Starbucks takes mobile payments national

January 18, 2011

Starbucks Corp. has announced the launch of mobile payment in all U.S. company-operated stores. The launch allows customers to pay for in-store purchases with…

Yogurt Mountain opens first Georgia unit

January 17, 2011

Yogurt Mountain LLC has opened a new store in Duluth, its first footprint in Georgia. A grand opening event will be held from 2-6 p.m. Jan. 22 in which…

Menu labeling launches into the twittersphere

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Menu Labeling went viral this past weekend.

Consumers looking for differentiation, value

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

January 13, 2011

A new study by Chicago-based Technomic shows that even as consumers are expected to loosen their purse strings in 2011, finding a good value from the casual…

Massachusetts restaurants prep for food allergy law

January 12, 2011

As of Feb. 1, all Massachusetts restaurants will be required to have a certified food protection manager on staff.

Top That! Pizza inks multi-state deal

January 12, 2011

In a push to enter the small fast casual pizza segment, Lori Walderich -- chief creative officer at IdeaStudio -- and her husband Jeff recently founded Top…

Study: More dining out, smaller checks in 2011

January 11, 2011

Good news first: Americans are expected to dine out more in 2011. Not-so-good news: it's predicted they'll spend about 5 percent less per meal while doing so.

Lower Calories for Bigger Profits

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Lower Calories for Bigger Profits: Healthy Menu Promotion Examples from 4 Industry Leaders

Opinion: Great expectations in customer service

Penn Station president Craig Dunway discusses the issues that make customer service a win or lose proposition.

Procedure relevancy - the army way

In our training classes, we often discuss customer service. It is ALWAYS about listening to the customer and then delivering more than they expect. Another…

Dallas-area Genghis Grills play Santa

December 27, 2010

Last week, the 18 Dallas-Fort Worth Genghis Grill units banded together to deliver some extra Christmas spirit to area children. The restaurants raised more…

2010: Fast Casual year in review

by Valerie Killifer — senior editor, NetWorld Alliance

Healthcare reform, bankruptcy protection and brand overhauls highlight a year full of the quintessential highs and lows.  

Boston Market enters final phase of nationwide upgrade

December 15, 2010

As Boston Market enters the final stage in its nationwide rollout of upgrades, the restaurant chain has announced the launch of changes and new menu items in…

NRA partners with CMSText for mobile marketing

December 15, 2010

The National Restaurant Association has announced a new partnership with CMSText to bring text message marketing solutions to its 380,000+ member restaurant…

Food and drink tickets more expensive in 2010

December 13, 2010

Although Americans' wallets may feel thinner because of the recession, consumers are apparently willing to spend almost a dollar more on lunch. New research…

Tis the season: Use holiday staff to build customer loyalty

If there ever was a time of year to invest in wowing guests, the holidays are that time.

What’s the Five Guys mystique?

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

A year ago, Market Force conducted a survey and asked consumers to tell us their favorite fast casual restaurant, and why they nominated them. And we did it…

Genghis Grill launches social media-driven music tour

December 2, 2010

On December 11, Dallas-based Genghis Grill will mark the beginning of its first ever social media-driven music tour, Genghis Live. Local city bands that want…

Skimming: credit cards - and profits

Credit card skimming in the restaurant industry is becoming more exposed as high-dollar theft cases are being made against restaurant workers. Recently in the…

Dirty dishware, restrooms and odor are Top 3 customer turnoffs

November 22, 2010

A recent Cintas Corporation survey conducted by Harris Interactive revealed that dirty dishes, unpleasant odor and dirty restrooms are the top reasons…