Photo gallery: Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit 2016

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

More than 140 franchise execs gathered last week in Dallas at the Franchising Restaurant & Innovation Summit.

The ROI of Paging Systems

Tried-and-true paging technology not only can help improve operations, it can improve the bottom line as well.

Trademarking 101: Can Chipotle be the 'Chipotle of the better-burger' segment?

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

The term "better burger" may prove difficult to trademark, however, as it's been widely used among media and other restaurant operators to describe a variety…

Slapfish CEO urges Summit attendees to 'make your most annoying customer your best friend'

by Travis Wagoner — Editor, Networld Media Group

Slapfish founder Andrew Gruel responds to approximately 30 online reviews daily about his company — regardless of whether they are positive or negative. He…

Why investing in 'corporate governance' is key to restaurant survival

This will involve investing in legal counsel to prepare documents governing the relationships between your company's officers, directors, and shareholders…

Heard at the Summit: Memorable quotes from Day 1

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Any time you gather some of the industry's brightest CEOs, franchisors, chefs, franchisees and vendors, there is sure to be some insightful quotes. We've…

Why restaurants should embrace 'Fail-Fast' methodology

by Tal Zvi Nathanel — US CEO, MyCheck

"When restaurants try something new, they aren’t looking to fail, they are looking to adapt or evolve. Fail fast is evolving, taking risks, and recognizing…

Johnny Rockets hires on leader for international support effort

March 28, 2016

Rumbani Mchawe will provide support to the international franchise community, specifically operators in the Middle East, Europe and Africa.

Enough of the 'why' on employee engagement, give me some 'how'

Creating engagement doesn’t need to be abstract, however, because the basics of engaging a workforce are commonly recognized business principles.

Uncle Maddio's Pizza names a new COO

March 25, 2016

Matt Andrew, founder and CEO of Uncle Maddio's Pizza, announced the promotion of Scott Goodrich to COO.

How Cafe Rio's 'chief people officer' recruits, retains top employees

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

CPO Andy Hooper chats about how the recipe for the chain's success is more than just serving burritos and making money. Hint: It's about giving employees a…

MOD Pizza raises $32M in equity funding to support expansion

March 16, 2016

MOD Pizza has raised approximately $32 million in an equity funding round led by existing investor PWP Growth Equity.

NorthStar Order Entry POS system has new features

March 15, 2016

Custom Business Solutions has released NorthStar Order Entry 4.0 with expanded capabilities for improving operations and increasing efficiency for restaurant…

2016 Women's Food Service Forum Awards announced

March 14, 2016

The Women's Foodservice Forum announced the recipients of its 2016 Awards for Outstanding Performance and Achievement.

HotSchedules launches Global Partnership Network

March 14, 2016

HotSchedules, a provider of mobile technology for the restaurant and hospitality industries, introduced its Global Partnership Network.

Restaurant sales growth weak despite February improvement

March 14, 2016

Chain restaurants posted positive same-store sales growth of 0.4 percent in February after a slow January.

Schlotzsky's, Moe's Southwest Grill, McAlister's Deli report solid 2015 franchise sales

March 9, 2016

Schlotzsky's finished 2015 with nearly $320 million in system-wide sales, and also exhibited an increase in same-store sales, while Moe's and McAlister's also…

Manitowoc Foodservice debuts as independent, publicly traded company

March 7, 2016

Manitowoc Foodservice Inc, a supplier of commercial foodservice equipment, has debuted as a standalone, publicly traded company following its spinoff from The…

Will Chipotle's partnership with crisis PR firm help rebuild reputation?

March 7, 2016

The firm is known for helping Johnson & Johnson recover from a Tylenol tampering incident that killed seven people in 1982.

Why calculating restaurant labor as percentage of sales is foolish: Part 1

by Dave Bennett — President & CEO, Mirus Restaurant Solutions

It's safe to say, the timely collection of relevant, detailed and accurate information is critical to understanding labor costs.