Black Gold

Push your profits by matching your premium food with a premium coffee

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.

The Bruegger's turnaround

The once fast-growing chain has learned slow-growth is better.

Einstein Bros. introduces new breakfast sandwich

June 8, 2006

GOLDEN, Colo. — Einstein Bros. Bagels, one of the brands under New World Restaurant Group Inc., introduced the Spicy Elmo egg sandwich.   According to a news…

NRA board member joins Caribou Coffee

June 7, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS — The Caribou Coffee Company Inc. announced Rosalyn "Roz" Mallet, chief operating officer of la Madeleine French Bakery, Cafe and Bistro, has…

Panera May sales up 3%

June 7, 2006

ST LOUIS — Panera Bread Co. said sales at bakery-cafes had risen 3 percent in May.   Same-store sales rose 3.4 percent at company-owned outlets and 2.…

Bruegger's reports record Q1

June 4, 2006

BURLINGTON, Vt. — Bruegger's Enterprises Inc. reported that first-quarter comparable sales grew 8.1 percent at company locations and 5.7 percent system wide.…

Starbucks removed music kiosks

June 1, 2006

Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Reports surfaced last week that Starbucks quietly removed CD-burning kiosks from all but 10 of its stores — a move that caused…

Woman slams car into N.Y. Panera Bread

May 24, 2006

Capital News: An Albany, N.Y., woman hit a parked car and sent it through the plate glass window of a Panera Bread store. The restaurant did not have any…

2006 restaurant show wraps up

The 2006 National Restaurant Hotel & Motel Show offered big-time speakers and trendsetting technologies. Even if you attended, you probably didn't see…

Corner Bakery Café updates menu

May 17, 2006

DALLAS — Ninety unit Corner Bakery Cafe, a fast-casual bakery cafe owned by CBC Restaurant Corp., has introduced seasonal updates to its summer menu at all…

Bruegger's sprawls to Alaska

May 17, 2006

BURLINGTON, VT. — Bruegger's Enterprises Inc. announced it will expand to Alaska.  The company signed an agreement April 20 with a new franchise group to…

Raving Brands acquires Flying Biscuit

May 17, 2006

ATLANTA — Raving Brands plans to acquire an interest in Atlanta icon Flying Biscuit, adding to its portfolio that includes Moe's Southwest Grill, Doc Green's…

New World Restaurants net $12.1MM loss

May 10, 2006

GOLDON, Colo. — New World Restaurant Group, parent of Einstein Bagel stores, reported a net loss of $12.1 million. The company reported revenue of $97.…

Einstein Bros. serves pink bagels for Mother's Day

May 8, 2006

GOLDEN, Colo. — Einstein Bros. Bagels is celebrating Mother's Day by joining forces with the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation to help raise funds for…

Panera April sales up 2.8%

May 7, 2006

ST. LOUIS — Panera Bread Co.'s reported an increase of 2.8 percent for system-wide same-store sales for the four weeks ended April 25.   Same-store sales at…

To wine or not to wine

Serving wine may be a venture worth looking into. Several fast casuals are boosting dinner sales with the alcoholic beverage.

Starbucks Q2 profit rises 27%

May 3, 2006

SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. reported its second-quarter profit rose 27 percent. According to a news release, there was a brisk customer demand for its coffee…

Panera sales skyrocket

April 25, 2006

ST LOUIS — Panera Bread surpassed analyst expectations for the first quarter ended March 28, 2006.  The company said system-wide comparable bakery-cafe sales…

Analyst believes pizza helped Panera

April 19, 2006

Reuters: In a recent report, Morgan Keegan analyst Bob Derrington wrote that Crispani pizzas sold at Panera Bread Co. make up about 12 percent of the chain's…