May 18, 2013
Industry News

Every industry has its unwritten rules for success, a series of dos and don’ts that conventional wisdom suggests are the path to profits. The quick-serve industry is no exception. For decades, companies have operated under a series of assumptions that guide their business decisions and compose their operations manuals. And many of...

Growth

Ken Cutshaw has worn many hats in his illustrious career. The native Tennessean and lawyer by trade was an executive for the 1982 World Exposition; acted as a campaign manager for a 1984 U.S. Senate campaign; served in the U.S. government with the Reagan and Bush administrations; and cofounded a private university in the nation of...

In this newscast: Dunkin' Donuts Hits Southern California, Beer Sales Soar, Chipotle introduces catering, and more.

Marc Halperin: Resident F&B Expert

In his landmark 2004 treatise The Paradox of Choice, Swarthmore College professor Barry Schwartz made the case that the vast number of choices available to modern consumers does not offer a heady sense of freedom. Rather, it produces a kind of anxiety, even paralysis, brought on by endless mulling, weighing, rethinking, comparing,...

Executive Insights

For many leaders in the quick-service industry, the restaurant business is their lifeblood. Many start out as a dishwasher, cook, or cashier and work their way up through the ranks. But for some CEOs, the quick-service industry represents a clean break from their successful careers in other fields, like banking and technology. As a...

Read Full Story // read more about: Just Salad, Merzi, Growth
Emerging Concepts

The Big Apple’s first self-serve frozen-yogurt concept may be a New York City brand, but it has its roots planted on the West Coast. Founder Solomon Choi learned the quick-service ropes while working for a gelato concept in his native California. “That’s how my exposure to frozen desserts started in 2005,” he...

Franchising

Takafumi Kawasaki opened his first Wetzel’s Pretzels unit in April 2012. Within two months, the fast-paced pretzel concept inside Tokyo’s Ario Kameari Mall became the brand’s No. 1 store. Now with four units in Tokyo, one in Hiroshima, and another in Kyoto, Kawasaki plans to open 100 Wetzel’s Pretzels units across...

Denise Lee Yohn: QSR’s Marketing Guru

Q: I'm launching a new concept and trying to decide on a tagline. What makes a tagline work? A: Taglines are powerful communicators. The right tagline can attract attention to your concept, help position your brand, and make people remember you.

Read Full Story // read more about: Marketing, Promotions
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...

Burger King's new coffee beverages position the brand to compete with McDonalds.
Coffee is King

Forget quick-serve mainstays like burgers and fries. These days, limited-service brands are looking to coffee to beef up business, and Burger King is the latest chain to get in on the action.

Burger King’s customers can now enjoy 10 new specialty drinks, including iced coffees in a...

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...

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...

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....

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...