Starbucks to add alcohol, food to more units
Starbucks said Monday it will expand its offer of beer, wine and an expanded food menu to a handful of stores in Atlanta and Southern California before the end of 2012. Five to seven locations in...
View ArticleBrooklyn Water Coffee Co. debuts
Brooklyn Water Enterprises Inc., the parent to the 10-unit Brooklyn Water Bagel Co., debuted Monday a coffee shop version of the concept that uses the same “Brooklynized” water as the bagel chain. The...
View ArticleFoie gras bratwurst, luxury comfort food
Take a classic comfort food dish and add something extravagant to it, and you’ll be participating in one of the hottest restaurant trends these days. From Kobe beef hamburgers to lobster mac ’n’...
View ArticleBuffalo Wings & Rings prototype aims to broaden appeal
Roger David, chief executive of Cincinnati-based Buffalo Wings & Rings, knew his casual-dining chain was accomplishing its goals with a new prototype when a two-person focus group confirmed that...
View ArticleIT in 3: Pizza Hut focuses on mobile, analytics
Pizza Hut technology efforts have recently focused on mobile ordering, which has helped drive incremental sales gains, but the chain’s chief information and digital officer Baron Concors is also...
View ArticleMcDonald’s U.S. comps highest since 2006
McDonald’s Corp. said Tuesday that a strong fourth quarter drove the domestic segment’s highest annual increase in same-store sales since 2006 and an 11-percent increase in net income for the quarter...
View ArticleChop't looks to expand in New York, D.C.
With 11 years of measured chain growth under their belts, Tony Shure and Colin McCabe are accelerating expansion of their 15-unit fast-casual concept, Chop’t Creative Salad Co. The two cofounders, who...
View ArticleBrinker expands value strategy at Chili's
Brinker International Inc. said Tuesday the company is expanding the “everyday value” strategy at its Chili’s Grill & Bar brand in a call with analysts discussing second quarter earnings. The...
View ArticleMcD to focus on core products for U.S. in 2012
McDonald’s Corp. officials reaffirmed their optimism for business in 2012, despite slow economic growth and commodity cost inflation projected in major markets like the United States and Europe....
View ArticleZaxby’s to test new restaurant design
Zaxby’s, the fast-casual chicken specialist, has debuted a new restaurant design that management hopes will have more visual appeal from the street and allow for more efficiency and flexibility in the...
View ArticleDel Frisco’s Restaurant Group files for IPO
High-end steakhouse operator Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group LLC Tuesday filed registration papers for an initial public offering of shares three years after pulling the plug on an IPO because of...
View ArticleTCBY, Mrs. Fields to add units, new products
Fresh from a recapitalization by new owners, the TCBY and Mrs. Fields brands are heading into a year of innovative products, new franchising opportunities and building their presence in grocery stores....
View ArticleQuiznos avoids bankruptcy with restructuring
Quiznos said Tuesday it has successfully completed a previously announced financial restructuring, sidestepping bankruptcy and shifting ownership to Avenue Capital Group in a debt-for-equity swap. The...
View ArticleCDC: Salmonella outbreak tied to unnamed Mexican QSR chain
An unidentified Mexican quick-service restaurant chain has been linked to a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak believed to have sickened at least 68 people in 10 states, but that is now over, federal...
View ArticleIndustry groups respond to State of the Union address
National Restaurant Association officials urged U.S. lawmakers to foster policies that will help accelerate growth in the foodservice industry and other businesses as President Barack Obama delivered...
View ArticleWines that bring out sausages' flavors
Each month members of the Court of Master Sommeliers, an international association of wine experts, suggest wine pairings for popular menu items. Here they offer us both premium and bargain wines to...
View ArticleAxum Capital Partners acquires Wild Wing Café
Axum Capital Partners, a private-equity firm in Charlotte, N.C., on Wednesday acquired a controlling interest in the 32-unit casual-dining wings specialist, Wild Wing Café. Restaurant veteran Edna...
View ArticleOperators cater to winter iced-coffee cravings
More Americans are drinking iced coffee this winter, according to a survey conducted by Dunkin’ Donuts, and restaurateurs are looking to accommodate them by offering a variety of cold, caffeinated...
View ArticleGrowth drives sales at Smashburger
Better-burger segment player Smashburger Wednesday said it grew its restaurant base by 55 percent and entered 12 new markets in 2011 to end the year with 143 locations. The Denver-based chain, which is...
View ArticleRestaurants kick off Super Bowl promos
Super Bowl XLVI will be the year’s most important game not only for the New York Giants and New England Patriots, but also for the restaurant industry. The Feb. 5 contest is one of the biggest sales...
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