May 24, 2013
Industry News

Fatburger has announced the opening of its first location in downtown Los Angeles. The Hollywood burger chain maintains and upholds the unique culture that Lovie Yancey created when launching the brand 60 years ago. With an array of toppings and condiments to select from, each burger is grilled to order and topped with fresh...

Industry News

Togo’s, a “West Coast Original” since 1971 serving up big, made-to-order sandwiches, is celebrating the return of its Lemon Pepper Tuna. Fans can get hooked once again on the melt and cold sandwich, available for a limited time through May 28 at all 250 Togo’s locations. Togo’s Lemon Pepper Tuna returns as...

Industry News

As part of its initiative to raise awareness among college students of the benefits of eating healthful, fresh, and fresh-cut produce, Del Monte Fresh will provide its first “Beach Bash Dash” competition during spring break from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. March 6-8 and March 11-13 in front of the Plaza Resort and Spa, 600 North...

Promotions

Imagine a market of 173 million potential customers. Seventy-eight million of them are female (often the primary decision-maker in the family), 61 million are college students, and 29 million have an income of more than $100,000. Seems like a no-brainer for operators, right?

Industry News

The past few years have not been the kindest to the $660.5 billion restaurant industry. Faced with frugal consumers, scarce credit, and rising food prices, operators suffered through lower sales and tighter margins. Adding to the pressure was last summer’s drought (the largest in the U.S. since the 1950s), which spiked the cost of...

In this newscast: Taco Bell launches Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco, brown spirits are on the rise, Panera Bread lives consciously with new marketing platform, and more.

Executive Insights

Quick-service leaders have a lot on their plate, from running complex organizations and overseeing financials to being the voice and face of their concepts. But as they juggle these responsibilities and wade through the myriad daily decisions they need to make, something threatens to derail everything: stress.

Read Full Story // read more about: Fatburger, Pancheros
Industry News

Frontline International—whose Smart Oil Management systems help foodservice establishments protect their brands, monitor their cooking oil usage, and get more value out of their fresh and waste cooking oil—announces the launch of its newly revamped website at www.frontlineii.com .

Read Full Story // read more about: Equipment
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....

Women leaders like Flatbread Grill's owners successfully launch new brands.
Cleared for Launch

Starting any business can be a difficult prospect, but in an industry where men have historically outnumbered women, the roadblocks to doing so can be even more challenging when you’re female.

For many female foodservice entrepreneurs, being taken seriously as a business owner is...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

 
Industry News

Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) president and CEO Fritzi Woods was recently recognized as an honoree of Dallas Business Journal’s 2013 Outstanding Directors Award. The Outstanding Directors Award program operates in conjunction with the National Association of Corporate Directors and is sponsored by Ernst & Young. The program honors directors from Dallas-based nonprofits and public and private companies.

Women in Foodservice

Starting any business can be a difficult prospect, but in an industry where men have historically outnumbered women, the roadblocks to doing so can be even more challenging when you’re female.

For many female foodservice entrepreneurs, being taken seriously as a business owner is often the biggest challenge, says Arzu Esendemir, CEO and cofounder of Mediterranean fast casual Flatbread Grill in Upper Montclair, New Jersey.

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.