Sweet Tomatoes fundraiser brings in $70,000 for Easter Seals

July 21, 2010

Souplantation & Sweet Tomatoes announced that their annual Easter Seals Fundraiser raised $70,000 — the largest amount collected since the start of the…

On-premise beer, spirits sales to grow

July 21, 2010

Citing a positive sales trend from restaurants and bars, Technomic has revised its forecast upward for sales of beverage alcohol sold away from home. Technomic…

Tropical Smoothie Café’s National Flip Flop Day Campaign $310,000

July 21, 2010

Tropical Smoothie Café's third annual National Flip Flop Day fundraiser has set a donation record for the chain, which was able to collect $310,000 for Camp…

Starbucks boosts profit, meets analyst expectations

July 21, 2010

Starbucks Corp. has reported a same-store sales increase of 9 percent for the company's U.S. operations during third quarter ended June 2, 2010, and an…

Doing food safety 'til the cows come home

by Paul Mcginnis — Vice President, Marketing, Ecolab Food Safety Specialties

From the second I walked through the front entrance, I noticed a difference. Maybe it was the warm, sincere greeting at the front desk or the quick tour and…

5 keys to building a successful catering platform

Catering is more than another revenue stream; it’s a chance to build an entirely new retail channel for your restaurant.

McAlister’s Deli pairs with Monkey Media

July 20, 2010

MonkeyMedia Software, a provider of web-based operations solutions for the foodservice industry, has announced that McAlister's Deli has selected…

Smashburger rolls out sweet potato, fried pickle Smashsides nationwide

July 20, 2010

Smashburger, a fast-casual "better burger" restaurant, is now offering its delicious Sweet Potato Smashfries and fried pickles at all 71 locations nationwide…

People - The threshold to success

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

As CEO of a predominately franchised chain of restaurants, I often challenge my team to examine the differences between the high and low restaurant sales…

Daphne's Greek Cafe to be sold

July 19, 2010

Daphne's Greek Café will emerge from Chapter 11 through the sale of substantially all of its operating assets to a buyer sponsored by Trefethen Advisors LLC.

Quiznos ads go from talking ovens to singing animals

July 19, 2010

Quiznos has debuted a new national broadcast advertising campaign featuring three cats – nicknamed the "Singimals"– singing the features of Quiznos new $5, $…

Jamba Juice kicks Off Cal South soccer assoc. partnership

July 19, 2010

Jamba Juice has entered into a multi-year agreement with Cal South, the California State Soccer Association-South, to further help communities get out and get…

NPD: Unit counts decline for QSR, full service restaurants

July 19, 2010

According to foodservice market research by The NPD Group, while the U.S. restaurant unit count for quick- and full-service dining establishments has declined…

I’ll say it again – gluten free is a house of cards

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

The spiders in my back yard suffer from over inflated egos and exaggerated senses of self importance. Lack of ambition is something these mavericks will never…

Seattle’s Best opens first franchise location

July 18, 2010

SeattleNY LLC., a franchisee of Seattle’s Best Coffee, has opened a new Seattle’s Best Coffee kiosk located at the newly renovated Manhattan Mall.

The Counter beefs up menu with Burgers in a Bowl

July 18, 2010

The Counter has launched a new “Signature Burgers in a Bowl” menu featuring six pre-designed options for guests and another Build-Your-Own option.

Chipotle increases junk e-mail fundraiser to $100,000

July 18, 2010

Chipotle Mexican Grill has decided to double its donation to The Lunch Box if its new goal of 1 million junk e-mails is reached by August.

Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill partners with Envysion

July 18, 2010

Envysion Inc.,a provider of Managed Video as a Service solutions, has announced that Garbanzo Mediterranean Grill has selected Envysion as its exclusive video…

Local communities large part of fast casual culture

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

Fast casual operators learn that community involvement breeds loyalty and extends reach.

Early tech adopters are most avid restaurant consumers

July 15, 2010

Based on a model developed in the 1960s by researcher Everett Rogers, Technomic has found that consumers who are first to buy the latest technologies—from…