The National Restaurant Association’s “What’s Hot” survey of more than 1,500 professional chefs – members of the American Culinary Federation (ACF) – reveals that local and hyper-local sourcing, healthy children’s meals, sustainable seafood, and gluten-free cuisine will be among the…
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A recent survey by MustHaveMenus a provider of restaurant menu templates, revealed that nearly half of the 1,300 restaurant owners, managers and caterers that were polled, do not use social media to attract customers to their eateries. While social media…
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The secret to successful breakfast innovation is tapping into breakfast’s beloved qualities and making them more accessible and appealing to contemporary consumers, according to the Breakfast Trends: Culinary Trend Mapping Report from the Center for Culinary Development (CCD) and leading…
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Fast-casual restaurants, already the darlings of the U.S. restaurant industry, are continuing to gain market share in the U.K.– growing at a faster rate than their limited-service counterparts, according to Technomic’s 2010 Leading 100 U.K. Chain Restaurant Report. The term…
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Restaurants that earned one star in the inaugural Chicago Michelin Guide are likely to see the biggest lift in business among their two- and three-star counterparts, if the experience of New York and San Francisco establishments is any indicator. The…
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Hiring in the restaurant industry is picking up steam, experts say, and has been a major contributor to the economic recovery across the nation and in the Miami Valley. Since the beginning of the year, U.S. bars and restaurants have…
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Happy Meals have taken a bit of a beating lately. First there was that six-month-old Happy Meal hamburger that didn’t grow mold or decompose, and then San Francisco tried to ban toy inclusion in kids’ meals. With the iconic product…
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Be sure to check out this nice series of articles from the folks at Minyanville. The Origins of Cult-Favorite Fast Food Restaurants: Chick-fil-A The Origins of Cult-Favorite Fast Food Restaurants: Domino’s The Origins of Cult-Favorite Fast Food Restaurants: In-N-Out Burger…
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The Panera Bread Foundation opened its second non-profit community cafe — called Panera Cares — today in Dearborn, MI, and shared plans to open a third in Portland, OR, in early 2011. This expansion is the result of the concept’s success…
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Nothing beats instant customer feedback, according to Survey on the Spot cofounder Ken Kimmel. Kimmel, 56, is helping restaurants capture these comments to improve their businesses with mobile technology designed by his Newton start-up. Kimmel, who previously was an executive…
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Among humanity’s most cherished cultural treasures, the United Nations declared Tuesday, are Peking opera, Spanish flamenco dancing — and lunch in France. The decision by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to include French food among new additions…
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78 percent of adults say they would like to receive restaurant gift cards or certificates As the holiday season rapidly approaches, many of us have shifted our minds to gift giving.  One of the most difficult decisions for many holiday…
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OpenTable Inc is a solutions-focused internet company that provides 1) an online, real-time network that matches reservation-taking restaurants with people looking to dine and 2) dynamic software to help restaurants optimize business operations. The company largely operates in the restaurant…
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Have you been to the Opus Hotel lately? The restaurant – formerly Elixir Bistro, now One Hundred Days – looks like it’s been attacked by vandals. The old wood panelling and beautiful marble fixtures are covered in neon graffiti. The…
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As the nation begins to emerge from recession, restaurants are seeing lapsed customers return. Same-store sales are inching up, signaling the industry’s initial rebound to health; hiring is also up, signaling positive expectations for 2011. But this isn’t the same…
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Ruby Tuesday announced today that all its 674 company-owned restaurants are now smoke-free. This effort is another step the brand is taking to provide a more enjoyable dining experience for its guests and promote wellness for its team members. Ruby…
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Panera Bread Company (NASDAQ: PNRA) today completed the nationwide rollout of its new customer loyalty program, named MyPanera. The program has been in development and test for 18 months and has been extremely well received to date.  Designed to be closely…
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Starbucks Coffee Company (NASDAQ: SBUX) today celebrates the launch of the holiday season in Starbucks stores nationwide with the arrival of Starbucks handcrafted holiday beverages in the iconic red cups. Starbucks invites customers to bring a friend to participating company-operated…
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Denny’s Corporation (NASDAQ: DENN) today announced the opening of its first Denny’s Café location, marking the first fast-casual restaurant for the company. Denny’s Café offers a smaller version of the traditional Denny’s experience that caters to guests with a more…
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Faced with fresh assaults on fast food from politicians and anti- obesity activists, the restaurant industry is gearing up to fight back, emphasizing the role fast-food businesses have played in providing jobs and entrepreneurial opportunities. Starting next year, major chain…
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‘Tis the Season to celebrate with friends and family, so OpenTable, Inc. (Nasdaq:OPEN), a leading provider of free, real-time online restaurant reservations for diners and reservation and guest management solutions for restaurants, today announced the 50 winners of its 2010…
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