Camille's helps Children Hunger Alliance

May 1, 2006

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Camille's Sidewalk Café, a Tulsa, Okla., has recently joined forces with Ohio's Children's Hunger Alliance (CHA), a non-profit organization…

BLIMPIE creates Italian sandwiches

April 26, 2006

ATLANTA — This summer BLIMPIE will be offering three Italian-themed panini-grilled sandwiches on its new garlic herb focaccia bread.  Those sandwiches include…

Panera sales skyrocket

April 25, 2006

ST LOUIS — Panera Bread surpassed analyst expectations for the first quarter ended March 28, 2006.  The company said system-wide comparable bakery-cafe sales…

Penn Station retains ad agency

April 24, 2006

INDIANAPOLIS — Officials representing Indianapolis ad agency Montgomery Zukerman and Davis (MZD) announced it has been retained by Penn Station East Coast…

Selecting a restaurant consultant

The right consultant can improve your restaurant, but the wrong one can cost you money.   

Seattle is hungry for sandwiches

April 20, 2006

Seattle Times: Running headlong into Starbucks Nation, Specialty's Cafe & Bakery is executing an expansion strategy of finding high-profile store locations…

Jimmy Johns opens 10 stores in a month

April 19, 2006

CHAMPAGNE, Ill. — Jimmy John's Gourmet Sandwich Shops opened its newest location in Las Vegas April 20. The store opening is the restaurants 10th since March…

Cosi posts strong Q1

April 18, 2006

DEERFIELD, Ill. — Cosi Inc. reported that comparable restaurant sales increased 5.3 percent for the first quarter ended April 3. The restaurant said its…

Wendy's CEO retires

April 17, 2006

DUBLIN, Ohio —Wendy's International chairman and chief executive Jack Schuessler announced his retirement April 17.   The company also said that it will…

Camille's opens 100th store

April 13, 2006

TULSA, Okla. — Camille's Sidewalk Café will open its 100th café this month on Tulsa's historic and exclusive Cherry Street.   According to a news release…

Organic foods surge through restaurants

April 11, 2006

  NEW YORK — A new study shows the use of organic foods is growing in the foodservice market.   According to "Organic on the Menu: Healthy Eating Trends in…

Fast-casual concepts attract the Washington lunch crowd

April 9, 2006

Washington Post: The Washington D.C. lunch crowd is patronizing fast-casual concepts more frequently than other concepts. They're eating at Cosi, Potbelly…

Making business sense of charities

Raving! Brands, Panda Express and Starbucks charities look good to the public and build brand awareness.

Wingstop posts 11th straight quarter of comps growth

April 6, 2006

DALLAS — Wingstop benefited from the Super Bowl and March Madness for a positive first quarter ended April 1.   According to a news release, comparable-store…

New report tracks menu trends

April 6, 2006

CHICAGO —The latest Trend Tracker report, a companion to the online, searchable Menu Monitor service offered by Technomic Information Services, offers a new…

Panera Bread Q1 revenues increase 35%

April 4, 2006

ST. LOUIS — Panera Bread Company reported that revenue for the first-quarter ended March 28 increased 35 percent to $194 million from $144 million in the…

Raving Brands contributes $2MM to charity

April 2, 2006

Raving Brands partnered with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children as the organization's largest single contributor with a $2 million…

Premium bread takes the sandwich to new heights

If anyone needs proof the Atkins scourge on bread is long gone, take a peek at the menu mix in most fast-casual concepts. You'll see that sandwiches rule.

Nolan Ryan and 'the Rocket' invest in Earl of Sandwich

April 2, 2006

Houston Business Journal: A group of investors including Don Sanders, founder and chairman of Sanders Morris Harris, Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan and seven-time…

Boston Market begins Internet contest

March 30, 2006

DENVER — Boston Market wants to see what people would do with their extra time. The Web site MyExtraHour.com is an interactive site designed to invite…