French Fry Heaven takes advantage of snack trend

The first French Fry Heaven location opened in October 2011 in Jacksonville. There are now 60 franchise deals signed to spread the brand across the country.

Pie Face's new berry pie makes Broadway debut

April 15, 2013

Pie Face, the 24-hour Australian pie shop, opened its fourth USA location today in Manhattan's Theater district. To celebrate, the chain has joined forces with…

The secret to word of mouth marketing: No one person behind the curtain can do it all

by Jitendra Gupta — Mobile CRM Director, Punchh

In 1939, few movie characters were scarier than the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy, the Tin Man, the Scarecrow and the Lion were terrified by the specter of the…

A&W throws hat into better burger, fast casual ring

April 15, 2013

For a brand that's been around about 94 years, A&W has made many big changes just within the past year and a half since divesting from Yum! Brands.

Moe's offers $5 burritos to celebrate 'Cinco de Moe's'

April 15, 2013

In celebration of Cinco De Mayo, also known as Cinco De Moe's at Moe's Southwest Grill, the chain is offering customers its Homewrecker burrito, chips and…

FCES 2013: Advancing Ideas for the Fast Casual Industry

This unique gathering, now in it's 8th year will bring together a select group of C-level executives, VPs, and Directors from the fast casual segment for two…

Burger 21 focusing on Florida

April 15, 2013

Burger 21, a better burger franchise founded by the owners of The Melting Pot Restaurants Inc.,  is targeting the Greater Orlando market for future development…

Memphis-based sub shop offers voluntary menu transparency

April 15, 2013

Lenny's Sub Shop, a 150-unit sub sandwich franchise based in Tennessee, has rolled out voluntary calorie information for select sandwiches in all of its sub…

Fast casuals taking over the Middle East

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

For the past six months, it seems I've been writing nearly weekly stories about fast casual brands opening in the Middle East. From the better burger concepts…

Counting calories? Remember portion control

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Over-serving adds to food costs, cuts profit margins, and contributes to obesity and food waste.

Genghis Grill grows revenue by collecting customer feedback via mobile

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The chain used a solution from Improving Restaurants to attract repeat customers.

Why tablets deserve a spot on your restaurant's technology menu

by Duessa Holscher — marketing, Granbury Restaurant Solutions

Restaurants are interested in adoption for a variety of purposes, including running their point-of-sale system in store, implementing self-serve ordering…

Restaurant industry groups support renewable fuel standard reform

April 11, 2013

Four Congressmen introduced the Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act this week, bipartisan legislation aimed at reducing food costs by eliminating the…

Customers to get free taste of new dish at Panda Express

April 11, 2013

Panda Express introduced its newest premium entrée, Samurai Surf & Turf on April 3 but is giving customers a free sample on April 17, according to a…

Leaf launches POS tablet for limited-service restaurants

April 11, 2013

Limited-service restaurants now have a mobile point of sale unit designed specifically for them. Leaf, a provider of POS systems, business intelligence and…

Restaurateurs demo how to franchise farm-to-table concept

Jon Olinto and Anthony Ackil, owners of b.good, a fast casual concept based around locally sourced food, believe their concept is franchise ready, although…

The problem with marketing to social media 'influencers'

by Nate Riggs — CEO / Owner, NR Media Group

Everyone wants to be a social media influencer these days, right? Can you imagine how excited I was when received this email message from Klout and the brand…

Green Leaf's and Bananas expanding in Texas

April 10, 2013

Villa Enterprises Management Ltd., a global multi-concept restaurant franchisor, has opened a second Green Leaf's and Bananas location in Texas in the Katy…

Back Yard Burger going bigger with burgers

April 10, 2013

Nashville-based better burger chain Back Yard Burgers is going bigger this year with a thicker and juicer one-third pound, char-grilled Black Angus patty.

Noodles & Co adds asparagus, gluten-free noodle to menu

April 10, 2013

The first signs of spring are budding at Noodles & Company, where three new seasonal items are now on the menu.