Most Recent Stories - QSR magazine

May 25, 2013

Alan Philips: Trends to Watch

My idea of “inclusive exclusivity” started in a boardroom many years ago in Atlantic City, New Jersey. I was making a presentation to a group of executives at the Borgata Hotel, Casino, & Spa to explain how they could import the feel of New York’s hottest nightclubs and restaurants to the Jersey Shore. Although this...

Read Full Story // read more about: Bobby's Burger Palace, Burgers, Growth

Human Resources

The Perfect Match

Finding a great employee—much like finding a significant other—isn’t always easy. That’s why some operators are turning to online tools like Shiftgig for help seeking out the most compatible workers on the market. While many hiring platforms, such as PeopleMatter HIRE, assist with interview screening, onboarding,...

Read Full Story // read more about: Q-BBQ, Back of House, Back Office, In the Store, Social Media

Industry News

Foodstart.com Lets Customers Get Restaurants Off the Ground

Foodstart.com, the first crowd-funding site designed just for the food and beverage industry, opened its virtual doors. Restaurant and food truck owners now can raise capital online in small increments from their extended community of friends, family, and future customers. Only instead of a cash return, backers receive perks and rewards...

Read Full Story // read more about: Finance, Loyalty

Industry News

New Menus, Ads Usher In Del Taco's Next Growth Phase

Having been in refresh mode for more than year, Del Taco is ready to enter the final phase of a major brand upgrade that has so far included new store and branding designs, as well as operational tweaks at the corporate office. This week, the Lake Forest, California–based brand launched two new menus, Buck & Under and New...

Read Full Story // read more about: Del Taco, Marketing, Competition, In the Store, Menu Innovations, Promotions, Growth

Industry News

Have a Food Safety Question? Ask Shelly

Cambro, a supplier of foodservice equipment, continues its steadfast commitment to food safety and launches its "Ask Shelly" campaign that offers foodservice operators a chance to submit questions for advice from accredited health inspector and food safety educator Shelly Wallingford, an MS, REHS, Credentialing Coordinator with...

Read Full Story // read more about: Back of House, Kitchen, Training

Industry News

Maui Wowi Takes Its Show on the Road with New Food Truck

Maui Wowi Hawaiian is hitting the streets of Dallas-Fort Worth with a new mobile food truck to bring the party to the people. Franchise Owner Jason Sorrells is one of the first to embark on the new business model and has pulled out all the stops to turn his truck into a party on wheels. It will offer the company’s all-natural,...

Read Full Story // read more about: Maui Wowi, Beverage, Design

Industry News

Chipotle’s Margarita Makeover

Move over, rice and salsa; Chipotle will soon have agave nectar, lemon-lime juice, and Patron Silver tequila on its assembly line. The brand plans to bring premium margaritas to all locations with a liquor license—about 900 of them—beginning April 29. QSR got a sneak peak at the new margaritas last week during...

Read Full Story

Industry News

Fans Go on Staycation with New Krispy Kreme Doughnuts

Summer sweetness is now in season with two new sun-kissed and handpicked Key Lime treats from Krispy Kreme. Key Lime Cake and Key Lime Cheesecake Doughnuts are available through June 23, 2013, at participating Krispy Kreme U.S. and Canadian locations. Guests can enter for a chance to win a Krispy Kreme Key Lime Staycation Prize Pack at...

Read Full Story // read more about: Krispy Kreme, Desserts, Menu Development, Promotions

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

Restaurants are experimenting with a ticket based seating system to up demand.

Alan Philips: Trends to Watch

No Business Like Show Business

A couple of years ago, I embarked on a journey into the world of pop-up restaurants. After almost a decade of consulting, I decided it was time to take on a project that was a pure representation of my passions: food, wine, and creating unique hospitality experiences. Not to be held up by things...

Read Full Story // read more about: Marketing, Competition, In the Store, Consumer Trends, Promotions

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

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

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

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

Industry News

Doc Popcorn's 100th Agreement Taking Brand to Oklahoma

Capitalizing on the $1.7 billion industry and gourmet popcorn trend, Doc Popcorn announced the awarding of its 100th franchise agreement, signifying a new company milestone for the rapidly expanding snack brand that began franchising its concept less than four years ago.

The popcorn...

Read Full Story // read more about: Doc Popcorn, Kiosk, Consumer Trends, Franchising, Growth

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...

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...

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...

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...

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....

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...

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...

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...

Emerging Concepts

One to Watch: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams

There’s been no lack of new faces and places on the frozen dessert landscape in the past 10 years, but with innovative flavors like Wildberry Lavender ice cream and Riesling Poached Pear sorbet, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams stands out in the crowd.

In 2000, Jeni Britton Bauer was studying art history at Ohio State University and considering career possibilities. She had worked in a French bakery through college and thought pastries might be her calling, so she practiced her skills at home.

Read Full Story // read more about: Jeni's, Desserts, Women in Foodservice, Growth

Executive Insights

Top Movers & Shakers Under 30

What’s hot in foodservice?

Ask the entrepreneurs of the Millennial generation. Their ideas reflect Gen Y values such as sustainability, nutrition, and charitable giving.

Their dedication is unwavering. Mary Lemmer skipped her high school prom to go to the Northeast and research Italian water ice. Seth Priebatsch debuted his first online company—he admits it was a complete failure—at 12, and kept conceiving ideas until one stuck. Deepti Sharma kissed law school goodbye when an all-night study session inspired an ordering website for food trucks.

Read Full Story // read more about: Freebirds World Burrito, Iorio's Gelateria, Mooyah, Sweetgreen, Burgers, Green, Loyalty, Online & Remote Ordering, Social Media, Women in Foodservice

Roy Bergold: Tales from McDonald’s

The Kids’ Meal Compromise

Recently I was talking with Barry Klein, an old friend of mine who was one of the original advertising guys at McDonald’s. He is a marketing consultant now with a large interest in kids marketing. We were discussing the kids’ meal situation and the critics who claim these meals are responsible for our childhood obesity problems.

Barry has a heated position that I would like to share with you, and then I’ll share my comments as well.

Barry: Restaurant operators, which way will you go?

Read Full Story // read more about: McDonald's, Healthy Menus, Women in Foodservice, Promotions, Ingredients & Dayparts