Gluten-free menus can be a challenge – or not

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Conservative estimates see gluten-free at $8 billion in consumer food purchases alone in 2013.

Food innovation can be glamorous and messy, but don't let that stop you!

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Time and time again, a great innovative idea is shelved, only to be resurrected years later as a successful new product.

Foodservice learning from the Fancy Food Show

by Ed Zimmerman — President, pizza.com

Gluten-free remains a hot trend, while others are just now emerging, such as coconut flavor and salty/sweet combos.

Facebook's Graph finds restaurant ‘Likes’ but falls short of authentic endorsements

by Jitendra Gupta — Mobile CRM Director, Punchh

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced the company was refining its search feature dubbed Graph, a tool it heralded as particularly good for finding…

A forgotten key strategy in avoiding menu price increases

Including loss prevention in your strategies to counter higher costs may give you a competitive advantage, and add 3 to 5 percent to the top line.

Culture trumps strategy: What I learned from Ben & Jerry's

by Erle Dardick — CEO, Monkeymedia

The company's employees connect emotionally in their communities and their group understands that waking up in the morning to do important work is not just…

Vending machine micromarket hot trend: QSR branded products?

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Micromarkets can provide benefits such as accessibility, flexibility and profitability for brands willing to adopt them.

Frying up snacks in human fat – is this what we’ve come to?

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

A Dutch television show is taking food experimentation to an uncomfortable level.

What is the No. 1 reason for food truck failures?

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

A business plan will force you to plan ahead, think about the competition, formulate a marketing strategy, define your management structure and plan your…

Clean restaurants build customers' confidence

by Ed Zimmerman — President, pizza.com

Consumers consistently site dirty bathrooms as the primary reason for not returning to restaurants.

Loyalty has its rewards both for operators and customers

by Jitendra Gupta — Mobile CRM Director, Punchh

Punchh and RunningRestaurants.com conducted a survey recently that examined whether restaurant operators believed their social media marketing efforts worked.

4 keys to increasing online ticket averages through suggestive selling

by Duessa Holscher — marketing, Granbury Restaurant Solutions

When the customer chooses to check out, it's a great opportunity to review their order and make a final suggestion for drinks, appetizers or desserts.

What is the role of fanatical, cult-like menu items in QSR segment?

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Cult-like food products drive brand value as the enormous consumer base recognizes and assigns value to the new product developed by a particular company.

How to share your good menu news in 2013

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

There are now several mobile apps restaurants can use to communicate their allergy-friendly menus to consumers.

The workforce structure debate of 2013: part time vs. full time

by Jason Hamilton — VP of Marketing, Snagajob

Several elements will cause employers to revisit their workforce structure in 2013, including growth, regulation changes and labor cost increases.

Can innovation salvage Darden Restaurants?

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Innovation always guarantees an increase in shareholder value, as well as highly motivated employees.

Making your business successful in 2013

by Ed Zimmerman — President, pizza.com

H A P P Y   N E W    Y E A R

Is your catering experience scalable and predictable?

by Erle Dardick — CEO, Monkeymedia

It's time to think of the off-premise sales opportunity as the fastest growing opportunity our restaurants have.

21 business security tips for the holidays

A lot of cash is exchanged at restaurants during the holiday season, making them a target for robbery.

Check average UP with waist line DOWN ...

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Offering a discount to anyone who has half of their entrée boxed for take-home immediately when served avoids the dreaded sharing of one dish and also promotes…