Tossed, a fast casual chain known for its gourmet fresh salads, crepe wraps and sandwiches, has signed a major deal for a 20+ unit master franchise for the Washington, DC Metro Area. Developer Ryan Durishin will be developing both franchised…

Since the end of 2007, about the time the U.S. recession began, Panera Bread has boosted revenue 24 percent and added 191 café-bakeries to its 1,421-unit chain—all while increasing its workforce by 20 percent with the hiring of 4,661 extra…

The Los Angeles Lakers and Wingstop, the chicken wing chain that has sold over 2 Billion wings, announced a sponsorship today in which Wingstop will be the Official Wings Of The Los Angeles Lakers. The three-year agreement gives Wingstop name…

Zagat Survey, the world’s leading provider of consumer survey–based leisure information, and Handmark®, a global leader in the development and distribution of mobile applications and services, today announced the release of ZAGAT TO GO™ for Windows Phone 7. ZAGAT TO…

Once the darling of the public, Gordon Ramsay, the world’s most famous cook, has spread himself too thinly for his own good, reports William Langley. In the space of a few months, Gordon Ramsay has been accused of losing his…

The second time around was the charm for Jay Early. Six years ago, he was in line for his own Chick-fil-A franchise when he was deployed to Iraq for a year with the 77th Brigade Combat Team of the Army…

  Recently, Montrealer John Hartupee and his girlfriend headed to New York City for a foodie week-end. “Burger King in the airport waiting for my flight to NYC. I’ll consider this my amuse-bouche for Eleven Madison Park!” he tweeted. When…

  Four years ago, generous benefits and opportunities for advancement convinced Leigh Swanson to use her new master’s degree in human resources to manage a Starbucks cafe. She called it one of the best workplaces she had ever experienced. Then,…

  They’re cheaper. They’re more fun. They’re closer to home. They have better coffee. More interesting people go there. Give me a good café over a restaurant every time. You can go back to a café more often. The admission…

  A small team from Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) led by founder, chairman and co-CEO Steve Ells is working on an Asian restaurant concept that follows the Chipotle model. The company plans to open one Asian inspired restaurant in…

  Chipotle Mexican Grill (NYSE: CMG) today announced that it will participate in the launch of Facebook Deals, which enables people to easily find and redeem deals at nearby businesses when they check in using Facebook Places. Chipotle will offer…

  Joe David compared a McDonald’s his son just opened near Spring Hill to the one his own father opened in 1962 near Clearwater High School. “This new store is on a different planet,” said the 63-year-old owner of 12…

Gordon Ramsay has suffered another blow to his ailing business and personal pride after his bank took legal steps to stop him selling the family home without their agreement. Documents seen by the Daily Mail show that the Royal Bank…

Two weeks ago, I faced a crisis of great magnitude at my restaurant. An employee turned out to be a little different than I expected. After several warnings from me, and many more foolish decisions on his part, this person…

Each year, hundreds of city restaurants close forever, victims of high rents, economic cycles and fickle diners. So it should not have come as a surprise when restaurateur Danny Meyer announced in late September that he was pulling the plug…

Zagat has released the results of the 2011 America’s Top Restaurants guide.  The guide includes diner ratings and reviews from more than 1,500 of the top restaurants around the country.  More than 150,000 avid diners provided the results for the…

Gordon Ramsay has been no stranger to bad news in the last couple of years. His restaurant empire has faltered; he has been accused of torrid sexual wrongdoings; former proteges have turned against him. Through it all, the two central…

Twitter, people keep telling me, has become a vitally important tool for restaurants to keep in touch with their fans, their friends and their regulars. I follow maybe 50 different local restaurants on Twitter. 50 or 60, plus some of…

Starbucks launched their much-anticipated Starbucks Digital Network on Wednesday.  The company collaborated with Yahoo! to bring the free Wi-Fi based digital world to life.  The network, which is only available while guests are at a Starbucks location, is the result…

Darden Restaurants, Inc. (NYSE: DRI) today announced it has entered into a formal area development agreement with Americana Group to develop and operate Darden’s Red Lobster, Olive Garden and LongHorn Steakhouse brands in the Middle East. The agreement calls for…

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 winners of its 2010 Diners’ Choice Awards for Best Italian Cuisine. In time for National…

Dunkin’ Brands, the parent company of two of the world’s most recognized brands, Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, today announced the opening of its 16,000th location worldwide, reaffirming its status as one of the fastest growing brands in the quick service…