,000 convenience stores, and 17,000 car washes.

Having a foothold in so many different parts of the industry gives Vontier an advantage, Aga believes.

For more on Vontier’s strategy, click here.—Courtney Vien

Just like you might turn to McDonald’s for truly delectable soft serve, Denny’s for breakfast at a mock trial tournament in middle school, and KFC when all hope is lost, earnings reports from the key fast-food players all have a slightly different function, too.

Denny’s, which reported last week, was something of an appetizer—one that left a not-so-savory taste in the mouth about the state of the US consumer.

The chain’s adjusted net income came in at $4.8 million, down from $6.9 million the same time last year, but total operating revenue was $117.7 million, up from $115.9 million last year.

Denny’s CEO Kelli Valade said at the top of the company’s earnings call that the “very choppy consumer environment” Denny’s faced in Q1 continued into Q2.

“Household incomes remain under pressure and consumer sentiment continues to be volatile, meaning consumers are pulling back on spending across most categories, and they’re being more selective about where to spend,” Valade said, adding the company expects “the volatility in consumer sentiment will moderate over time.”

What are fast food earnings telling us about the state of the American consumer?—NP

In 2026, US employers are expected to grant employees raises that are largely in line with what they’re receiving this year, according to a Payscale report released on Aug. 7.

Economic concerns drive smaller compensation budgets. The report, which draws on a survey of more than 1,500 Payscale clients in May and June, finds respondents expect workers will see their base pay go up by 3.5% next year, on average, down just 0.1% from this year.

But for organizations planning to shrink their compensation budgets, economic concerns loom much larger than in previous years. Of the respondents who said their 2026 budget for salary increases is expected to be lower than their 2025 budget, nearly two-thirds (66%) said they were “concerned about future economic conditions or business performance,” up 17 percentage points from last year.

This isn’t necessarily surprising given the economic backdrop. Inflation rose 2.7% in June, reaching its highest level since February, and the Trump administration recently imposed sweeping tariffs on trade partners, potentially hampering businesses’ appetite for hiring and raising worker wages.

Keep reading HR Brew’s story on shrinking compensation budgets here.—Courtney Vinopal