Recently added articles from Chain Leader:
Food trends for recessionary times: consumers are turning to comfort food but lighter beverages.(CONSUMER PULSE)
May 01, 2009; ... Chicago-based market research firm Mintel tracks food, flavor and dining trends. In April, it released a list of "recession proof" foods, those that are growing in sales despite--or because of--the economic downturn. For example, bread. Mintel originally predicted bread items ...
New: emerging chains: the home for emerging restaurant chains looking for growth strategies and tactics, and for those looking to learn from some innovative up-and-comers.(on the WEB)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] FEATURES PODCAST Director of R&D and Corporate Chef Scott Kinsey discusses the trendy dishes on a limited-time menu rolled out at Hooters of America restaurants this spring. BLOG BYTES * Lane Cardwell's mention of Share ...
Caution: falling prices.(Editorial)(Column)
May 01, 2009; ... I'm writing this on tax day, trying to decide which of the many restaurant-chain discounts and deals to take advantage of for dinner. And then dessert. The marketing term of the hour seems to be "tax break," followed closely by "stimulus package." There's a discussion going on ...
Forward March: regional casual-dining chain The Greene Turtle is not letting the recession break its stride.(UPSTARTS)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] What makes The Green Turtle think it's a good time to begin its fairly aggressive plan, aiming to have 150 units open or in the pipeline within five years? For starters, says President and CEO Michael Sanford, the 22-unit concept lends itself ...
Tipping point: menu rollouts fuel excitement, but they can also disrupt operations unless they address the situation with planning and analysis.(HOW TO GROW TO 100 UNITS)
May 01, 2009; ... All chains must innovate. But the process is particularly important for small, growing ones because it helps define the concept. Four executives at emerging chains discuss how they successfully launched a new menu item without leaving kitchen efficiency and consistency hanging in the ...
Seasons eatings.(CO-BRANDING)
May 01, 2009; ... Most people would call it co-branding. But not Jim Squire. "We like to couch it as co-development," says Honey-Baked Ham Co. and Cafe's director of franchise development of the deal that puts the specialty food retailer and Bruster's Real Ice Cream under one roof. "It's two ...
Buying and selling.(UPFRONT)
May 01, 2009 ... The J.H. Chapman Group, a Rosemont, III.-based investment banking firm specializing in mergers and acquisitions in the food and restaurant industries, has released its "2008 Chain Restaurant Merger & Acquisition Census," developed by Chapman principal David L. Epstein. Epstein ...
Defying the Odds.(GROWING STRONG)(Papa Murphy's and Buffalo Wild Wings)
May 01, 2009; ... Two largely franchised chains, Buffalo Wild Wings and Papa Murphy's, are performing well amid the wreckage of the economy. While expansion at other large chains, particularly in casual dining, is in lock-down, these two very different concepts continue to grow units. ...
Poor grades for 'America's Unhealthiest Restaurants'.
May 01, 2009 ... Eat This, Not That authors David Zinczenko and Matt Goulding have released their latest list of America's Unhealthiest Restaurants. "To separate the commendable from the deplorable. we calculated the total number of calories per entree," they write. "This gave us a snapshot of how each ...
How do you spell relief? Quid pro quo.(ON THE MONEY)(Steve Wagenheim )(Interview)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] In February Granite City Food & Brewery's landlords agreed to trim rent at the chain's 26 locations by a whopping $4 million over the next two years. As a result, the Minneapolis-based casual-dining company will likely be cash-flow positive for the first ...
Paying less to fewer workers.(HUMAN RESOURCES)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009; ... Slow, flat and even negative company growth means fewer employees on payroll receiving lower pay. People Report, a Dallas-based human-resources benchmarking firm, surveyed chain restaurant companies to learn how the downturn is affecting their people practices. Of the 111 ...
Dressed for dinner.(UPFRONT)(Miss USA contestants at the Buca di Beppo)(Brief article)
May 01, 2009 ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Contestants in the 2009 Miss USA Pageant made a stop at the Las Vegas Buca di Beppo for a family-style menu of mozzarella caprese salad, apple gorgonzola salad, prosciutto stuffed mushrooms, lemon chicken, ...
Going green: fast and easy steps.(VIDEO)
May 01, 2009 ... Many restaurant chains are hesitant to take steps toward eco-friendly operations. They fear devoting time, money and other resources to something that may or may not help their business. Even if they buy into the need to protect the environment, they may flinch at upfront investments, ...
Seasonably cool: as the temperature climbs, beverages go light and cool at restaurant chains of all stripes.(LIQUID MEASURE )
May 01, 2009; ... As seasons change, so do menus. When it comes to beverages, the emphasis this spring and summer is light, fresh and fruity. We grilled five restaurant companies about their warm weather offerings. WATERMELON MARGARITA Concept: LongHorn Steakhouse ...
Menu like MacGyver: adaptive use or inventive tinkering, chefs get creative with what they've already got in the kitchen to make new menus.(NEW PRODUCT PIPELINE)(Cover story)
May 01, 2009; ... With few chains adding new equipment in these tough economic times, corporate chefs are on innovation overdrive, using what they've got to create new dishes. Ovens are a big part of the story The high heat of a hearth oven is great for baking bread, but it takes some noodling to ...
Tracking device: data from distributors helps International Dairy Queen Track Promotions and keep restaurants amply supplied.(TECHNOLOGY)
May 01, 2009; ... International Dairy Queen runs 20 national promotions a year, 12 of which are created around its Blizzard specialty treat. At first, juggling that many promotions proved challenging for the Minneapolis-based chain of 5,000 quick-service burger restaurants. "We had huge issues ...
Uno's virtual gift cards capture more info.
May 01, 2009 ... patrons who want to buy a friend an Uno Chicago Grill gift card now have two choices: Buy a plastic gift card at a restaurant; or go online, buy a virtual card, and e-mail it to the recipient. [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] Boston-based Uno began offering virtual gift cards ...
All a-twitter: a tiny social-networking tool proves a powerful--and free--way for restaurants to reach avid fans.(TECHNOLOGY)
May 01, 2009; ... It's small--8.9 million users compared to Facebook's 200 million. But Twitter has become the social-networking tool of choice for many restaurant chains wishing to court a young, hip clientele. Twitter enables users to write 140-character microblogs as many times a day as they ...
Food fight: captain D's built on the reaction to one ad campaign to create another, all aiming to generate interest in its revamped menu.(STORYBOARD)
May 01, 2009; ... It started out innocently enough. Late last year Nashville, Tenn.-based Captain D's launched a TV ad campaign touting its "sit-down food at fast-food prices," including a premium coconut shrimp entree and a crab-cake dish. The commercials took aim at its "fancy seafood" competitors. ...
Spaghetti equity: Fazoli's promotes its new pasta dishes across the media landscape.(MARKETING)
May 01, 2009; ... [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] [ILLUSTRATION OMITTED] As it approached the ripe old age (for a restaurant company, anyway) of 20, Lexington, Ky-based Fazoli's knew it needed a makeover. Customers were migrating away from the brand. The limited-service chain had closed ...