May 21, 2013
Industry News

The Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was created to ensure the safety of the U.S. food supply. This act shifts industry focus from responding to contamination, to preventing it, thus making food processors take a more proactive approach to eliminating and preventing food-borne contaminants from entering their plants. Under FSMA,...

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

Burger King Worldwide revealed its refreshed coffee platform available in restaurants nationwide, blended by Seattle’s Best Coffee. Introducing a new, 100 percent Latin American Arabicabean custom blend crafted with BK guests in mind, consumers can opt for hot or iced coffee in a variety of flavors like vanilla, mocha, and...

Growth

Now more than ever, quick-service executives are opening their eyes to the wealth of opportunity that lies beyond U.S. borders, realizing that abroad is where the growth is—and for good reason. “Domestic is one country; international is every other country,” says Bob Kaufman, vice president of business development for...

Operations

When opportunity knocked, Pita Pit answered. The pita chain was recently approached by the Navy Exchange to deliver its healthy offerings to the Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia. But because there were no brick-and-mortar spaces available on base, the Navy and Pita Pit franchisee Samuel Crown came up with the idea of opening a...

Industry News

Featuring tender pieces of KFC's world-famous chicken, the Chunky Chicken Pot Pie is a combination of diced potatoes, green peas, and carrots in a home-style sauce and topped with a flaky, buttery crust.

Outside Insights

With health care reform under way, many restaurant operators are wondering how they will handle rising health care costs. Some franchisees of popular chains have publicly discussed options such as cutting staff and hours, initiating hiring freezes, or passing increased costs on to customers.

Read Full Story // read more about: Human Resources
Industry News

Within hours of hearing about tornadoes touching down in Adairsville, Georgia, Krystal leaders were hard at work on a plan to deploy the Krystal Cruiser to provide food to first responders.  After learning about the devastation to one of the communities it serves, the team quickly made provisions to have Krystals, fries, and...

Industry News

Only a little more than a month into 2013, Le Duff America—the world’s second-largest restaurant company in the bakery café segment, with brands like Bruegger’s Bagels and la Madeleine Country French Café in its portfolio—can already tell it’s going to be a big year. For starters, it recently purchased...

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...

Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey is innovativing the POS space with Square.
Can Square Change POS Forever?

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...

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...

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...

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...