May 25, 2013
Industry News
New Wendy's Logo Rolls Out Nationwide

On February 25, the new contemporary Wendy’s logo will begin appearing in Wendy’s advertising, and on product packaging, crew uniforms, new restaurant signage, menuboards, and digital assets. The evolved logo is contemporary and iconic, as it further emphasizes the Wendy cameo while retaining the familiar Wendy’s...

Read Full Story // read more about: Wendy's, Burgers, Design, Marketing, Menu Development
Industry News
Newk's Digs Into Pair of Mac and Cheese LTOs

Newk’s Express Café has added two new macaroni and cheese dishes to the menu for a limited time. The fast-casual restaurant is offering Four Cheese and Pimiento with Bacon as side dishes or entrees through the spring. The four-cheese version contains macaroni noodles blended into a combination of Asiago, white Cheddar, Parmesan,...

Read Full Story // read more about: Newk's Express Cafe, Menu Development
Industry News
Checkers/Rally's Shows Some Skin

Checkers/Rally’s may be known for its double drive thru and seasoned fries, says Checkers chief marketing officer Terri Snyder. But the brands are hoping their newest product, Loaded Potato Skins, will become just as popular. The potato skins—a permanent item that feature full-sized, meaty potato skins covered with cheese...

Read Full Story // read more about: Checkers, Rally's, Marketing, Menu Development, Point Of Sale, Consumer Trends, Social Media
Industry News
Stouffer's Unveils New Heat-and-Serve Comfort Foods

The Stouffer’s line of heat-and-serve products helps produce a more efficient, effective kitchen. The frozen format locks in texture and nutritional value, without adding preservatives, artificial ingredients, or artificial colors to most. Stouffer’s entrées, sides, and sauces have a consistent quality and are rated No. 1...

Read Full Story // read more about: Menu Development
Industry News
CKE Chooses PAR POS System for Carl's Jr., Hardee's

ParTech, Inc., a subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation, announced that CKE Restaurants has selected the new PAR EverServ 7700 POS for its Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s restaurants. After a rigorous testing and certification process by CKE, the EverServ 7700 terminal is now approved and certified for all Carl’s Jr. and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Carl's Jr., Hardee's, Point Of Sale, Technology
Industry News
Taco John's Makes $50K Donation to Yellow Ribbon Fund

The long road to recovery from traumatic combat injuries is getting a little easier for hundreds of American service members and their families, thanks to a donation from Taco John’s. The quick-service Mexican restaurant chain has contributed $50,000 to the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Read Full Story // read more about: Taco John's, Charitable Giving
Industry News
Concessions International Appoints New CEO

Concessions International (CI), a leading concessionaire with food and beverage outlets in major airports in the U.S. and Virgin Islands, announced the appointment of Donata Russell Major to the role of chief executive, effective immediately. Major, who previously served as the company’s vice chairman and has been a principal...

Read Full Story // read more about: Einstein Bros. Bagels, Fresh to Order, Genghis Grill, Women in Foodservice, Human Resources
Industry News
Uncle Maddio's Reaches Nine Units with Openings in NC, GA

Last week, Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint opened new restaurant locations in Dunwoody, Georgia, and Charlotte, North Carolina, raising the total number of open franchises to nine throughout the Southeast. By the end of fall this year, 20 more restaurants will open, including locations in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Uncle Maddio's, Pizza, Social Media, Franchising, Growth, Fast Casual
Industry News
Dairy Queen Delivers Choco Peanut Butter Brownie

The Dairy Queen system is serving up a new, decadent Choco Peanut Butter Brownie as the featured Blizzard of the Month for May.

A smooth blend of peanut butter, choco chunks, and brownie pieces tumbled with DQsignature creamy vanilla soft serve, Choco Peanut Butter Brownieis available...

Read Full Story // read more about: Dairy Queen, Desserts, Menu Development
Industry News
Grecian Delight Foods Grows With Help of New Execs

Grecian Delight Foods, a manufacturer, national marketer, and distributor of Mediterranean-inspired foods based in Elk Grove Village, Illinois, announced it is another step closer to surpassing aggressive growth goals with the hiring of three top-level executives.

Recently hired...

Read Full Story // read more about: Finance, Food & Beverage, Human Resources
Industry News
Barberitos Franchising Grows to 48 Locations

Barberitos Franchising Inc. is excited to announce that it has signed five more locations in the Southeast. This brings the total number of franchised Barberitos locations to 48.

Read Full Story // read more about: Barberitos, Operations, Franchising, Growth
Industry News
Qdoba Goes Home as Winner of NRA Kids' Recipe Challenge

The National Restaurant Association (NRA) announced the winners of the Kids Recipe Challenge, a new initiative showcasing restaurants’ culinary ingenuity for creating healthful menu options for children.

Created with founding partner McCormick For Chefs, the Food Away From Home...

Read Full Story // read more about: Qdoba, Healthy Menus
Industry News
Chuck E. Cheese's Brings Family Fun to Panama

Every day, guests around the world gather at family entertainment leader Chuck E. Cheese’s stores to celebrate birthdays, special occasions, and family fun days with pizza, games, and prizes.

This year, families in Panama will get to experience the Chuck E. Cheese’s brand for...

Read Full Story // read more about: Chuck E. Cheese's, Franchising, Growth
Industry News
Zaxby’s Scores Big with Major College Sports Sponsorship

Zaxby’s announces it is “The Official Chicken of College Sports” and has collective intellectual property rights at 25 Division I colleges through a two-year deal with their football and basketball teams. The initiative gives Zaxby’s, a Southeast favorite for chicken...

Read Full Story // read more about: Zaxby's, Marketing, Operations
Industry News
Free Loaves for First 100 in New Boudin SF Location

Dave Wolfgram, CEO of Boudin Bakery, announced that Boudin SF will unveil its newest location in Encinitas on June 6. To welcome the local community, Boudin SF will reward the first 100 customers in line with a free loaf of its Original San Francisco Sourdough French Bread every day for one year...

Read Full Story // read more about: Boudin SF, Sandwiches, Promotions, Ingredients & Dayparts
Industry News
eThor Secures $1M in Financing from AVAC Ltd.

eThor, the point of sale (POS) integration platform, has announced a $1 million investment into the company by AVAC Ltd., a private Alberta Company that invests in promising tech companies.

Read Full Story // read more about: Point Of Sale, Technology
Fast casual brands attract customers with alcoholic beverage programs
Beverage
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...

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Operators must protect their quick serve business from credit card fraud.
Point Of Sale
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...

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McAlisters Deli franchisee says casual dining experience helps in quick service.
Sandwiches
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....

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Superfoods like whole grains and oatmeal offer healthy menu alternative.
Healthy Menus
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...

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Corner Bakery's new menu items use fresh ingredients to offer premium quality.
Breakfast
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...

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Women leaders like Flatbread Grill's owners successfully launch new brands.
Back of House
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...

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

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

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