Building genuine customer engagement in an Instagram world

Instead of exhausting yourself trying to change customer behavior, take the necessary steps to minimize the distractions cell phones can present.

NRA study: Most employees proud to work in the restaurant industry

January 6, 2015

The study details the opinions of nearly 5,100 Americans who currently work or formerly worked in the industry, as well as those who own or operate restaurants.

Restaurant sales, traffic remain positive as year winds down

December 31, 2014

November marked the 21st consecutive month that the NRA's Restaurant Performance Index remained in positive territory.

Restaurants dominate Franchise 500 list

December 30, 2014

Forty-three QSRs made Entrepreneur's Franchise 500 rankings for 2015, along with 40 fast casual and 14 pizza concepts.

Adding kiosks? Read this first

by Nicole Troxell — Associate Editor, Networld Media Group

POS kiosks can be essential tools in enabling customers to have a more pleasurable dining experience. But are there certain features restaurant owners and…

Strong forecast predicted for UK's QSR segment

December 23, 2014

Technomic has revealed its inaugural market mapping of the United Kingdom, which includes market size and segmentation data, as well as expectations for the…

Executive round table: Fast casual segment leaders make their 2015 predictions

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Local marketing, local sourcing, mobile technologies and customer service initiatives are all expected to move to the front burner in the New Year.

Jimmy John's, Chipotle rank high for millennial loyalty

December 19, 2014

According to new research from YouGov, Jimmy John’s, Chipotle, Chick-Fil-A and Whataburger, have the highest current millennial customer loyalty among all…

Key themes for '15: Food quality, customization, customer-facing technology

December 18, 2014

Fitch Ratings released its 2015 Outlook for the US Restaurant industry, predicting an improvement in sales trends, the easing of commodities pressures and…

Is your restaurant green?

by Ed Zimmerman — President, pizza.com

Even though going green may cost more than conventional items, consumers are willing to pay more for the opportunity; for them it is not an indulgence but a…

Dining habits shifting toward snacks

December 17, 2014

In 2004, one-third of survey respondents reported they ate several small meals throughout the day, while 10 years later, 39 percent of respondents indicate…

Fast casual sales significantly outpaced other segments in Q3

December 17, 2014

New research from Technomic's Financial Dashboard finds that the fast casual restaurant segment outperformed all others with nearly 8 percent growth in…

Families with kids making fewer restaurant visits

December 17, 2014

According to new research from The NPD Group, families with kids have made 1 billion fewer visits to US restaurants in the past six years. This consumer base…

Millennial marketing conference registration now open

December 17, 2014

FutureCast's ShareLikeBuy millennial marketing conference is set for Feb. 4 at the University of Kansas in Lawrence. Registration is now open for the…

Rearview 2014: Here's what we were hungry for

by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

What did we want to nosh on in 2014? Not gluten. And maybe we're getting sick of pumpkin spice, too.

Consumer demand for convenience shifting restaurant priorities

December 15, 2014

As restaurant brands increasingly jockey for more consumer visits, it's more important than ever for operators to keep a strong pulse on what their customers…

Report shows holiday season revenue decline at restaurants

December 15, 2014

Thanx Inc. has released new data today showing that over the last several years restaurant revenue declined 22 to 45 percent during the post-Thanksgiving…

Rearview 2014: Millennials take the wheel

by Brenda Rick Smith — Editor, Networld Media Group

As more and more of their contemporaries move into leadership roles, millennials are moving from the passenger side to the driver's seat.

Consumers name California drought as top food story of '14

December 12, 2014

The Great Western Drought topped all food-related stories for American consumers in 2014. According to the Hunter Public Relations' 12th annual Food News…

Demand for food transparency growing

December 12, 2014

New research from Technomic finds that most consumers want transparency from restaurant brands about their menu choices. Additionally, two in five consumers…