June 19, 2013

Julie Knudson

Cinnabon president Kat Cole is one woman who has risen the fast food ranks.
All Fair in Foodservice?
June 2013

Women stake their claim in the future of the restaurant industry.
Women leaders like Flatbread Grill's owners successfully launch new brands.
Cleared for Launch
May 2013

Challenges and opportunities abound for brands created by women.
Popeyes vice president Amy Alarcon creates family friendly dishes for women.
R&D Finds Its Feminine Side
April 2013

Women bring fresh ideas and perspectives to menu development.
Tap Into the Network
March 2013

More women enter the foodservice industry every year, and they’re being met with a growing wealth of experience and support from which they can draw. A number of networking and leadership development groups have taken on the task of providing stronger gender diversity at all levels of the...

Mother Knows Best
February 2013

No longer do women have to choose between a career and motherhood. But finding time to work and have a successful foodservice career—while also raising kids and staying in tune with a busy family—can be a daunting challenge.

“The restaurants are very important to us, but...

The Power of Mom
January 2013

In the spirit of QSR’s Year of Women in Foodservice initiative, we’re dedicating a monthly section to recognizing the issues that affect women in foodservice and the contributions they make in our industry. If you know a woman with an inspiring story to share or an issue you...

Cause and Effect
December 2012

Everyone in a company has a cause that’s close to his or her heart, but it’s the CEO’s job to select a charitable partner that connects with those who matter most—the customers—while balancing employees’ interests.

Living the LYFE in Quick Service
November 2012

Ask a quick-serve industry analyst about the latest in fast-food trends, and he might point you to fast casual, healthy eating, fresh food, sustainability, and celebrity chefs.

Beware the C-Suite Silo
November 2012

When things get busy in the C-suite, people can become so focused on their own areas of responsibility that communication streams slow to a trickle and walls form around one or more departments. These silos—where individuals or even entire functional groups turn inward—can be...

The Hands-On CEO
October 2012

Setting strategic objectives, visiting stores, developing franchisee relationships, building a strong organization, mentoring tomorrow’s leaders—CEOs have a lot of responsibilities on their plate. But several chief executives manage to add one very helpful task to their to-do list:...

Back from the Brink
September 2012

After opening his first store in 2004, EJ Martinez, founder of Miami-based Power Pizzeria, ran into trouble almost right away.

“I had a great idea, which was to serve a healthier pizza, and I just started without really knowing what I was doing,” he says. Although he had a...

Get Ready for Prime Time
August 2012

While many quick-serve companies turn to actors or celebrities to star in their marketing campaigns, some are finding just as much success by putting their chief executive in front of a camera. In fact, new research from TV analytics firm Ace Metrix shows that commercials featuring CEOs...

The Changing of the Guard
July 2012

They say the only thing you can count on is change. That adage is especially true in the quick-service C-suite, where new career opportunities can leave a company without its top executive at any time.

This year has already witnessed a slew of CEO shake-ups, perhaps none as significant as...

Staying True to Your Roots
June 2012

“Growth has killed many brands.”

Those words, from Corner Bakery Café’s CEO Mike Hislop, sum up a problem that several quick-serve CEOs face: Expanding a business is a natural desire for most executives, but growing it beyond one or two stores without compromising its...

Share the Knowledge (and the Wealth)
May 2012

Gaining insight into what makes their competitors tick can give quick-serve executives valuable strategic advantages. But while sharing competitive information might seem counterintuitive to the industry’s top CEOs, some companies have found that throwing open their doors and inviting...

How CEOs Can Make Big Things Happen
April 2012

Quick-serve executives have a wide range of leadership strategies. While some believe that leading from behind the doors of their corner office is a suitable way to grow a business, others have found that the only path to success is leading by example and inspiring employees to be the best they...

How Top CEOs Assess Risks
March 2012

Chief executives have big decisions to make and risks to consider. But in the quick-serve industry, where trends are constantly evolving and one misstep can impact an entire chain—like when McDonald’s decided to spend hundreds of millions to advertise its doomed Arch Deluxe sandwich...

Is Franchising Right for You?
February 2012

As the economy slowly strengthens, founders of successful eateries may be considering franchising as a growth model, but experts say CEOs must approach it with caution and do their due diligence to make sure it’s appropriate for their brand.

The first step, experts say, is to...

Where Holiday Dollars Are

A new report shows that consumer spending in the food and beverage space got off to a good start this holiday season. Dollar volume spent in the industry on Black Friday, the unofficial launch of the season, grew 11.7 percent over last year, according to First Data, an electronic commerce and...

Why Everyone's Trying Online Videos
October 2011

Online-video sites like YouTube and Vimeo have been incredibly popular with the public for the last five years, but quick serves are trying to grasp online video’s potential as a marketing vehicle.

Still, a number of operations have found success in creating brief videos that engage...

Your Network Worth
September 2011

 Quick-serve CEOs usually get the final say when their companies make big moves or decisions, but experts say executives must maintain strong personal networks to help guide those everyday decisions.

Need Help Starting Your Concept? Read This.
August 2011

Most quick-serve entrepreneurs know that the early years of business are the hardest. Digging up the resources and consumer interest necessary to make an operation succeed is an increasingly difficult task in an incredibly competitive market.

But across the country, entrepreneurs are...

How to Incentivize Your Crew
July 2011

The quick-service industry is notorious for its 100-percent-plus turnover levels. But with the costs of hiring and training new employees—both in money and time—stealing precious resources away from operators in a still-lagging economy, many are relying on employee incentive programs...