Commentary: Social media: brand aid … or brand illusion?

Over the past few years, the noise from and about social media has grown louder and more confused, partly amped up by the proliferation of networking sites.

Saladworks further expands into Delaware

July 13, 2011

Saladworks has signed an agreement with franchisee Joe Mignone to open his third location in Delaware. The restaurant, scheduled to open this fall, expands the…

Menu engineers MenuTrinfo unveils new service

July 13, 2011

MenuTrinfo LLC has announced the addition of a new service offering to its growing portfolio of tools for restaurants and chefs seeking to respond to rising…

Sale of Crispers finalized to Healthy Food Concepts

July 12, 2011

The sale of Crispers LLC, a Lakeland, Fla.-based, fast casual restaurant chain, has been finalized between Healthy Food Concepts LLC and Publix Super Markets.

Wall Street Investors Demand ROI - Return on Innovation

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

Return on Innovation (ROI), and not Return on Investment is the new demand (and expectation) of Wall Street Investors.

Starbucks unveils kiosk location, restructures international development team

July 11, 2011

A new Starbucks kiosk has opened inside the JW Marriott hotel in Indianapolis. The Starbucks kiosk is a new concept for the Seattle-based coffee brand and is…

Duke Marketing to host Local Store Marketing University

July 11, 2011

Duke Marketing LLC, has announced the launch of its Local Store Marketing University (LSM-U), an educational program devised to enhance restaurant marketer’s…

Durbin Amendment final rule increases swipe-fee cap

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

The NRA and others have expressed disappointment with the last minute interchange cap fee increase, accusing the Fed of succumbing to the banks' and card…

Struggling Quiznos hires financial advisers

July 10, 2011

Denver-based Quiznos has brought in a group of financial advisors from the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison and investment bank Moelis…

Boston Market names new chief admin officer

July 7, 2011

Boston Market has announced that J. Randal “Randy” Miller has been promoted to chief administrative officer for the national brand, an appointment that became…

Wingstop posts 6% sales increase in Q2

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

July 6, 2011

Wingstop’s same-store sales for its second quarter 2011 increased 6 percent, marking one of the chain’s strongest quarters in recent years. Year to date…

Golub Capital leads Au Bon Pain refinance

July 5, 2011

Golub Capital has announced the completion of a $112 million senior secured credit facility provided for the refinancing of Au Bon Pain, a portfolio company of…

Roark Capital completes Arby's acquisition

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

July 5, 2011

Atlanta-based Roark Capital has completed its second restaurant buyout in as many months with the finalization of its acquisition of Arby’s Restaurant Group…

What's next: Tablet technology replacing print menus

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Marketing components are attractive to operators in their push to upsell.

Chipotle invested $2.3 million in Soul Daddy

July 4, 2011

An SEC filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission revealed that Chipotle invested $2.3 million in America's Next Great Restaurant, Soul Daddy.

QSR Franchise Opportunities: Crucial Considerations

Operators should consider the brand's image and marketing services as well as their own assets and qualifications.

USDA: Why food commodity prices are rising

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Department's Economic Research Service report takes a look at reasons behind recent spikes.

Eight ways to build a mobile marketing platform

Although many restaurant operators have successfully leveraged mobile-marketing platforms, there are many more that are missing out. Here's a look at how to…

Freshii CEO named to Inc.'s 30 under 30

June 28, 2011

Freshii CEO Matthew Corrin has been named as one of Inc. magazine's 30 under 30 young business owners in America.

Registration opens for Foodservice Social Media Universe

June 28, 2011

Registration is now open for the Foodservice Social Media Universe conference, Sept. 18-20, at San Francisco's Hotel Kabuki. Conference registration is $695…