Daniel P. Smith

On a brisk 50-degree Saturday afternoon in High Point, North Carolina, Red Mango founder Dan Kim and NASCAR driver Bobby Labonte greeted nearly 800 customers at the frozen yogurt concept’s newest store.

Smiles filled the restaurant as customers enjoyed a free yogurt, snapped...

In October, upstart fast-casual burger concept Burger 21 launched its franchise program. Rather than pursuing partners to build the brand across the national landscape, Front Burner Brands, the Tampa-based parent company of Burger 21 and the popular Melting Pot restaurants, identified its first...

If the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) gets its way, quick-service restaurants and thousands of other businesses may soon be forced to write hefty checks to protect their brands online.

ICANN’s proposed generic top-level domain (gTLD) program would allow...

Earlier this year, Pizza Patrón faced rising commodity costs and stagnant numbers across the 100-store system. CEO Antonio Swad, feeling pressure to deliver value for franchisees and customers, saw daring change as his lone solution.

"In this business, being timid is the quickest...

When Don Fertman joined Subway in 1981, the company stood as little more than an ambitious regional player. Thoughts of the brand filling the corporate heavyweight shoes it does today seemed remote and distant.

But times have changed.

After two years of testing in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Las Vegas, McDonald’s will launch its own in-store television network in 645 California stores later this year.

The McDonald’s Channel is expected to reach nearly 20 million people each month and integrate online and...

Food manufacturers looking for a leg up on their competition in this bleak economy can be more active in educating and supporting the operators they serve.

This was the prevailing theme at the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association (IFMA) 40th Annual Forecast and Outlook...

In August, the NPD Group released its annual tally of U.S. restaurant closures, and the study proved a sobering reminder of the challenges independent restaurants face in any climate, let alone one sitting in recession-era shadows.

The NPD Group reported that 9,450 restaurants closed...

Sonic chairman and CEO Clifford Hudson knows the numbers, and although he may cringe, he certainly does not cower from the realities or the challenge.

After 22 consecutive years of same-store sales growth, Sonic’s systemwide sales numbers declined in both fiscal years 2009 and 2010...