COEX 2012: Healthful foods, food trucks top menu trends
Consumer demand for healthful foods, rising interest in local and sustainable products, and the continued popularity of food trucks were among the chief topics discussed at the 2012 annual Chain...
View ArticleMonthly menu check: Casual-dining restaurants focus on special offers
Casual-dining restaurants continued their focus on special offers throughout February, according to a Monthly Menu Check from Brad Ludington, an analyst from KeyBanc Capital Markets. Among the chains...
View ArticleSeattle’s Best to sell coffee in convenience stores
Seattle’s Best Coffee beverages will be sold in Chevron ExtraMile convenience stores on the West Coast beginning this spring, the Starbucks Corp. subsidiary said Thursday. While products initially will...
View ArticleKona Grill and Jamba Juice name new execs
Kona Grill Inc. and Jamba Inc. have both named new top-level executives. Kona Grill promoted Christi Hing to chief financial officer, the company said Thursday. She formerly served as vice president...
View ArticleAlton Brown to host James Beard Awards
Television personality Alton Brown will host the 2012 James Beard Foundation Chef and Restaurant Awards, to be held in New York on May 7. Brown won the Beard Foundation’s award for best TV food...
View ArticleDineEquity tweaks value strategy at Applebee's, IHOP
Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar and IHOP restaurants will continue to emphasize value, but IHOP plans to move away from limited-time-offers, executives of parent DineEquity Inc. said in a call...
View ArticleWendy’s plans significant capital investment
Emil Brolick, chief executive of The Wendy’s Co., said during the company’s fourth-quarter earnings conference call that the next three years would be “the three most intense years of capital...
View ArticleArni spare ribs
Cool Plates features dishes from across the country to help inspire chefs' creativity. Executive chef Jim Botsacos was inspired by American pork spare ribs for this lamb dish, made with flavors that...
View ArticleBurger King adds two new premium burgers
Burger King on Friday announced two new additions to its Chef’s Choice premium burger line available throughout March in the chain’s U.S. locations. The trio of burgers, including the original BK...
View ArticlePanera Bread adds more Panera Cares restaurants
The Panera Bread Foundation will be opening at least two additional donate-what-you-wish Panera Cares restaurants later this year, bringing the total to five in its non-profit program. The program,...
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How Arby’s increased its Klout score
Recent changes to the way social-media platform Klout calculates its score to measure online influence have benefited brands that stay committed to the social profiles they build and that integrate all...
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Cracker Barrel uses country music roots to build Twitter
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store led the fourth quarter Restaurant Social Media Index rankings for growth in Twitter followers with initiatives that tapped into the brand’s country music roots. The...
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Mooyah Burgers shares tips to succeed on Facebook
Mooyah Burgers & Fries, which ranked No. 1 in the Facebook growth category of the fourth-quarter Restaurant Social Media Index, considers the social-media platform as just one layer in fully loaded...
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Growth concepts: Restaurant executives share franchising, growth strategies
Restaurant brands and their franchisees are ready to resume growth. Still, as an uncertain economy lingers and difficult lending terms continue, companies are getting proactive by directly funding...
View ArticleChurch's Chicken names two new executives
Church’s Chicken chief executive Jim Hyatt has appointed two new executives, continuing the restructuring of his executive team. Michael Mader has joined the quick-service chicken chain in the newly...
View ArticleAFC Enterprises names Ralph Bower Popeyes’ U.S. division president
AFC Enterprises Inc. has promoted Ralph Bower to the newly created position of president of the U.S. division of its Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen subsidiary. Bower will assume some responsibilities of AFC...
View ArticlePanda Express tests new container
Panda Express is testing a new service container that will allow guests to have smaller portions of three entrees, rather than the traditional two-entrée combination plates. The new “Paw Plates,”...
View ArticleSubway TV & Radio expands in the U.S.
Subway TV & Radio, an audio and video package supporting in-restaurant sales and marketing messages, is now in place at about 1,000 U.S. Subway locations and may soon move overseas, according to...
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Top 10 cities with highest meal taxes
When it comes to taxes on prepared meals, Minneapolis, Chicago and Virginia Beach, Va., rank as the three highest in the nation, according to a recent survey by The Tax Foundation. The Tax Foundation,...
View ArticleJack in the Box franchisee inks $91M refinancing
One of the largest Jack in the Box franchise operators has refinanced its existing debt with a new $91 million senior credit facility from GE Capital Franchise Finance, the lender said Tuesday. JIB...
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