Foodservice Social Media: Learn, talk, advocate, support and innovate

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

To implement a successful social media strategy, foodservice operators need to invest in their customers and their strategy.

RAMP: Mobile card-swiping technology

Lance Ning from ID Tech showed some of his company's mobile swiping technology at the recent mobile payments conference in Chicago. Applications include…

Discussing healthy trends

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Last week, I had the pleasure of being the main speaker and coordinator of two and a half hours of topics around a number of the current Healthy Trends facing…

Chains ask Congress to end Ethanol Tax Credit and Tariff

September 15, 2011

The National Council of Chain Restaurants and 16 of its member companies today asked Congress' "supercommittee" to repeal a federal tax credit for corn-based…

Genghis Grill serving Dr Pepper BBQ chicken

September 15, 2011

Genghis Grill – The Mongolian Stir Fry, has added Dr. Pepper BBQ chicken to its menu for a limited time. The menu option, which is only available through Nov.

Noodles & Co. expands in Iowa

September 14, 2011

Noodles & Company is opening its first restaurant in Ames, Iowa on Sept. 21 at 10:30 a.m. The new restaurant will be located on Duff Avenue in front of the…

Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes earns Green Restaurant Association certification

September 14, 2011

Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., parent company to Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, announced its sustainability initiatives and Green Restaurant Association…

Boston Market joins No Kid Hungry campaign

September 14, 2011

For the second consecutive year, Boston Market restaurants will participate in Share Our Strength's annual Dine Out for No Kid Hungry — a national, week-long…

NRA Innovations Awards application process opens

September 14, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is now seeking applications from foodservice equipment manufacturers for its 2012 Kitchen Innovations Awards.

LivingSocial survey: Lunch is most popular dine-out opportunity

September 14, 2011

LivingSocial has released results from its first "Dining Out" survey of consumer behavior. The research was conducted among 4,000 Americans by Mandala Research.

NRA hosting CFI Summit in October

September 13, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is partnering with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) to host the 2011 CFI Food System Summit in Chicago Oct. 25-26.

Wingstop deploys Market Force's mystery shopping program

September 13, 2011

Wingstop is partnering with Market Force Information, a customer intelligence solutions company, to deploy a nationwide mystery shopping program across its 48…

YO!Sushi set to make U.S. debut

September 13, 2011

YO!Sushi, a sushi brand based in the United Kingdom, has announced its first franchisee in the U.S. granting the rights to open 10 restaurants in the…

Local builds scale

by Melissa Abbott — Director, Culinary Insights, The Hartman Group, Inc

The cultural appetite for all things local continues unabated. Of interest, the ability to source local products from highly fragmented producers dotting the…

5 basic innovation ideation principles

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Rank and file company employees of a food company may say "We're not Apple Computer!" We can't generate the innovative ideas that Apple does!" We are doomed to…

Getting past the mobile buzz

by Amanda Richardson — Senior Vice President of Product and Marketing, Snagajob

Mobile technologies have made HR and operations tools more accessible than ever. At the intersection of smart phone proliferation – now topping 1 billion…

Where are the traditional menu board companies?

by Scott Sharon — CEO, START

I remember when I was studying for my master's degree in marketing one of the professors told me something I will never forget. He said you have to always know…

NRA opens early bird registration for annual Hotel-Motel Show

September 12, 2011

The National Restaurant Association has opened attendee registration for its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine, Spirits & Beer Event…

Starbucks' new Gold Coast Blend benefits schools

September 12, 2011

To celebrate the arrival of fall, Starbucks is rolling out its Gold Coast Blend – Morning Joe Edition. The coffee was introduced in grocery stores in 2009 to…

Jamba Juice teams up with 'Diet Diva' Tara Gidus

September 12, 2011

Jamba Juice Company is partnering up with "Diet Diva" Tara Gidus, a registered dietician/nutritionist and nationally recognized expert in nutrition and…