Restaurant News Bites: Five Guys, Giada, Wendy’s Girl, Gramercy Tavern and more

15 things you didn’t know about Five Guys Burgers and Fries
The delicious scourge of anyone with a peanut allergy, Five Guys Burgers and Fries hit the scene in 1986 as a Virginia-based family business and soon exploded into a serious national chain with more than 1000 locations. As Five Guys continues its quest for Little Burger-based world domination, let’s take a look at some of the coolest info from the resto’s… waitforit… checkered past. After all, how many other burger joints have put the Pentagon in its place?  Continue reading . . .

Just Who Is That Wendy’s Girl?
She’s got copper-colored locks, a peppy personality, an ethnically diverse group of friends, and she knows how to talk millions of Americans into buying a Monterey Ranch Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  The actress who has played the all-knowing, slightly kooky burger lover for two years is a 28-year-old Alabama native named Morgan Smith Goodwin. And while her character has remained nameless in the fast food chain’s TV commercials, it’s not a far stretch to assume she’s Wendy, the freckled little girl with red braids on the company’s logo, all grown up.  Continue reading . . .

How a Former Denny’s Waitress Amassed an Empire of Over 75 Denny’s Locations
Dawn Lafreeda began working at a Denny’s in California at 16, making her way from hostess to waitress.  In 1984, when she was 23, Lafreeda was able to merge all her skills when she had the opportunity to purchase a Denny’s restaurant.  Eighteen months later, impressed by what Lafreeda had accomplished, Denny’s offered her four ailing restaurants in west Texas.  Since then, Lafreeda has increased her empire to 75 Denny’s locations, becoming the largest single-owner franchisee in the system.  Continue reading . . .

Restaurant Watches Old Surveillance And Shares Shocking Results
A busy NYC restaurant kept getting bad reviews for slow service, so they hired a firm to investigate. When they compared footage from 2004 to footage from 2014, they made some pretty startling discoveries. So shocking, in fact, that they ranted about it on Craigslist!  Continue reading . . .

Giada De Laurentiis Bets Big on Her First Restaurant, in Las Vegas: ‘I Don’t Do Anything Small’

20 Years of Gramercy Tavern: A Restaurant That Forever Changed NYC Dining

Raw beef: Chopped or pounded, it’s making a comeback in restaurants

45 Surprising Facts About Your Favorite Fast Food Restaurants

See Which Restaurant CEOs Make The Most Money

McDonald’s Operators: Time for Reinvention?