Panera comps up slightly

January 30, 2007

ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Panera Bread Co. announced that sales at the company's bakery-cafes open at least 18 months increased 0.8 percent for the four-week period…

Restaurant Performance Index hits six-month high

January 30, 2007

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of restaurant activity — a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and…

Starbucks profit expected to rise

January 30, 2007

ASBURY PARK PRESS: Analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News Service expect first quarter profits at Starbucks Coffee Co. to rise to 26 cents per share, up from 2…

California Pizza Kitchen opens first ASAP in Hawaii

January 29, 2007

LOS ANGELES — California Pizza Kitchen opened its first CPK ASAP fast-casual restaurant on the island of Hawaii.   According to a news release, CPK ASAP's…

Former Quiznos exec pleads not guilty to new charges

January 29, 2007

KKTV-11: Scott Darrell Lippitt, former vice president of marketing for the Quiznos sandwich chain, pled not guilty to additional charges in relation to his…

Quiznos franchisees criticize corporate office, close locations

January 29, 2007

Evansville Courier & Press: The owner of a recently closed East Side Quiznos Subs franchise criticized the corporation's business practices and thanked…

Pizza wins Super Bowl

January 29, 2007

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — A State of Super Bowl Takeout Survey reveals the majority of people will order takeout from pizza eateries, followed by fast casual…

LA push to ban trans fat hits wall

January 29, 2007

Los Angeles Times: A campaign by Los Angeles County to ban the use of trans fat in restaurants suffered a setback Friday when legal advisors told public…

Starbucks making inroads into Russia

January 28, 2007

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER: Kuwait-based retailer M.H. Alshaya Co. plans to open 10 Starbucks Corp. stores in Russia this year, CEO Mohammed Alshaya announced…

Renamed Doc Green's expands menu

January 28, 2007

ATLANTA — Doc Green's Salads & Grill, formerly Doc Green's Gourmet Salads, has adopted a new moniker to reflect its additional menu options, which include…

California utility increases rebate funding

January 28, 2007

LOS ANGELES — Southern California Gas Co. has increased its funding for rebates on energy-efficient commercial food-service equipment this year to $330,000 …

FireKing gets patent for centralized safe and accounting system

January 25, 2007

NEW ALBANY, Ind. — FireKing, a maker of industrial safes for the foodservice industry, has received a patent for its Centralized Electronic Safe and…

Minimum wage amendment dies in Senate

January 25, 2007

The Associated Press: An effort to increase the minimum wage in all states, even those that already have wage floors higher than the federal base, failed…

Food Network officials say ad glitch unintentional

January 25, 2007

FORBES: Food Network officials said that a brief flash of the McDonald's Corp. logo was a technical error and not an attempt at subliminal advertising. During…

Starbucks plans to offer mp3 downloads

January 25, 2007

BLOOMBERG: Seattle-based Starbucks Corp. plans to begin offering downloads for portable music players sometime this year, Starbucks Entertainment president…

HyperActive Tech, Zaxby's partner

January 25, 2007

PITTSBURGH — Zaxby's Franchising Inc., a fast casual restaurant chain with more than 350 locations throughout the southeastern United States, has named…

Building an e-mail list

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

January 25, 2007

When it comes to a customer-based e-mail list, McAlister's Deli has learned bigger is better.

Anderson steps down as NRA head

January 24, 2007

WASHINGTON D.C. — National Restaurant Association president and chief executive Steven Anderson has resigned from his post, effective Feb. 23. Anderson has…

Starbucks under fire in China

January 24, 2007

ASIA TIMES: Controversy over the Starbucks outlet in the Forbidden City gains new steam as calls to close the six-year-old outlet grow. However, not everyone…

First Salsa Rico franchise opens in Philadelphia

January 24, 2007

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The first franchised Salsa Rico, a Baja-style Mexican grill from Retail Brand Group LLC., opened this week in downtown Philadelphia.   The…