May 22, 2013
Industry News

The Taco Bell Foundation for Teens, in partnership with Get Schooled, announced the launch of Graduate for Mas, a program challenging teens to make a personal commitment to graduate high school. Actor and philanthropist Mark Wahlberg, who did not finish high school himself, also announced his support of the program.

Outside Insights

Every merchant that accepts credit and debit cards is required to be compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS), whose next set of standards will be released in October 2013. Yet despite these compliance requirements, the food and beverage industry had the highest percentage of data security...

Outside Insights

Traditionally, when quick serves plan security strategies, they address three main industry challenges: prevent shrinkage, guard against in-store and drive-thru robbery, and protect the company from fraudulent lawsuits. Operators need to carefully examine security solutions that will provide the greatest visibility into store activities...

Industry News

Jack Dorsey, who cofounded Twitter and Square, was raised by parents in the quick-service industry. His father owned a pizza restaurant, and his mother ran a coffee shop. It’s little surprise, then, that Dorsey’s latest initiative with Square is to broaden its use within quick serves.

Industry News

One appearance on CBS’s hit show “Undercover Boss” just wasn’t enough for two quick-serve industry execs. That’s why Subway chief development officer Don Fertman and Checkers president and CEO Rick Silva are going back for round two this Friday. The “Epic Bosses” episode catches up with nine...

Industry News

Vertical gardens, or plants on walls, can offer a cost-effective opportunity for restaurants to improve nutrition, meal taste, and prestige.  By providing a convenient method for growing and harvesting produce, owners and managers can provide their chefs with low-cost fresh herbs and vegetables, which can enhance the quality and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Green, Healthy Menus
Industry News

Restaurant Equippers has announced plans to open its third warehouse store this summer to serve the Northeast region of the country.   The Columbus, Ohio–based company has begun construction on the 40,000-square-foot state-of-the-art store at The Point in Pennsauken, New Jersey.  Restaurant Equippers’ focus on...

Read Full Story // read more about: Equipment
Industry News

Baskin-Robbins, the world’s largest chain of ice cream specialty shops, announced the launch of a new line of shelf-stable, sherbet-flavored freezer bars, which are rolling out at major national retailers this spring. Baskin-Robbins’ Sherbet Flavored Freezer Bars are the first freezer bar treat from Baskin-Robbins that...

The Boston Fire Department was treated to free meals at Firehouse Subs.
Nurturing Boston

As soon as he learned about the April 15th Boston bombings, Dave Tucci, the New England area representative for Firehouse Subs’ DMA, called the Firehouse franchisee closest to the bombings.

Tucci was relieved to find out that all employees at Firehouse’s Copley Square location...

Operators must protect their quick serve business from credit card fraud.
How to Prevent Credit Card Fraud

Every merchant that accepts credit and debit cards is required to be compliant with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS), whose next set of standards will be released in October 2013. Yet despite these compliance requirements, the food and beverage industry had the...

Corner Bakery's new menu items use fresh ingredients to offer premium quality.
The Corner of Innovation

In a push to distinguish itself from growing competition in the fast-casual bakery-café space, Corner Bakery Café is doubling down on menu innovation.

The 22-year-old, Dallas-based chain recently leveraged its high-quality kitchen equipment and capabilities, as well as more than 40 fresh...

Superfoods like whole grains and oatmeal offer healthy menu alternative.
The Other Side of Super

Superfoods have swept the culinary world into a frenzy, enticing consumers with a taste of the exotic and courting them with nutrition and functionality, to the point where restaurants across the country are trying to stake a claim in this fledgling movement.

Quick-service restaurants are...

McAlisters Deli franchisee says casual dining experience helps in quick service.
What You Can Learn from Casual Dining

David Blackburn has been in the foodservice business his entire adult life. Since 1979, the McAlister’s Deli franchisee has cataloged more than 25 years of experience in the casual-dining sector, spending 16 of those as regional vice president of operations at O’Charley’s....

Fast casual brands attract customers with alcoholic beverage programs
Buying into Booze

Fast-casual restaurants were once able to claim premium food, modern décor, and all-around upscale service as hallmarks of their category. But with more quick-service chains retooling in those areas to compete for post-recession consumers, fast casuals have been left to search for new ways to...

Tin Drum Asia Cafe used equity firm investment to stay debt free in growth.
Striking Gold

Steven Chan’s business was at a crossroads last year. His Atlanta-based fast casual Tin Drum AsiaCafé launched in 2000, sold its first franchise in 2001, and was growing slowly due to Chan’s determination to keep it debt-free. At the beginning of 2012, Tin Drum had 10 franchises in...

Secure quick serve restaurants improve sales and have high return on investment.
Safety, Security, Sales

Traditionally, when quick serves plan security strategies, they address three main industry challenges: prevent shrinkage, guard against in-store and drive-thru robbery, and protect the company from fraudulent lawsuits. Operators need to carefully examine security solutions that will provide the...

 
Industry News

Passport Food Group announced the hiring of Jeffrey Taveres and Jim Debiase, two experienced sales executives.

Tavares joined Passport Food Group as the Asian market account manager, and will be responsible for supporting the Asian foodservice and retail customers in California, Arizona, and Nevada. He was most recently with the Asian sauce and ingredients company Lee Kum Kee.

Debiase joined the company as the Southern California territory sales manager, and will be responsible for supporting all non‐Asian foodservice accounts in Southern California.

Executive Insights

The most powerful woman in the restaurant industry isn’t intimidating, nor is she larger than life. She isn’t cold, tight-lipped, terse, or abrasive. She doesn’t talk down to you. She doesn’t double-book you and cancel at the last second.

Certainly one might expect such a person to be and do any number of those things; overseeing nearly 1 million members that collectively earn more than $650 billion in sales and represent 4 percent of the entire U.S. GDP isn’t a walk in the park.

Industry News

For the first time, QSR had the honor of attending the Women’s Foodservice Forum’s Annual Leadership Development Conference, held this year on April 14–17 in Orlando, Florida.

Industry News

Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) has launched a mobile application that offers easy, portable access to WFF tools and information. The app, called WFF Access, serves as a navigable mobile version of the organization’s website. Some key features of the app include WFF event schedules and social media feeds. The app also provides a central hub for connecting with other members based on similar interests, job function, or industry.

Industry News

Edible Arrangements announced three new additions to its e-commerce team to support the company’s online and social media expansion efforts. 

With rapidly increasing sales, and more than 50 percent of orders placed through the Edible Arrangementswebsite, the company has tripled the size of its e-commerce team since 2010. 

In addition, the company has launched an aggressive social media strategy, such as a recent, highly popular Facebook promotion to help launch the new Edible Arrangements Make Today a Little Sweeter collection.

Women in Foodservice

Though research and development used to be an old boys’ club in the limited-service industry, the tables are slowly starting to turn.

As quick serves and fast casuals expand their gender horizons both in the C-suite and beyond, more women are leading R&D efforts and bringing their unique viewpoint to the menu-creation process.

Industry News

Global restaurateur HMSHosthas been selected as a finalist for the National Restaurant Association’s (NRA) 2013 Operator Innovations Awards.

HMSHost is one of three finalists in both the food safety and the menu development categories vying for a chance at being named the top innovator in each category, and potentially the overall Innovator of the Year.

The NRA is the leading restaurant industry organization in the United States, and this is the second consecutive year for the Operator Innovations Awards.

Industry News

The foodservice industry is expected to have its fourth straight year of growth, reaching sales in excess of $660 billion, according to the NRA Industry Forecast. The results of this growth are seen every day in headlines—the pressure for innovation, mergers and acquisitions, the struggle for talent recruitment and retention. These forces are what Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF), a leadership development organization, attributes to its unprecedented demand and what provides the basis of its latest campaign.