Commentary: Restaurants and the new calorie police

It is too early to completely reformulate consumer favorites into healthier items, but not too early for some menu evolution.

GrubHub, OLO team up to create online ordering platform

March 28, 2011

Web and mobile service provider GrubHub has signed a business partnership with OLO Online Ordering to integrate OLO's list of restaurant menus on its site…

Market Force acquires leading Canadian customer intelligence provider

March 27, 2011

Market Force Information has acquired Winnipeg-based Tell Us About Us (TUAU), a leader in customer experience measurement and Canada’s largest customer…

UFood Restaurant Group partners With Mindshare Technologies

March 27, 2011

UFood Restaurant Group Inc. has retained Mindshare Technologies to implement a comprehensive customer satisfaction program.

Starbucks Digital Network debuts new content providers

March 23, 2011

The Starbucks Digital Network, in partnership with Yahoo!, has introduced new content providers, including The Economist, ESPN Insider Rumor Central, Marvel…

Caribou Coffee earns J.D. Power and Associates honor

March 23, 2011

Caribou Coffee, the nation’s second-largest coffeehouse chain, was recognized as a J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Customer Service Champion. Caribou is one of…

Starbucks and Gabrielle Giffords

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

Restaurant operators talk a lot about the value of creating a memorable experience for their guests, but nothing has struck me more about the guest experience…

Innovation in the name of charity

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

What do the Love Kitchen, Panera Bread, and Cafe 180 all have in common? They provide affordable food to those who can’t regularly pay full price for a meal.

Digital menu boards: Poised for U.S. growth

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

While the rollouts of digital menu boards are taking international markets by storm, implementation is slow but steady in the U.S.

ParTech releases consumer restaurant technology study

March 13, 2011

ParTech has released the results of a survey that assesses consumers’ views on dining and technology. The survey is revealed in a whitepaper, “The Dining…

Beanstalk Loyalty to deliver Facebook check-in through POS

March 9, 2011

Beanstalk Loyalty has announced patent pending technology creating the first loyalty platform to deliver the integration between the point-of-sale (POS…

OLO launches Five Guys android app

March 9, 2011

OLO Online Ordering has announced the launch of the first major chain restaurant mobile ordering application made for the Android platform.Built by Solertium…

Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes touts healthy family meals

March 8, 2011

Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes restaurants nationwide are making healthy eating a family effort this month. Garden Fresh Restaurant Corp., parent company of 11…

NEXTEP Taps Into iPad Ordering

March 8, 2011

NEXTEP Systems, a provider of customer self order technology, recently added iPad Ordering to its automated ordering portfolio.

Parents Magazine rates Jason’s Deli No. 1

March 6, 2011

Jason’s Deli has won the Best Restaurant Chain survey by Parents Magazine. The survey measures where families can get the most nutritious foods for the best…

Jamba Juice to host ‘Ambassador of Wow’ contest

March 2, 2011

Jamba Juice Company has launched its Jamba Juice ‘Ambassadors of Wow’ campaign – a year-long contest to find a group of 100 local ambassadors, eight of which…

Cellit researches mobile marketing tips

March 2, 2011

Chicago-based Cellit, a provider of mobile customer relationship management (CRM) systems for restaurants, analyzed more than 25 million text messages sent to…

EXIT41 expands client roster with Sweetgreen, Le Pain Quotidien

March 1, 2011

Exit41 has signed three new restaurant clients for its Social Ordering solution, which includes integrated online, mobile, Facebook and phone-in ordering…

Ron Shaich: The accidental philanthropist

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

How Panera Bread's chairman and former CEO used skill, knowledge and know-how to launch an industry movement.

Thanks, Tyler

by Don Fox — CEO, Firehouse of America

As Firehouse Subs continues to grow (407 restaurants and counting), it is imperative that my HQ team assists our franchisees in their efforts to establish and…