Restaurant chains experience slight growth in 2013, independents flat

February 26, 2014

The U.S. restaurant count increased by less than 1 percent from a year ago, reaching a total of 633,043 units, according to a recent restaurant census…

NRA soliciting operator information about food waste

February 24, 2014

The National Restaurant Association is calling on restaurant operators to participate in an online survey regarding how much unused food is donated, composted…

Technomic, IFDA set to host webinar series

February 21, 2014

The International Foodservice Distributors Association and market research firm Technomic Inc. have teamed up to create a new webinar series for foodservice…

Report shows improvement in restaurants' marketing efforts

February 19, 2014

New data from Technomic's Consumer Brand Metrics shows there has been improvement in some chains' performance that may have been boosted by their marketing…

The New Avocado “Mother Sauce”

Simply pureeing fresh Avocados from Mexico creates a luscious and smooth new “Mother Sauce” that can be used on a variety of menu hits. Learn how to use this…

Report: Panera has segment's top brand loyalists

February 14, 2014

Brand Keys released its 18th annual Customer Loyalty Engagement Index, measuring customer loyalty in a variety of categories.

Snack bars experiencing double-digit growth opportunities

February 12, 2014

Convenient, portable and often better-for-you, snack bars' appeal as a snack or meal replacement has made this a double-digit growth category across…

Who will be left standing when fro-yo battle is over?

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Fro-yo's segment's growth and appeal are sustainable in the longterm but will lead to maturation in larger markets.

Consumer trend report explores popularity of soup and salad

February 6, 2014

A new consumer trend report from Technomic reveals insights into consumer preferences for soup and salad. According to a news release from the company, more…

Report: Consumption shift in beef requires more cost control

February 5, 2014

Rabobank has published a new report on the U.S. cattle industry, calling for changes in the way beef is produced in order for the industry to remain…

Fast casual only restaurant segment to grow traffic in 2013

February 5, 2014

Fast casual restaurants continue to be a bright spot for the foodservice industry, which has yet to fully recover from the Great Recession, according to The…

Multicultural alliance recognizes restaurant industry's Black CEOs

February 5, 2014

According to the Multicultural Foodservice & Hospitality Alliance, this year's Black History Month is more significant thanks to a milestone achievement in…

Surging wages and digital ordering

by Noah Glass — CEO, Olo

My last byline asked readers to consider the idea of "surge pricing" — charging higher prices based upon real-time high demand — as applied to the restaurant…

Chipotle embracing mobile payments

February 4, 2014

Chipotle said it will invest $10 million to redesign its technology network and add mobile payments to its app, according to Chris Arnold, the chain's…

Study: Restaurant consumers want more focus on sustainability

February 4, 2014

Sustainability and social responsibility are taking on greater importance within the foodservice industry, according to a study just completed by research firm…

Americans' dining out habits changed by recession

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

A new report indicates that food-away-from-home spending has dropped by nearly 13 percent.

Several fast casuals named to list of Top 10 limited-service chains

January 31, 2014

A new report published this week ranked the Top 10 limited-service chains, and several fast casual brands made the cut, including Café Rio, Firehouse Subs and…

Restaurant operators report slightly softer sales, traffic in December

January 31, 2014

As a result of softer same-store sales and customer traffic levels, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index registered a moderate…

Chipotle reports solid growth in Q4

January 30, 2014

Chipotle Mexican Grill today reported that revenue increased 20.7 percent to $844.1 million and comparable restaurant sales were up 9.3 percent during Q4…

Truth time: Fast casual leaders answer your questions

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

CEOs discuss everything from marketing and growth to washable dishes and conumer analytics.