June 19, 2013
Industry News
Dairy Queen Stirs Up New Ad Campaign

With a new look and style that reflects the honest truths inherent in one of America’s most beloved brands, the Dairy Queen system will unveil a new advertising campaign on Memorial Day, the unofficial kick-off of summer, that focuses on the theme of Fan Food. Not fast food.

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Read Full Story // read more about: Dairy Queen, Marketing, Promotions
Industry News
Pancheros Gets Cheeky With New Packaging

Pancheros, a fast-casual Mexican restaurant known for “Burritos Better Built,” introduces its new package design.

The packaging revamp includes novel graphic designs for all of the franchise’s items, such as beverage cups, napkins, carryout bags, and burrito boxes.

...
Read Full Story // read more about: Pancheros, Marketing, Packaging
Industry News
Jack's Raising Funds to Fight Juvenile Diabetes

Jack’s and Children’s of Alabama announced a partnership to raise funds for juvenile diabetes by inviting communities statewide to purchase paper icons for $1 at Jack’s restaurants from June 3 to 30. The program will also increase awareness through in-store signage. This...

Read Full Story // read more about: Jack's, Charitable Giving, Charitable Giving
Industry News
Togo's Hits the Medford, OR, Market for Second Time

Togo’s Eateries, a “West Coast Original” since 1971, announced the opening of its latest Medford, Oregon, restaurant in the Harry & David Country Village. 

The new restaurant is owned by local resident and current Togo’s franchisee, Will Brake, who opened...

Read Full Story // read more about: Togo's, Sandwiches, Franchising, Growth
Industry News
Cinnabon Offers Sweet Support for Breast Cancer Research

When Cinnabon president Kat Cole participated in the CBS show “Undercover Boss,” she bonded with Mayra Vargas, a bakery employee. As Vargas spoke of her mother’s battle with breast cancer and her family’s challenges, the inspiration to provide guidance and support became...

Read Full Story // read more about: Cinnabon, Charitable Giving, Desserts
Industry News
Merchant Warehouse Creates New Payment Platform

Merchant Warehouse, a provider of payment technologies and merchant account services, announced a preferred processing partnership through its Genius Customer Engagement Platform with LightSpeed, an Apple-based point-of-sale (POS) and inventory management system.

This partnership will...

Read Full Story // read more about: Point Of Sale, Technology
Industry News
Quaker Steak & Lube Opening Airport Locations

The award-winning casual-dining concept Quaker Steak & Lube known for its Best Wings USA and over 20 sauce varieties has brought a new restaurant to the Pittsburgh International Airport. The Lube opened to the public on Wednesday, May 15 and is located at 1000 Airport Blvd. Coraopolis,...

Read Full Story // read more about: Quaker Steak & Lube, Breakfast, Burgers, Franchising
Industry News
Action Services Group Brings Account Exec on Board

Action Services Group—a national lighting, sign, and electrical maintenance and service company—announced the hiring of Joe Fairley as vice president of account solutions for the company. 

In this newly created role, Fairley will be responsible for Action Services Group...

Read Full Story // read more about: Online & Remote Ordering, Human Resources
Five to Seven will invest in healthy and sustainble fast food brands globally.
Healthy Menus
Good Food for All

Five to Seven, a new restaurant funding initiative launched in May by foodservice industry veterans Brad Blum and John Vincent, has goodness at its core and as its goal. “Good food for the planet” is the initiative’s tagline, as Blum and Vincent want “good food”...

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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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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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A Wing Zone franchisee changed his cooking equipment to get better results.
Back of House
The Transformational Franchisee

Army and Air Force foodservice provider The Exchange has been serving U.S. military families since 1895 with meals in cafeteria lines and snack bars. It wasn’t until 1985, however, that it first signed a license agreement with a name-brand food franchisee—at the time, Burger King.

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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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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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New fast food brands like Live Basil first start as innovative business ideas.
Finance
Birth of a Brand

It always starts with a simple idea.

For Brian Bailey at Ichor Restaurant Group, it began with the idea that Ohioans needed better barbecue. Six years after that idea initially took hold, Old Carolina Barbecue opened the doors to its first unit, in Canton, Ohio. The company later opened...

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A new tool from GS1 U.S. will help operators protect their food safety.
Food Safety
Cracking the Food Safety Code

For years, barcode technology has been commonplace in the retail sector, where it’s used to gather information about products, sales, and even consumer trends at various transaction points. But now, due to a major standardization initiative and broadening food-safety concerns, the same...

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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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Industry News
SPIN! Pizza Touted by Local Missouri Publications

SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza has been named best pizza by two local publications in Missouri. Both Kansas City Magazine and 435 South Magazine have awarded SPIN! top honors in their annual “City’s Best” issues.

Kansas City Magazinereported that SPIN! was “far and away” the leader in its readers’ votes. The repeat awards join a raft of local and national awards that SPIN! has accrued for its food and environs since opening its first location in 2005.

Read Full Story // read more about: SPIN! Neapolitan Pizza, Design, Pizza, Women in Foodservice, Franchising, Growth, Ingredients & Dayparts
Industry News
Dickey's Barbecue Pit Serves Up $1 Pulled-Pork Sandwiches

Dickey’s franchise owners Peggy and Joe Anicka have enjoyed serving the Commerce Township, Michigan, community slow, pit-smoked barbecue.

On Friday, January 25, Dickey's will be offering $1 Pulled Pork Big Barbecue sandwiches from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in honor of its grand-opening celebration.

Read Full Story // read more about: Dickey's Barbecue Pit, Marketing, Women in Foodservice, Franchising, Promotions, Growth
Industry News
Cousins Subs Makes it Better with New Foundation

Cousins Subs restaurants has established The Make It Better Foundation to improve the welfare and quality of life in the communities Cousins Subs serves.

"Cousins Subs has a longstanding tradition of commitment to the communities we serve," says Christine Specht, president and COO at Cousins Subs. "We have supported a multitude of causes and organizations throughout our 40-year history. By establishing The Make It Better Foundation, we hope we can do even more."

Read Full Story // read more about: Cousins Subs, Charitable Giving, Sandwiches, Women in Foodservice
Industry News
Nancy Clark Joins Fiesta Restaurant Group as Chief People Officer

Fiesta Restaurant Group, the owner, operator, and franchisor of the Pollo Tropical and Taco Cabana fast-casual restaurant brands, announced that Nancy Clark has joined the company as vice president, chief people officer, effective January 10, 2013.

Clark is a highly regarded human resources business leader with more than 15 years of experience at several high-profile and diverse organizations, including J.C. Penney Corporation, PepsiCo, and General Electric Company.

Read Full Story // read more about: Pollo Tropical, Taco Cabana, Women in Foodservice, Human Resources
Industry News
Industry Vet Sheri Miksa Takes the Reins at Boneheads

Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken, the popular six-unit Atlanta-based fast-casual restaurant chain known for its signature Piri-Piri Chicken and distinctively flavored fresh grilled seafood menu, hasnamed 25-year hospitality and restaurant industry veteran, Sheri Miksa, as its new CEO and president. 

Read Full Story // read more about: Boneheads, Women in Foodservice, Human Resources
Industry News
CIA Students Serve Up Comfort Food for Travelers

Global restaurateur HMSHost is proud to announce the winners of the Fast & Fabulous Recipe Contest, a program that the company cosponsors with The Culinary Institute of America (CIA).

Jessica Hargrove and Lauren Fury, students at the CIA, were recognized as the winners of the contest for their Toasted Flatbread Mac n’ Cheese and Chicken and Waffles recipes, respectively.

Read Full Story // read more about: Menu Development, Women in Foodservice
Industry News
Golden Tiger Pounces on a New Website for Asian Products

It may have been Jean Lee’s father who first opened the popular Chinese Deli in Chinatown back in 1963, but it was Jean Lee’s menu of Asian specialties that eventually became the first “Chinese fast-food concept” in America.  

The model Lee created has evolved into what’s now an extensive line of authentic Dim Sum under the brand Golden Tiger. To promote the brand, the most advanced online site for Asian products in the country has just been launched.

Read Full Story // read more about: Menu Development, Women in Foodservice, Ingredients & Dayparts, Technology
Industry News
Burger King Selects Jerrell Moore as Chief Diversity Officer

Burger King Corporation, a subsidiary of Burger King Worldwide, announced the appointment of Jerrell Moore as chief diversity officer.

In this role, Moore will be responsible for continuing to grow efforts in support of BKC’s four-pronged diversity and inclusion strategy focused on workforce, guests and community, franchisees, and supplier diversity.

Read Full Story // read more about: Burger King, Burgers, Women in Foodservice, Human Resources