Consumers won’t pay more for healthier menu items, NPD reports

June 7, 2011

New research by The NPD Group has found that 70 percent of consumers, especially those aged 50 and higher, expect to pay no more for healthier items than they…

Au Bon Pain launches rebranding initiative

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

June 7, 2011

In conjunction with the acceleration of its national expansion strategy, 318-unit Au Bon Pain is launching a major café remodeling program. Under this…

More than financials: Market Force webinar to discuss use of customer-focused metrics

June 7, 2011

Speaker Jerry Calabrese, former McDonald's VP of global restaurant measurement, helped drive some of the changes that led to the chain's turnaround over the…

What makes a good customer experience?

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Table visits, secret shopper standards and over-familiarity are troublesome areas.

Smashburger celebrates the classics

June 1, 2011

Smashburger is kicking off the summer season with a tribute to its Classic Smashburger, the most popular item on its menu.  To reward loyal fans for their…

Panda Express launches tornado assistance campaign

June 1, 2011

Panda Restaurant Group Inc., parent company of Panda Express, has launched a fundraising campaign to assist with disaster relief following the recent tornados…

When Experience Really Matters

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

Who has seen the latest reports on the fastest growing restaurant chains in North America? I was struck when I read the following article summarizing the…

SmartMenu offers diners customized meals based on dietary needs

by Kim Williams — Reporter, NetWorld Alliance

Restaurant operators are pleased with the efficiency, customer response and ROI.

NRA 2011: nClosure and the iPad as kiosk

nClosure spokesman Dan McCain and Poslavu's Travis Kellerman discuss the challenges and benefits of employing iPads as self-service devices.

MICROS and VeriFone partner on NFC POS for hospitality

May 19, 2011

MICROS Systems Inc., a provider of hardware and software solutions for the hospitality industry, and point of sale provider VeriFone Systems Inc., have…

Quiznos customers get Groupon’s largest deal to date

May 17, 2011

Groupon Inc. has announced a partnership with Quiznos to launch its biggest deal to date. The discount is aimed at creating repeat customers at the sandwich…

Technomic: Consumer concerns grow over gas and food costs

May 9, 2011

Out of the recession does not necessarily mean out of the woods. In its most recent consumer behavior survey, Technomic Inc., the Chicago-based food industry…

MICROS, Tabbedout deploy restaurant mobile payment platform

May 8, 2011

MICROS Systems Inc., a provider of information technology solutions for the hospitality and retail industries, has announced an integration, sales and…

Pita Pit to give customers Ultimate Choice

May 3, 2011

Pita Pit turned has turned to its loyal customers to help decide what flavors they want to see spicing up menus across the nation with its newest program…

Genghis Grill’s HealthKwest gives chain energy boost

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

How Genghis Grill's HealthKwest campaign yielded social media growth.

Webinar to discuss emerging trends in foodservice

April 28, 2011

Empathica and FastCasual.com will present a roundtable webinar May 12 discussing the five emerging foodservice industry trends. The webinar, "Emerging Trends…

Buzztime, Buffalo Wild Wings enter master services agreement

April 27, 2011

NTN Buzztime Inc., the digital interactive restaurants and bar entertainment network, has announced its multi-year partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings Inc.

Consumers list Coca-Cola, Starbucks as most relevant brands

April 25, 2011

According to Bevnet, Brodeur Partners, a strategic communications company, recently released the results of a survey that assessed the "relevance" of brands to…

Saladworks responds to customer feedback in real-time

April 25, 2011

Saladworks today announced that its guest relations website, SaladworksListens.com, will now include real-time customer feedback. Guest relations team members…

Seattle’s Best enters Tim Hortons territory

April 25, 2011

Seattle's Best Coffee, a subsidiary of Starbucks, is now offered in 10 Wal-Mart Supercenters throughout Canada.