Beyond the four walls

Catering is a value-added service worth consideration.

Pei Wei Q2 sales drop

July 5, 2006

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Fast-casual Asian chain Pei Wei and its parent, P.F. Changs, saw same-store sales dip for the second quarter ended July 2. The company…

Panda Express opens first military location

June 29, 2006

Panda Express is celebrating the opening of their first military base location on July 5 at Edwards Air Force Base. In honor of both the opening and…

Corner Bakery hires Noodles executive to lead franchising

June 14, 2006

DALLAS — Corner Bakery Cafe, a fast-casual bakery cafe owned by CBC Restaurant Corp., has hired P.J. Evans to lead the chain's franchise development efforts.

City Wok signs new deals in California

May 10, 2006

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. — City Wok, the Southern California based Chinese restaurant, recently signed four separate franchising deals, for a total of 18 new…

Panda Express implements NCR POS

May 1, 2006

ATLANTA — Panda Restaurant Group selected a point-of-sale (POS) solution from NCR Corporation at its Panda Express and Hibachi San restaurants throughout the…

Noodles & Company CEO relinquishes post, becomes chairman

April 19, 2006

Denver Biz Journal: Noodles & Company founder and chief executive Aaron Kennedy has traded his chief executive post for that of chairman, a Denver Biz…

Panda Express launches "Garlic Creations"

April 13, 2006

ROSEMEAD, Calif. — The power of garlic can be experienced at Panda Express from April 26 through June 17, when Panda chefs celebrate the Garlic Creations…

Organic foods surge through restaurants

April 11, 2006

  NEW YORK — A new study shows the use of organic foods is growing in the foodservice market.   According to "Organic on the Menu: Healthy Eating Trends in…

Fast-casual concepts attract the Washington lunch crowd

April 9, 2006

Washington Post: The Washington D.C. lunch crowd is patronizing fast-casual concepts more frequently than other concepts. They're eating at Cosi, Potbelly…

New report tracks menu trends

April 6, 2006

CHICAGO —The latest Trend Tracker report, a companion to the online, searchable Menu Monitor service offered by Technomic Information Services, offers a new…

Q1 comps slide 2% at Pei Wei

April 4, 2006

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — P.F. Chang's China Bistro Inc., the parent of fast-casual restaurant Pei Wei, reported consolidated revenues of $228.6 million for the…

Rumbi Island Grill opens in Arizona

April 2, 2006

AZcentral.com: A fast-casual restaurant that offers South Pacific, Caribbean and island food is preparing to debut its first Southeast Valley location in…

Panda Express considers new service models

March 30, 2006

No one has to tell Panda Express that Asian food is growing in popularity. With more than 800 locations throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and Japan…

Experts create the first virtual brand

Camp Out Grill is not real. For now, it's a virtual brand.

NRA: 30 months of consecutive growth

February 28, 2006

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The outlook for the restaurant industry continued to improve in January, as the National Restaurant Association's comprehensive index of…

Entrepreneur opens new PanAsian concept

February 27, 2006

MSNBC: Dennis Cleary leans back in a chair and kicks his feet onto a small end table. He appears relaxed for someone clawing through permitting issues and…

Panda Express receives top operator award; teams up with NBA team

February 26, 2006

ROSEMEAD, Calif. — Panda Express was honored as the "Best Food and Beverage Brand Operator" by Airport Revenue News, an airport trade magazine. According to a…

Chipotle's IPO success influences fast-casual growth

by Julie Sturgeon — independent journalist, CEOEditor, Inc.

Fast-casual restaurants as a whole are racking up impressive numbers, but are they enough to sustain Wall Street's appetite?

Panda serves sushi

February 19, 2006

Panda Express is serving sushi at 16 U.S. locations, including Houston, Chicago and Las Vegas.   "They make their sushi fresh every day; replenish every two…