May 23, 2013

Women in Foodservice

Operations
The Main Event

Everyone loves a party, especially when it’s hosted by their favorite restaurant brand. With in-store events, quick-service and fast-casual brands from every corner of the industry can drive traffic into stores, while also ensuring future revenue increases and guest loyalty by letting customers in on free or discounted products.

Read Full Story // read more about: Arby's, Auntie Anne's, Capriotti's, Haagen-Dazs, Moe's Southwest Grill, Marketing
Industry News
The King’s Evolution

Burger King made waves in 2012 when it overhauled its marketing and menu items in an effort to compete more directly with competitors like McDonald’s and Wendy’s. Turns out the brand wasn’t done with its evolution. In the last month, Burger King has refreshed its menu even further, a move that has included a new coffee...

Read Full Story // read more about: Burger King, Burgers, Menu Innovations, Promotions
Industry News
California Tortilla Seeking a New LTO, NCAA-Style

It's NCAA playoff season, and everyone’s got basketball fever--including California Tortilla. This year, the fast casual chain invites customers to get in on the action with the first annual Elito 8 Tournament: it’s up to Cal Tort fans to determine the next limited time offer, as eight possible menu items go head-to-head...

Read Full Story // read more about: California Tortilla, Menu Development, Food & Beverage, Menu Innovations, Social Media, Promotions
Outside Insights
The Snack Attack

In 2012, consumer foot traffic in quick serves remained static during the three main dayparts. While the industry could be helped by an improving economy in 2013 and beyond, operators will benefit if they are able to increase sales between dayparts, which can be accomplished by establishing a robust snacking program.

Read Full Story // read more about: Menu Development, Consumer Trends, Ingredients & Dayparts
Industry News
Auntie Anne's Twists Its Way Into 25th Country

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels the 1,330-unit franchise made famous by its fresh, hand-rolled treats, entered its 25 th country earlier this year after opening a milestone unit in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The opening signifies the execution of a master franchise agreement with K&H Vietnam Co. to open 30 units in the country...

Read Full Story // read more about: Auntie Anne's, Franchising, Growth
Industry News
Atlanta Bread Serves Rainforest Alliance Sustainable Coffee

Atlanta Bread has announced that it will be switching all of its cafes' caffeinated espresso beans to Rainforest Alliance, an international nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving biodiversity and ensuring sustainable livelihoods by transforming land-use practices, business, and consumer behavior.  "We are making a...

Read Full Story // read more about: Atlanta Bread, Beverage, Green, Menu Development
Industry News
Zoës Kitchen Gets a L.I.F.E App

For a brand whose name literally translates to life in Greek, it’s fitting that Zoës Kitchen’s new mobile L.I.F.E app is meant to help consumers get the most out of theirs. The L.I.F.E. app features four primary components: A goal-setting option that allows guests to set and track personal goals, while earning free...

Read Full Story // read more about: Zoës Kitchen, Marketing, Operations, Technology
Industry News
Newk's Springs Into Action With Four LTO Pizzas

This month, Newk’s Express Café launched four new pizza flavors. The pizzas—Salmon, Buffalo Chicken, Steak and Mushroom, and Crawfish—will be available through the spring. The Salmon pizza features fresh dill, capers, red onion, and a tangy dill sauce. The Buffalo Chicken pizza has Cheddar, Provolone, celery, and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Newk's Express Cafe, Menu Development, Pizza
Small portions give customers control over health, values, and variety.
Menu Innovations
Small Portions a Big Idea

Small portions are very big these days.

Many 2013 trend predictions determined that small plates and snacking are expected to be popular among chefs and restaurant operators this year. While diners are still eating during the traditional meal times—breakfast, lunch, and dinner...

Read Full Story // read more about: Pei Wei, Qdoba, Starbucks, Taco Bell, Wendy's, White Castle, Wow Bao, Menu Development, Consumer Trends, Health, Ingredients & Dayparts
Restaurant operators learn valuable tips at restaurant industry's largest show.
Industry News
2013 NRA Show Guide
...
Read Full Story // read more about: Cosi, Competition, Growth
NRA CEO Dawn Sweeney helps protect restaurant operators interests.
Executive Insights
The Advocate

The most powerful woman in the restaurant industry isn’t intimidating, nor is she larger than life. She isn’t cold, tight-lipped, terse, or abrasive. She doesn’t talk down to you. She doesn’t double-book you and cancel at the last second.

Certainly one might expect...

Read Full Story // read more about: Healthy Menus, Competition, Women in Foodservice, Growth
Food production systems like hydroponics help restaurants use more local goods.
Ingredients & Dayparts
Can Quick Serves Save the World?

No longer is local sourcing just a utopian ideal. It’s a practice coming to life and continually gaining momentum in foodservice, with the number of local ingredients on menus growing by 73 percent over the last four years, according to market research firm Mintel.

But, at its most...

Read Full Story // read more about: Chipotle, Mad Greens, Sloco, Green, In the Store, Consumer Trends, Menu Innovations
Celebrity chef Bobby Flay provides strong example of smart restaurant growth.
Alan Philips: Trends to Watch
Be Like Bobby

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...

Read Full Story // read more about: Bobby's Burger Palace, Burgers, Growth
Industry News
Dunkin' Donuts Grows Healthy Menu With Turkey Sausage

Helping guests greet the warm weather with more smart choices, Dunkin’ Donuts announced a permanent addition to its DDSMART menu: the Turkey Sausage Breakfast Sandwich.

A breakfast sandwich option under 400 calories, the new sandwich features a fried egg topped with turkey sausage...

Read Full Story // read more about: Dunkin' Donuts, Breakfast, Healthy Menus, Menu Development, Sandwiches
Industry News
Offering Value Isn't Enough; Taco Bell Wants to Redefine It

It may seem like a lofty goal, but Taco Bell is dead set on not only redefining value at the quick-service level, but also delivering it to consumers in a variety of ways.

Specifically, the brand is focusing on four key areas: the low- and high-price end of the menu, new menus and...

Read Full Story // read more about: Taco Bell, Menu Development, Executive Insights, Promotions
Low calorie menu options boost quick service restaurant sales.
Health
Slimmer Items, Hefty Sales

The lower the calorie counts in restaurant menu items, the better for business, according to recent research by public policy research organization Hudson Institute.

The report analyzed 21 of the nation’s largest restaurant chains, including quick-service brands like McDonald’...

Read Full Story // read more about: Healthy Menus, Consumer Trends, Menu Innovations, Ingredients & Dayparts
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...

See More
Women leaders like Flatbread Grill's owners successfully launch new brands.
Finance
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...

See More
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...

See More
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...

See More
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...

See More
Innovations like the Marinara Tower were featured on the NRA Show floor.
Back of House
Recapping the NRA Show

As the lights went out on the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show (NRA Show) in Chicago on Tuesday, there was plenty to consider about the future of the industry.

The show featured no shortage of technological advancements, not just in computing hardware...

See More
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...

See More
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....

See More