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Say Anything: Top 10 blogs of the year revealed

Some of the industry's top bloggers weigh in on everything from technology and marketing to trends and food safety.

December 20, 2013 by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

While FastCasual.com's main goal is reporting news, we also highly value the opinions of the industry's experts, which is why we invite them to blog. Unlike straight news stories, blogs give writers an opportunity to predict, advise and sometimes praise or even complain. Below are the year's 10 most-popular blogs of the year.

10. Applying Van Halen's M&M Candy Test to loss prevention

Loss prevention expert Libby Libhart reminded us how that in 1982, rock band Van Halen stipulated a large bowl of M&M candies to be available to members of the rock group accompanied with the added text: "WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES!" His point was to make sure concert promoters paid attention to all details.

Libhart's point? Attention to detail is important when it comes security and food-safety issues.

9. 5 ways mobile apps can increase revenue

This August blog by Blue Rocket's Jess Taylor gave restaurant marketers tips on increasing revenue via mobile apps.

8. What your bad employees don't want you to know

Libhart made the Top 10 twice this year with this June blog about how to spot bad employees.

7. 5 ways to grow your off-premise catering sales

Catering expert Erle Dardick shared his five pillars of catering to grow and leverage any successful restaurant catering operation.

6. 5 ways to market your restaurant catering holiday program

Dardick is back again, but this time he specifically discussed how holiday catering can increase sales.

5. Not open to discussion: The time for restaurant mobile apps is now

Jintendra Gupta, CEO of Punchh, a mobile-centric marketing platform for restaurants, shared why he believes every brand hoping to stay relevant must have a mobile app.

4. 5 reasons Millennials love pizza

Millennial marketing expert Jeff Fromm described why pizza is so popular with Millennials, those born between 1978 and 2000.

3. 35 Top Restaurant Apps [Infographic]

FastCasual.com's sister site QSRWeb.com designed an infographic outlining what restaurant-related apps consumers are downloading the most, and how they're rating those apps in the iOS and Android marketplaces.

2. Restaurant loyalty programs pay off in surprising ways

Duessa Holscher, marketing director at Granbury Restaurant Solutions, discussed how to make restaurants paying big bucks for high-tech loyalty programs can make them pay off.

1. 10 popular gluten-free menu ideas

It's no surprise that the most-read blog of the year had to do with gluten-free ideas. In her piece, nutrition guru Betsy Craig shares easy ways for restaurants to incorporate the trend.

Read more about trends.

Photo: Courtesy of Wikimedia.

About Cherryh Cansler

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Cherryh Cansler is VP of Events for Networld Media Group and publisher of FastCasual.com. She has been covering the restaurant industry since 2012. Her byline has appeared in Forbes, The Kansas City Star and American Fitness magazine, among many others.

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