May 22, 2013
Growth
On the Market

Stock market watchers have been observing a curious trend in 2012: the reintroduction of the restaurant IPO. “With the sagging economy over the past few years, we saw a lot of restaurant and other hospitality companies put their plans to go public on hold,” says Roger Pondel of PondelWilkinson Inc., a Los Angeles–based...

Read Full Story // read more about: 16 Handles, Burger King, Yogurtland, Finance
Human Resources
The Trust Factor

Now that social media has become a ubiquitous part of society, a simple click of a button from an unhappy customer can tarnish the reputation of any business. The same is just as true for a displeased or untrustworthy employee. As such, ensuring employee satisfaction, security, and training has never been more important.

Read Full Story // read more about: Jason's Deli, Pal's Sudden Service, Training, In the Store
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 barcoding technology may be poised to catch on...

Read Full Story // read more about: Yum! Brands, Back of House, Back Office, In the Store
Marc Halperin: Resident F&B Expert
How to Be a Sandwich Artist

Say this for modern quick-serve sandwiches: They’re certainly not standing still.

Read Full Story // read more about: Sandwiches, Menu Innovations
Roy Bergold: Tales from McDonald’s
Let’s Get Personal

You walk into the branch bank where you have been a customer for more than nine years. You want to cash a dividend check for 84 cents, but are required to show your driver’s license, a blank check from your account, the last four digits of your social security number, your blood type, and your mother’s maiden name.

Read Full Story // read more about: Competition, In the Store
Denise Lee Yohn: QSR’s Marketing Guru
Innovation or Core? Try Both

Q: How do you innovate in new areas while maintaining strong execution on your core business? A: Three hundred industry leaders recently grappled with this question at the Women’s Foodservice Forum Executive Summit. Speakers and attendees shared insights on and challenges with achieving the right balance between...

Read Full Story // read more about: Starbucks, In the Store
Industry News
What Comedy Can Do For You

Wahoo’s Fish Taco has always had a flare for the unusual. From the menu to the décor, the brand fuses fun and quirky characteristics with a cool atmosphere and image.

Read Full Story // read more about: Wahoo's Fish Taco, Marketing, Social Media, Promotions
Industry News
Popeyes Brings Back Dip’n Chick’n

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, a division of AFC Enterprises Inc., announces the return of its highly popular Dip’n Chick’n. Dip'n Chick'n is served with Cajun fries, a biscuit, and an extra-large serving of Popeyes Signature Blackened Ranch Dipping Sauce for only $3.99 through October 21, 2012. Wash it all down with a...

Read Full Story // read more about: Popeyes, Menu Development, Food & Beverage, Menu Innovations, Promotions
Industry News
Ben & Jerry's Truck Doles Out Free Scoops in L.A.

Thirty-four years ago, two homemade ice cream guys named Ben and Jerry opened up the front door at their little mom and pop Scoop Shop in Burlington, Vermont, to celebrate their first year of business by handing out free ice cream all day long.

Read Full Story // read more about: Ben & Jerry's, Desserts, Social Media, Promotions
Industry News
Dunkin' Donuts Puts a Sweet Twist on Mother's Day

Dunkin’ Donuts has brewed up a variety of sweet and easy ways to help celebrate Mother’s Day this year.

First, participating Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants nationwide will once again offer the Mom’s Heart Donut, a heart-shaped donut filled with Bavarian Kreme and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Dunkin' Donuts, Beverage, Desserts, Promotions
Industry News
Consumer's Restaurant Spending Increased 7% in April

First Data Corporation, a global leader in electronic commerce and payment processing, released its First Data SpendTrend analysis for April 2–29, 2013, compared to April 3–30, 2012.

SpendTrend tracks same-store consumer spending by credit, signature debit, PIN debit, EBT,...

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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
Burger King's new coffee beverages position the brand to compete with McDonalds.
Menu Innovations
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...

Read Full Story // read more about: Burger King, Beverage, Burgers, Ingredients & Dayparts
Industry News
McCormick Fires Up the Grill with Barbecue Flavor Forecast

McCormick has released its McCormick Grill Mates & Lawry’s Flavor Forecast 2013: Grilling Edition. From a global leader in flavor, this grilling report identifies the top tastes, trends, and techniques that will be inspiring backyard cooks all season long.

Smoke and spice...

Read Full Story // read more about: Menu Development
Industry News
Starbucks Debuts First Non-U.S. Community Store

Starbucks Coffee Company chairman, president, and CEO Howard Schultz inaugurated the first Starbucks community store outside of the United States in the Langsuan neighborhood of Bangkok, Thailand.

Schultz was in Bangkok celebrating 15 years in the market with Starbucks partners and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Starbucks, Beverage, Charitable Giving, Sustainability
Industry News
One in Four Adults Plans to Eat Out for Mother's Day

New research from the National Restaurant Association (NRA) shows that more than one-quarter of American adults will celebrate Mother’s Day by dining out, and nearly one in 10 will rely on restaurant takeout or delivery for their special Mother’s Day meal. Overall, the NRA projects...

Read Full Story // read more about: Consumer Trends, Outside Insights
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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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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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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Operators must protect their quick serve business from credit card fraud.
Back of House
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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Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey is innovativing the POS space with Square.
Point Of Sale
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...

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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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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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Industry News
Concessions Int'l Names New VP of Business Development

Atlanta-based Concessions International (CI), a leading foodservice concessionaire with operations in airports across the United States,announced the promotion of LeMonica Hakeem to vice president of business development.

Hakeem has worked in a variety of roles within CI and sister company HJ Russell & Company over the past 12 years, most recently as interim director of business development.

She was instrumental in CI being awarded its Atlanta airport contract and three additional locations in its Denver and Dallas/Fort Worth operations.

Read Full Story // read more about: Women in Foodservice, Human Resources
Industry News
Women's Foodservice Forum Returns to White House

Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) returns to the White House to honor extraordinary women veterans who are making a difference in communities across the country. The event is part of the White House Champions of Change, which brings individuals to the White House to share their ideas for winning the future. 

Read Full Story // read more about: Operations, Women in Foodservice
Industry News
Starbucks Recruits Sharon Rothstein as Global CMO

Starbucks Coffee Company announced it has appointed Sharon Rothstein as global chief marketing officer.

Rothstein was previously senior vice president of marketing at innovative specialty beauty retailer Sephora.

Read Full Story // read more about: Starbucks, Beverage, Marketing, Women in Foodservice, Human Resources
Industry News
Cintas Partner Receives RFMA's Vendor of the Year Award

Cintas Corporation, a leader in fire-protection services, announced that Annaji Sailer, a Cintas employee-partner, has received the prestigious “Vendor of the Year” award from the Restaurant Facility Management Association (RFMA).

Sailer works for Dunnwell, a division of Cintas Fire Protection, and has been a RFMA member for nearly five years, dedicating herself to advancing the restaurant facility management profession and women within the industry.

Read Full Story // read more about: Women in Foodservice
Women in Foodservice
Tap Into the Network

More women enter the foodservice industry every year, and they’re being met with a growing wealth of experience and support from which they can draw. A number of networking and leadership development groups have taken on the task of providing stronger gender diversity at all levels of the industry, and are ensuring that more growth opportunities exist for women.

Read Full Story // read more about: Dairy Queen, Meatheads, Wendy's, Growth, Human Resources
Industry News
WFF Partners Up with People Report

 

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Industry News
Apply Now for Les Dames d'Escoffier Int'l Awards

The application period for the fifth-annual Les Dames d’Escoffier International (LDEI) Legacy Awards is now open.

This year, six LDEI Legacy Awards will be given in three categories: Culinary, Wine, and Entrepreneurship.

Each Legacy Award offers a one-week workplace experience under the direction of highly successful, award-winning members of LDEI. The Legacy experience is a high-energy, labor-intensive, and career-expanding opportunity.

Read Full Story // read more about: Women in Foodservice
Industry News
Women's Foodservice Forum Appoints New Board Members

Women’s Foodservice Forum (WFF) is pleased to welcome three new members to its Board of Directors: Karen Bowman of Deloitte, Twila Day of Sysco, and Jack Sinclair of Walmart.

WFF Board member Marie Perry, of Brinker International, has joined the board’s Executive Committee in the role of treasurer, replacing the retiring Julie Swan, formerly of Sysco.

Read Full Story // read more about: Women in Foodservice