As every operator knows, the restaurant business is a penny business. We work on relatively thin margins and don't have the luxury of harboring a casual attitude when it comes to controlling costs …

Consumers often say they wish they had healthier options for breakfast, yet better-for-you, not to mention better-tasting, has been hard to come by when it comes to breakfast on the run. We're seeing …

Click here if you missed Part 1. The yearly Trend Award ceremony was only a few weeks away and while the nominations had been announced, the winners were not yet finalized. The categories ranged from …

"What? What do you mean we are out of product? Did you check the cooler and stockroom? How could we be out? I know I ordered plenty and checked it all in. What happened to it?" So goes a mysterious …

Healthy Beverage Innovation: PepsiCo Leads the way PepsiCo is one company that believes in Return on Innovation Investment (ROII), and is facing the challenge head on! So what are they doing? 1 …

To begin I would like to state I am not stupid enough to believe the development of digital menu boards or digital signs are nearly as important as the development of computers. However, I do believe …

The yearly Trend Award ceremony was only a few weeks away, and while the nominations had been announced, the winners were not yet finalized. The categories ranged from Best New Trend, Lifestyle …

As the country begins to see calories on menus, I have some awesome ideas and tips to make your food and menu items a bit better in the numbers department. (Click here to read Part 1 for last week's …

After a decade of intense meat worship, chefs are procuring, preparing and serving vegetables with the same love and attention they previously reserved for Ossabaw pork or grass-fed marrow bones. If …

In 2004, when PCI (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard) first came out, there was almost no guidance available. Jump ahead to today, and you can find numerous suggestions online and from the …

At a big box home center this week my wife and I picked out base cabinets for our laundry room. We needed two, but there was only one in a box on the large shelf. I was about to ask if there was …

By now, most people in the industry have probably digested the results of Consumer Reports magazine's rating of 53 "fast-food chains." I was extremely proud of the results for Firehouse Subs, given …

One of the most critical —and sometimes frustrating — challenges managers face today is staffing. In the restaurant industry, being fully staffed with high-quality employees is paramount …

The time is rapidly approaching when you will need to clearly disclose the calorie counts for every standardized item on your menus. You might not run the risk of a fine or slap on the hand from an …

As a restaurant business consultant, I receive calls monthly from Wall Street Investors asking my opinion on the state of new product innovation of various restaurant chains – and many times I …

We all know there's a lot of differences between digital menu boards and traditional menu boards. They are new and there's a lot to learn, but are they really that much more complicated? Have you …

In the spirit of celebrating contemporary food culture, this subway-style map (below, or click here for a larger view) is intended to serve as a snapshot of the main actors, techniques, values and …

We work hard in the restaurant business to provide our customers the food they desire. With efficient operations, we have enough inventory to convert raw products into meals that customers pay for …

I jumped out of the cab and just stood there taking it all in – the smell of roasted peanuts, the constant honking of taxis and the bright lights of hundreds of billboards. Was this small town …

What makes Duncan Hines' new Amazing Glazes so "amazing?" Does it represent new technology? Or do the glazes represent a new application of an old technology? First of all, the new vanilla and …