NRA Show will be at Chicago's McCormick Place through 2021

October 2, 2012

The National Restaurant Association announced this week that its annual National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show and International Wine…

Restaurant traffic, sales up for 15th consecutive month

October 1, 2012

Buoyed by stronger same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) posted a modest gain…

Report: U.S., Canada, China restaurants gain traffic in Q2

September 27, 2012

If it wasn't rainy, cloudy weather that kept foodservice customers away throughout much of Europe in the April, May and June quarter, it was economic concerns…

What is the role of 'thought leadership' in new product innovation?

by Darrel Suderman — President, Food Technical Consulting

The old paradigm of type-A R&D; business managers that run large R&D; departments is out, and the new model of servant leaders with innovative thought…

Free webinar on navigating online analytics

September 26, 2012

Social media isn't just for outbound marketing anymore. When every online review is seen by at least 150 other potential guests, restaurant operators must have…

NRA opposes proposed swipe fee settlement

September 25, 2012

The National Restaurant Association today issued the following statement, expressing opposition to the terms contained within a proposed swipe fee antitrust…

Squisito NY Pizza and Pasta opens first franchised restaurant

September 25, 2012

Husband and wife partners, Michele and Gennaro DiMeo, owners of Maryland-based Squisito NY Pizza & Pasta, have opened their first franchised location.

Report: Demand growing for high-margin beverages

September 25, 2012

Seven out of 10 consumers (71 percent) now purchase beverages away from home twice a week or more often, up from 66 percent in 2010.

How the 'meaning at work' affects fast casual employees

by Valerie Killifer — Editor, FastCasual.com

Employees who find "meaning at work" are likely to be more productive, loyal and more engaged with the brand.

Women's Foodservice Forum seeking leadership award nominees

September 24, 2012

The Women's Foodservice Forum is now accepting nominations for the 2013 Trailblazer Award and the 2013 Leadership Award. Each of these awards honors an…

Le Boulanger launches mobile ordering, payments

September 24, 2012

Le Boulanger Café & Bakery, a San Francisco-based French bakery recently bought by Starbucks, is now offering mobile ordering and mobile payments.

Salsarita's president shares secrets to management success

Larry Reinstein talks about his management style, food costs and future goals.

Free webinar on avoiding customer data breaches

September 21, 2012

Restaurants are a prime target for cyber criminals, and the success rate of their exploits and the financial damages they inflict are staggering: The average…

The sustainability playground: sustainability defined

by Suzy Badaracco — President, Culinary Tides Inc

Sustainability can be broken into the branches of organic, local, seasonal, green and ethical.

Groupon launches service to keep credit card transactions low

September 20, 2012

Groupon has announced the launch of Groupon Payments, a payments service backed by a guarantee to be the lowest cost option for a company’s merchants to accept…

VenueSeen launches Instagram management tool for brands

September 19, 2012

With more than 5 billion photos shared on Instagram, marketers have increasingly leveraged the social network to connect with their fans and followers. To help…

Corner Bakery Cafe expands franchise sales team

September 19, 2012

Corner Bakery Café has added Nick Booras and Gregg Koffler as directors of franchise sales to support the brand's national expansion efforts.

Jersey Mike's named Official Sandwich of All American Games

September 19, 2012

Jersey Mike's Subs and All American Games, a premier youth sports marketing and management company, have announced a multiplatform partnership that makes…

Protect yourself as well as your customers

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Companies that offer restaurant liability insurance have begun expanding policies to cover claims related to gluten reactions as well as food poisoning and…

Panda Restaurant Group raises $813K for charities

September 18, 2012

Panda Restaurant Group, parent company of Panda Express, raised more than $813,000 at the 14th Annual Panda Cares Charity Golf Invitational held Sept. 13…