Wendy's to open restaurants in country of Georgia
The Wendy’s Co. said Thursday it has entered into an agreement with The Wissol Group, which said it will open 25 restaurants in the countries of Georgia and the Republic of Azerbaijan over the next...
View ArticleBiglari Holdings buys $2.8M in Cracker Barrel stock
Activist investor Sardar Biglari this week acquired 50,100 more shares of Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc., bringing his stake in the family-dining chain to more than 16.3 percent. Biglari, whose...
View ArticleTop ads mix food focus with value
Casual-dining restaurants dominated a study of the first quarter’s most effective TV commercials, as measured by Ace Metrix. The advertising research firm ranked all restaurant industry commercials...
View ArticleGuacamole shrimp and tostada bites
These shareable bites have been a big hit at this 11-unit chain. Bite-sized tostada rounds are topped with guacamole, a little chipotle pepper, cilantro pesto and grilled marinated shrimp. The pesto is...
View ArticleRuby Tuesday to buy Lime Fresh for $24M
Ruby Tuesday Inc. has agreed to acquire the fast-casual Lime Fresh Mexican Grill chain for $24 million, but the casual-dining operator also plans to close up to 27 underperforming locations of its...
View ArticleFrozen treat chains add Greek yogurt to their menus
Ice cream and yogurt chains are tapping into the growing popularity of Greek yogurt with new menu items. On Thursday, TCBY rolled out a new soft-serve version of the trendy yogurt. The debut flavor is...
View ArticleSbarro to open test units, tweak menu
Jim Greco is only about 60 days into his new job as president and chief executive at Sbarro Inc., but the turnaround veteran already has big plans for the Italian quick-service brand. Greco, who joined...
View ArticleBaja Fresh parent names Chuck Rink CEO
Fresh Enterprises LLC, parent to the Baja Fresh and La Salsa Mexican grill chains, said chief executive David Kim has left the company and Chuck Rink has assumed his position as chief executive. Rink,...
View ArticleThe latest chefs on the move
Sebastien Agez is the new executive chef at Plein Sud in the Smyth Hotel in New York City. A native of Dunkirk, France, Agez most recently was chef de cuisine at The Lotos Club in New York. He also had...
View ArticleMcD to franchise in Russia for first time
McDonald’s Corp., which entered Russia in 1990, will begin franchising in that market for the first time under a new deal with Rosinter, the country’s largest restaurant holding company, according to a...
View ArticleTed’s Montana Grill aims to raise $150,000 for Dine Out For No Kid Hungry...
George McKerrow, chief executive and cofounder of Ted’s Montana Grill, has found that helping others also can help drive business. As a result of its participation in Share Our Strength’s Dine Out For...
View ArticleDonatos Pizza names Bonnie Brannigan VP marketing
Donatos Pizza has named Bonnie Brannigan vice president of marketing, the company said Tuesday. Most recently, Brannigan was managing partner of Spark Strategy Group, a consulting firm that she founded...
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How to make the most of Instagram
Use of the social-media photo application Instagram has been filtering into the restaurant business slowly over the past two years, but Facebook’s announcement this week of a $1 billion deal to buy the...
View ArticlePopeyes pursues growth in 40th year
Perhaps because he grew up in New Orleans in the 1970s, just like the Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen restaurant chain he now leads as president, Ralph Bower is adamant that life begins at 40 for Popeyes....
View ArticleBenihana: Traffic lifts 4Q sales
Benihana Inc. on Tuesday credited increased traffic for lifting sales at its three Japanese restaurant chains in the fourth quarter. The Miami-based company, which last month said it was exploring a...
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Grand Central Oyster Bar exec chef dishes on seafood trends
As executive chef for more than 15 years at the Grand Central Oyster Bar in Manhattan’s bustling Grand Central Station, Sandy Ingber continues to make a daily 4 a.m. visit to the Fulton Fish Market in...
View ArticleRestaurant chains experiment with flavors
Pumpernickel bagels at Dunkin’ Donuts, fried green tomatoes in sandwiches at Applebee’s, and steak at Panda Express are all part of the crop of new menu items chains are rolling out this spring,...
View ArticleCKE: Advertising, turkey burgers drive sales
The promotion of turkey burgers and chicken tenders helped drive transactions for Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s in fiscal 2012, but officials at parent CKE Restaurants Inc. said Wednesday they feel no...
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Asian, Latin flavors hot trend for seafood dishes
Looking at the most popular sauces, flavors and menu descriptors used at restaurant to illustrate seafood dishes, Asian and Latin-influenced flavors and ingredients were most popular, according to the...
View ArticleDave & Buster's 4Q profit fell while revenue rose
Dave & Buster's Inc. reported on Thursday that profit was down in the fourth quarter but revenue increased as the Dallas-based company returned to positive same-store sales. The operator of big box...
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