Report: Facebook activity up for restaurant brands

September 27, 2011

Facebook activity accelerated for many restaurant bands in September. A report from social media benchmarking/intelligence company Unmetric found that 15 top…

Clicks and cravings: How social media impacts food choices

by Melissa Abbott — Director, Culinary Insights, The Hartman Group, Inc

There is no debate that social media and digital technologies have altered U.S. consumers' shopping behaviors and purchase decisions for foods and beverages.

Report: Customers tend to patronize independent restaurants over chains

September 26, 2011

Battling with low-operator and consumer confidence, rising food costs and a lack of corporate support, independent restaurants can be hit hard in these poor…

NRA seeking experts for show sessions

September 25, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is now accepting proposals for education sessions from individuals and organizations for its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel…

Technomic: Mediterranean cuisine presents opportunities

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

September 22, 2011

Mediterranean cuisine is increasingly appearing on restaurant menus across numerous segments, according to recent research from Technomic.

Commentary: Predicting fast casual's major contenders

New chains specializing in Mexican, Asian or the better burger concept could be the industry's next leaders.

NPD Group: Restaurant traffic slips slightly in Q2

September 18, 2011

Just as the U.S. economy stalled in the second quarter of the year, so did restaurant industry traffic, according to The NPD Group, a market research company.

NRA Innovations Awards application process opens

September 14, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is now seeking applications from foodservice equipment manufacturers for its 2012 Kitchen Innovations Awards.

LivingSocial survey: Lunch is most popular dine-out opportunity

September 14, 2011

LivingSocial has released results from its first "Dining Out" survey of consumer behavior. The research was conducted among 4,000 Americans by Mandala Research.

The veggie burger: 'Is what's for dinner'

A spike in vegetarianism is inspiring fast casuals to go gourmet with meatless options.

Fast casuals find flavor trends for fall

How fast casual restaurants are embracing new menu options for the season.

NPD Group: Millennials' influence on foodservice industry growing

September 6, 2011

Millennials made more than 13 billion of the 59 billion visits made to foodservice establishments in 2010 and spent $73 billion dollars, according to The NPD…

Five Guys earns top burger in Zagat's 2011 survey

September 5, 2011

McDonald's, Subway and Wendy's were big winners in this year's Zagat's National Fast Food Restaurant Survey, released today.

Restaurants gear up for Labor Day as industry outlook softens

August 30, 2011

New research from the National Restaurant Association estimates that 35 percent of American consumers will dine out, takeout or order delivery from a…

Fast casual growth a boon for burger segment

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Fast casual brands now represent a majority of the Top 75 burger chains in Technomic's new report.

Commentary: Embracing cross-segment competition

Three tips on how to stand out as casual and fast casual characteristics blur.

Social media Part 2: devices and their virtues

Appreciate the immediate feedback provided by your customers' smartphones.

Growth spurt: Inc. 500 list full of fast casual concepts

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Annual list measures percentage revenue growth of privately held companies.

Commentary: Telling your story through flavors

Capture your customers' imagination in the first bite.

Are you delighting your customers?

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

The growth in our industry is just mind-boggling when you think about it. According to the NRF, you and I now spend 49 cents of every food dollar on dining…