Heartland, LevelUp partnering to take mobile payments mainstream

March 21, 2013

Mobile payments are going mainstream this year if Heartland Payment Systems and LevelUp have anything to say about it. Heartland, one of the nation's largest…

Chipotle withdraws Boy Scout sponsorship because of group's ban on gays

March 20, 2013

Because of the Boy Scouts of America's long-standing ban on gays, Chipotle Mexican Grill has pulled its sponsorship of Utah's Scout-O-Rama, according to the…

Menu development in a multiunit restaurant catering operation

by Erle Dardick — CEO, Monkeymedia

The assumption that menus are the same between dine-in, takeout and catering can be deadly to our brand and catering customer experience.

Red Lobster testing fast cas concept

March 20, 2013

Just a month after Applebee's extended its fast casual lunch concept to all stores in its home market of Kansas City, Mo., Red Lobster announced this week that…

Bellwether, Restaurant Insights merge to offer services to chain restaurants

March 20, 2013

Bellwether Food Group, a strategic planning, sales and brand consultancy firm, and Restaurant Insights, a market research company, are merging to create a new…

Wingstop heats up NCAA tourney with LTO

March 20, 2013

Now that the NCAA tournament brackets are complete, Wingstop is adding to the excitement with a limited-time offer, the Wingstop Triple Double Pack, available…

La Madeleine debuts spring menu

March 20, 2013

There's a new spring menu launching March 27 at la Madeleine with rustic, authentic French flavors, according to a company press release. The menu, available…

Retail’s perpetual food cost advantage over QSR

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Build awareness throughout the company employees (top to bottom) that food-cost control is the top priority, second only to customer satisfaction.

PizzaRev gets an investment boost from Buffalo Wild Wings

March 19, 2013

PizzaRev, an artisan pizza concept based in Los Angeles, today announced that Buffalo Wild Wings has taken a minority position in its new concept. Terms of the…

FastCasual.com hosting webinar on mobile payment security

March 19, 2013

With a push toward mobility, restaurant owners are capitalizing on wireless technology to provide customers with new loyalty and couponing programs. Creating a…

Starbucks buys Costa Rican farmland

March 19, 2013

Starbucks bought a 240-acre farm this week on the slopes of the Poas Volcano in Costa Rica, which will be home to a farming research and development center…

Fast Casual chain treats fans to New Orleans trip

March 19, 2013

McAlister's Deli has announced the Grand Prize winner of its Big Easy Experience promotion. Melanie Hoffman, Grapevine, Texas, won an all-inclusive trip to New…

How digital menu boards lead to restaurant 'bliss'

When digital signage fulfills the need of a restaurant while entertaining customers, the "bliss point" in food and beverage marketing is realized.

Canada now home to 2 Qdoba units

March 18, 2013

Qdoba Mexican Grill is now open in London, Ontario. Located at 841 Wellington Road S., the newest Qdoba is the brand's second Canadian restaurant; the first…

California Tortilla hosting Elito 8 tourney

March 18, 2013

To celebrate the NCAA playoff season, California Tortilla is launching its own tourney: The Elito 8 Tournament will let Cal Tort fans determine the chain's…

Managing customers' mobile preferences correctly doesn’t need compromises

by Jitendra Gupta — Mobile CRM Director, Punchh

There is no magical solution to meeting every single demand of mobile-savvy customers.

Caribou Coffee to cut ties with JCP

March 18, 2013

JC Penney suffered another blow last week with the announcement that Caribou Coffee will no longer open shops inside of the retailer's revamped stores.

Localized and personalized top 2013 customer experience trends

March 18, 2013

Empathica Inc., a provider of Customer Experience Management (CEM) solutions to restaurants and other industries, predicts that 2013 will be a pivotal year for…

Seattle's Best Coffee expands drive-thru footprint

March 18, 2013

Seattle's Best Coffee, featured brand within Starbucks Corporation, today announced that 15 new locations will open in Dallas-Fort Worth this year. Following…

Why restaurants should take customers out of comfort zones

Customers stuck in an ordering rut will leave your restaurant to try something new.