Denny's ad spots target Hispanic consumers
Denny’s has launched its first online marketing campaign aimed at Hispanic consumers and featuring Cesar Millan called “The Skillet Whisperer.” The Spartanburg, S.C.-based family-dining chain produced...
View ArticleChipotle comps up 11% in 4Q
Chipotle Mexican Grill ended both its fourth quarter and the full year with same-store sales increases over 11 percent, the company said Wednesday. For the fourth quarter ended Dec. 31, Chipotle...
View ArticleLandry’s shutters eight Morton’s restaurants
Landry’s Inc. on Wednesday shuttered at least eight units of Morton’s steakhouse in various markets as it completed its acquisition of the high-end steakhouse company. The $116.6 million acquisition of...
View ArticleRestaurants reimagine menu favorites
Restaurant chains are looking to capitalize on successful menu items by introducing variations on tried and true favorites. Rubio’s Fresh Mexican Grill, the 203-unit chain in Carlsbad, Calif., that...
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Restaurant sales growth varies by region
While the National Restaurant Association projects in its 2012 Restaurant Industry Forecast that the U.S. foodservice industry will generate an overall sales increase of 3.5 percent, or $631.8 billion,...
View ArticleChipotle to hold line on pricing
Despite continued commodity inflation expected in 2012, Chipotle Mexican Grill is not planning a systemwide menu price increase except on the West Coast where restaurant pricing is still catching up to...
View ArticleGovernment ties Taco Bell to outbreak investigation
Taco Bell has been linked in an Oklahoma state government document to a recent 10-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis illness that appears to now be over, but which is believed to have sickened at...
View ArticleTerrine of octopus with fried Caesar dressing and crudo of hiramasa
Cool Plates features dishes from across the country to help inspire chefs' creativity. Executive chef Michael Voltaggio makes a Caesar dressing by cooking eggs in an immersion circulator at 63°...
View ArticleSonic names James O’Reilly CMO
Sonic Corp. on Friday named James O’Reilly as chief marketing officer of the 3,555-unit drive-in chain. O’Reilly, who most recent served as chief concept officer for Lakewood, Colo.-based Einstein Noah...
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A look at today’s consumer
In an economic climate that remains challenging, restaurant operators must understand what motivates consumers to select one restaurant over another, according to the National Restaurant Association’s...
View ArticleFrom McDonald’s to Smashburger
Former McDonald’s franchisee Irwin Kruger, who operated the brand’s high-grossing Times Square unit, opened his first fast-casual Smashburger location on New York’s Long Island earlier this week....
View ArticleBehind the scenes with Domino’s on Super Bowl Sunday
With 170,000 transactions or more moving through the online ordering systems of Domino’s Pizza during Super Bowl Sunday, the chain’s information technology department needs to have its game face on....
View ArticleBrands look to offer home meal replacement
With retail food inflation climbing at a more rapid rate than menu price increases, operators are finding that American families have yet one more reason to be receptive to such value packages as...
View ArticleBuilding confidence
I spend much of my time walking around the mall these days. Let me rephrase that: I spend much of my time following my 11- and 13-year-old daughters around the mall these days. They are old enough to...
View ArticleChains eye expansion amid uptick in consumer spending, demand
Signaling a possible new era of restaurant growth — driven by a slight loosening of tight consumer spending and belief there is a pent-up demand for dining out — some operators are looking to open more...
View ArticleInvestor to buy O’Charley’s for $221M
Fidelity National Financial Inc., a title insurance and mortgage services provider, agreed to acquire casual-dining operator O’Charley’s Inc. for $9.85 per share, or $221 million in cash, the company...
View ArticleFirehouse Subs names Doug Reifschneider VP of marketing
Firehouse Subs has promoted Doug Reifschneider to the new position of vice president of marketing for the 488-unit chain. Reifschneider had previously served as marketing director for the Jacksonville,...
View ArticleCraft canned beer becomes trendy choice
The first Canned Beer Dinner at Tokio Pub in Schaumburg, Ill., gave guests a grip on two hot topics in today’s industry — craft beer in cans and locally produced beverages. The four-course,...
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Operators find opportunity in juice bars
Later this year, Starbucks plans to unveil a new juice bar concept somewhere on the West Coast as an entry point into the estimated $50 billion health-and-wellness category. Not surprisingly, others...
View ArticleStudy counters prevailing restaurant menu theories
New university research has debunked prevailing theories about how customers read restaurant menus, and instead showcases new data supporting a book-like approach to menu reading, as well as customers’...
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