In 1999, San Francisco Mexican restaurant Casa Sanchez launched an outlandish promotion: get a tattoo of its logo and receive free lunches for life.
The promotion whipped up a swirl of media coverage. Some outlets called the offer an ingenious marketing idea. Others focused on the Mission District restaurant’s estimate that it stood to lose $5.8 million if the deal’s takers—capped at 50 people—ate there daily for 50 years.
A decade and thousands of free meals later, Casa Sanchez is still standing. Some of its tattooed customers moved away, and many just got sick of a daily burrito. Perhaps a dozen of the original tattooed customers were still coming in. Hoping to give a boost to the community and attract new business to the restaurant, Casa Sanchez revived the tattoo promotion in January.
“It’s called the ‘stimulus special,’ ” says Martha Sanchez, one of the dozen family members who run the business. She says the restaurant, which has been in the family since the 1920s, has always viewed itself as a neighborhood cornerstone and wants to help needy locals in the weak economy. Ms. Sanchez says three new people have gotten the tattoo since January.
Driven by a solid improvement in restaurant operators’ outlook for sales growth, capital spending plans and staffing levels, the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) rose to its highest level in 27 months in February. The comprehensive index of restaurant activity stood at 99.0, up 0.7 percent from January and its strongest level since November 2007.
“The RPI’s strong gain in February was the result of broad-based improvements among the forward-looking indicators,” said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. “Restaurant operators’ optimism for sales growth stood at its strongest level in 29 months, with capital spending plans also rising to a two-year high.”
“In addition, restaurant operators reported a positive outlook for staffing gains for the first time in more than two years,” Riehle added. “This bodes well for replacing the more than 280,000 eating and drinking place jobs lost during the recession.”
Restaurant Industry Update – February 2010
The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – remained below 100 for the 28th consecutive month. The index consists of two components, the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.
The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 96.7 in February – up 0.1 percent from January’s level of 96.6. February, however, represented the 30th consecutive month below 100, which signifies contraction in the current situation indicators.
Restaurant operators reported negative same-store sales for the 21st consecutive month in February, with the overall results similar to the January performance. Twenty-eight percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between February 2009 and February 2010, compared with 27 percent of operators who reported higher sales in January. Fifty-seven percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in February, matching the proportion who reported negative sales in January.
Customer traffic also remained soft in February, as restaurant operators reported net negative traffic for the 30th consecutive month. Twenty-five percent of restaurant operators reported an increase in customer traffic between February 2009 and February 2010, down slightly from 26 percent who reported higher customer traffic in January. Fifty-five percent of operators reported a traffic decline in February, compared with 54 percent who reported lower traffic in January.
Along with continued soft sales and traffic performances, capital spending activity continued to drop off. Thirty percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion, or remodeling during the past three months, down from 32 percent last month and the lowest level on record.
In contrast to the trends in the current situation indicators, restaurant operators are increasingly optimistic about improving conditions in the months ahead. The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators’ six-month outlook for four industry indicators (same-store sales, employees, capital expenditures, and business conditions), stood at 101.4 in February – up 1.2 percent from January and its strongest level in 29 months. In addition, the Expectations Index stood above the 100 level for the second consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the forward-looking indicators.
Restaurant operators are increasingly optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead. Forty-four percent of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales in six months (compared with the same period in the previous year), up from 33 percent who reported similarly last month and the strongest level in 29 months. In comparison, just 16 percent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, down from 22 percent last month.
Restaurant operators are also more optimistic about the direction of the economy. Thirty-eight percent of restaurant operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months, while just 13 percent expect economic conditions to worsen during the next six months. Last month, 29 percent of operators said they expected the economy to improve in six months, and 18 percent expected economic conditions to deteriorate.
Along with an improving outlook for sales and the economy, restaurant operators’ plans for capital expenditures continued to expand. Forty-eight percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, up from 43 percent who reported similarly last month and the strongest level in two years.
The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry – remained below 100 for the 28th consecutive month. The index consists of two components, the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index.
The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 96.7 in February – up 0.1 percent from January’s level of 96.6. February, however, represented the 30th consecutive month below 100, which signifies contraction in the current situation indicators.
Restaurant operators reported negative same-store sales for the 21st consecutive month in February, with the overall results similar to the January performance. Twenty-eight percent of restaurant operators reported a same-store sales gain between February 2009 and February 2010, compared with 27 percent of operators who reported higher sales in January. Fifty-seven percent of operators reported a same-store sales decline in February, matching the proportion who reported negative sales in January.
Customer traffic also remained soft in February, as restaurant operators reported net negative traffic for the 30th consecutive month. Twenty-five percent of restaurant operators reported an increase in customer traffic between February 2009 and February 2010, down slightly from 26 percent who reported higher customer traffic in January. Fifty-five percent of operators reported a traffic decline in February, compared with 54 percent who reported lower traffic in January.
Along with continued soft sales and traffic performances, capital spending activity continued to drop off. Thirty percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion, or remodeling during the past three months, down from 32 percent last month and the lowest level on record.
In contrast to the trends in the current situation indicators, restaurant operators are increasingly optimistic about improving conditions in the months ahead. The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators’ six-month outlook for four industry indicators (same-store sales, employees, capital expenditures, and business conditions), stood at 101.4 in February – up 1.2 percent from January and its strongest level in 29 months. In addition, the Expectations Index stood above the 100 level for the second consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the forward-looking indicators.
Restaurant operators are increasingly optimistic about sales growth in the months ahead. Forty-four percent of restaurant operators expect to have higher sales in six months (compared with the same period in the previous year), up from 33 percent who reported similarly last month and the strongest level in 29 months. In comparison, just 16 percent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, down from 22 percent last month.
Restaurant operators are also more optimistic about the direction of the economy. Thirty-eight percent of restaurant operators said they expect economic conditions to improve in six months, while just 13 percent expect economic conditions to worsen during the next six months. Last month, 29 percent of operators said they expected the economy to improve in six months, and 18 percent expected economic conditions to deteriorate.
Along with an improving outlook for sales and the economy, restaurant operators’ plans for capital expenditures continued to expand. Forty-eight percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, up from 43 percent who reported similarly last month and the strongest level in two years.
For the first time in more than two years, restaurant operators reported a positive outlook for staffing gains in the months ahead. Twenty-two percent of operators expect to increase staffing levels in six months (compared with the same period in the previous year), while just 16 percent plan to reduce staffing levels in six months.
The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restaurant operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. The full report is available online.
The RPI is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is measured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators.
The RPI is released on the last business day of each month, and more detailed data and analysis can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper (www.restaurant.org/trendmapper), the Association’s subscription-based service that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends.
Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 945,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. Together with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works to lead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence, and participation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visit our Web site at www.restaurant.org.
For much of the last decade the restaurant industry has faced heightened scrutiny of its wage and hour practices. In particular, the industry came under fire from department of labor (DOL) investigations and private class action law suits. Unfortunately, operators have discovered that many long held industry practices and customs were not always compliant with existing wage and hour laws.
Whether intentional or not, when violations are found, restaurant operators face draconian penalties which include not only unpaid back wages, but liquidated damages (up to 100% of the monies owed), civil penalties, interest, and the employees’ attorneys’ fees incurred.
With no signs of these class action suits abating, and an increasingly activist Obama Labor Department, it is imperative that restaurants review their compliance with all applicable wage and hour laws.
Below is a list of the top wage-and-hour mistakes commonly made by restaurant owners throughout the industry:
Failure to Maintain Proper Records. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), employers are required to maintain complete payroll records (including but not limited to information regarding the employees’ hours worked and compensation paid each week) for a minimum of three years. Many states require employers to keep their records for even longer periods of time.
While a restaurant’s failure to maintain such records is a violation of the FLSA in and of itself, this type of failure becomes even more costly in disputes regarding unpaid wages because, under such circumstances, the courts will typically credit the employees’ testimony regarding the number of hours worked or compensation paid.
By Laura A. Bettencourt, Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) Officer for the CDC’s Enteric Disease Epidemiology Branch
I work in a group at CDC that investigates foodborne illnesses in the United States — illnesses like salmonellosis and E. coli infection. One challenge we face during an outbreak investigation is trying to figure out the source of the outbreak.
When a group of people consume the same contaminated food, an outbreak of illness can occur. This group may be people who ate a meal together or people who happened to buy and eat the same contaminated item from a grocery store or at a restaurant.
Here’s why outbreaks can be such a mystery:
When people get sick from food, they often assume the cause was the last thing they ate before they started feeling ill. That’s often not the case. For many foodborne illnesses, it can take anywhere from several hours to several days before people start to feel sick. The cause could have been something they ate several days ago, something they might not even remember eating.
The contaminated food usually looked, smelled, and tasted perfectly fine, making it sometimes very difficult to determine exactly what made them sick.
If safe food production and handling practices were not followed, the food could have become contaminated at any point, from the time the food was harvested or produced until it was eaten.
People who get sick with a foodborne illness don’t always see a health care provider. When they do, the providers don’t always test for bacteria that cause foodborne illness. These test results are very important, because CDC and other groups need the results to detect outbreaks.
Because people are often not interviewed until weeks after they became sick, they may have trouble remembering what foods they had eaten or what spices and condiments they may have added to their food.
So, how do we figure out which foods are making people sick? Some of the things we do are:
Use technologies, such as “DNA fingerprinting” of bacteria from ill people to help determine which ones might be linked to a common source of infection.
Interview people who have gotten sick to find out what foods they recently ate.
Interview people who haven’t gotten sick to compare what foods they recently ate to the sick people.
Study information from previous outbreaks to see which foods have often been a source before.
Compare the types of bacteria found in food or ingredients during the outbreak to the types found in people who are sick.
How does this affect you? One thing to remember is that only a tiny fraction of foodborne illnesses are reported as part of an outbreak. While it’s important to keep track of food recalls to avoid getting sick, it’s equally important to follow the basic food handling rules: Clean, Cook, Separate, and Chill. And, if you suspect that you have a foodborne illness, report it to your local health department. Often calls from concerned citizens like you are how outbreaks are first detected.
Denny’s (NASDAQ:DENN) will redefine the concept of traditional value menus on April 3, 2010 with the nationwide introduction of its new $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu. Denny’s first-ever, all day, every day value menu will provide consumers a variety of meal choices at affordable prices, featuring traditional favorites as well as new a la carte menu items for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and late night. Denny’s 16-item value menu seeks to establish an alternative to fast food establishments by providing consumers a wide variety of everyday affordable menu items.
The national rollout is a result of a successful test in a limited number of markets across the country where the $2 $4 $6 $8 menu was introduced in late December. “We listened to our guests and have responded with the launch of a new menu with a new price structure that will excite them to come to Denny’s for a satisfying meal out at a great price,” stated Nelson Marchioli, CEO and President of Denny’s. “The new $2 $4 $6 $8 offering redefines the concept of traditional value menus, moving consumers beyond the idea that fast food is their only affordable option.”
While consumers have reduced their spending on dining out over the past year, recent data indicates that Americans have developed an increased appetite for eating out; more consumers plan to increase that portion of their budget in the coming months than those who plan to cut back.1 With most consumers planning to put those dollars toward sit-down restaurants, Denny’s $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu will give consumers the budget-friendly options they crave any time of the day or night.
“The initial response to this menu has been very positive,” said John Dillon, Vice President Marketing, Denny’s Corporation. “With feedback directly from our guests, we’ve been able to create the only real 24-hour option to the typical fast food value menu. With $2 $4 $6 $8 our guests tell us they can now get an amazing variety of affordable meal options literally any time of day, without having to compromise on service or quality to do it.”
Denny’s $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu offers four items at each price point:
$ 2:
Biscuit & Gravy with Hash Browns or an Egg
Stack of Pancakes
Cheese Fries
Pancake Puppies Sundae
$ 4:
Everyday Value Slam
All You Can Eat Pancakes
Three Cheese Melt with Soup or Garden Salad
Buffalo Chicken Wraps with Crispy Tortilla Chips
$ 6:
Southern Omelette with Hash Browns and choice of bread
Endless Soup & Garden Salad
Pulled BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Fries
Classic Burger and Fries
$ 8:
Grand Slam Slugger, coffee and juice
Lemon Pepper Chicken, two sides, dinner bread and drink
Asian Chicken Salad and drink
Spicy Cowboy Chopped Steak, two sides, dinner bread and drink
A Tradition of Giving Back
For the past two years, Denny’s has fed 2 million Americans for free with its innovative Free Grand Slam® offers. Continuing its Grand Slam® kindness, Denny’s re-launched the Free Grand Slam® birthday program offering each and every American another free meal on their birthday, at participating restaurants.
About Denny’s
Denny’s is one of America’s largest full-service family restaurant chains, with more than 1,500 locations. For more than 50 years, Denny’s has been serving up real breakfast 24/7. Home of the famous Grand Slam® breakfasts, Denny’s provides a variety of flavorful food and beverage choices. For more information on Denny’s, please visit www.dennys.com.
In the biggest news since Dairy Queen® launched the signature Blizzard® Treat 25 years ago, the treat category leader has announced the introduction of a new Mini size for the Blizzard, available nationally beginning in August.
“The new Mini size should really connect with customers during our busiest time of the year which is very exciting,” said Michael Keller, chief brand officer for International Dairy Queen. “The Blizzard brand is our flagship and alone is greater in sales than any single ice cream treat competitor of ours. Being able to offer our customers something they really want on a brand platform they already love is big news.”
Served in specially designed cups, the Mini Blizzard is about half the size of a small 12 oz. Blizzard and has been well-received and performed well in many test locations over the last nine months. The new Mini represents a portion size that seems to resonate with many different types of customers for many different reasons.
Based on test store performance, Keller expects the Mini to be a hit among many DQ customers. “We had more than 90 percent consumer satisfaction ratings on several key measures in our test markets for the new Mini. The size and price really appeal to many consumers and in fact create a very strong perceived value for the new Mini,” he said.
In most stores, the Mini will likely be priced between $1.99 and $2.49. The Mini will be added to the current Blizzard size line up of 12 oz., 16 oz. and 21 oz.
The Mini is just one of the many initiatives planned for the Blizzard as part of the 25th birthday celebration.
“The Blizzard is a great story for Dairy Queen, particularly in this 25th birthday year, and the Mini is the latest chapter,” said Keller. “We will be out there sharing this news throughout the country for months because it seems like it is just that big.”
International Dairy Queen (IDQ), which is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn., develops licenses and services a system of more than 5,700 Dairy Queen® stores in the United States, Canada and other foreign countries. IDQ is part of the Berkshire Hathaway family, a company owned by Warren Buffett, the legendary investor and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. For more information, visit DairyQueen.com.
Shrimp fans will want to seize the day at www.facebook.com/deltaco, where they’ll find a coupon for a free Crispy Shrimp Taco with any purchase at a Del Taco restaurant.
Available for a limited time only, the Crispy Shrimp Taco is currently making a guest appearance on the latest episode of the Del Taco Super Special Show, which runs on Facebook.
“The Crispy Shrimp Taco is one of our most popular promotions,” said John Cappasola, Vice President of Marketing for Del Taco. “We sold nearly three quarters of a million in the first few of weeks. And they could be gone before you know it!”
The Crispy Shrimp Taco features delicious shrimp dipped in a lime chili batter, shredded cabbage, secret sauce, freshly made salsa and a lime wedge, and sells for only $1.89. The meal deal sells for $5.99 and includes two Crispy Shrimp Tacos, world famous crinkle cut fries and a drink. Del Taco also continuing to serve, for a limited time only, two seasonal seafood menu items — shrimp and fries and fish and fries. The meal deal includes ten pieces of shrimp and fries or two pieces of fish and fries with a drink for $4.99.
“Consumers know that Del Taco is the place for great tacos and unbelievable value and our Crispy Shrimp Taco really delivers,” added Cappasola.
Del Taco first introduced seafood tacos with the launch of the Crispy Fish Taco in 2005. With a hand-breaded fish fillet, crunchy cabbage, hand-made salsa and secret sauce, Del Taco’s Fish taco remains one of the most popular tacos served at the Mexican chain.
Facebook coupon offer is good while supplies last and is valid at participating Del Taco locations.
Del Taco menu items are made fresh to order, and are prepared with many quality ingredients including lard-free beans made from scratch daily, real cheddar cheese grated daily, chicken grilled fresh every hour, hand-made salsa and fresh produce. For more information visit www.deltaco.com.
Del Taco has more than 515 restaurants in 18 states.
Sales and profits are improving slowly at the parent of Outback Steakhouse, but officials Wednesday said a full-fledged fix requires a methodical plan to rejuvenate the brand.
“We expect our industry will continue to be soft in both sales and traffic through 2010,” said Liz Smith, chief executive of OSI Restaurant Partners, which operates 1,477 restaurants and five casual dining chains. “So it is going to take investments in menu, marketing and stores for us to emerge from this economic environment as a winner.”
Speaking on an earnings call for the first time since arriving at the Tampa company five months ago, the consumer packaged goods industry veteran outlined plans to bulk up the company’s research, consumer tracking, technology and training efforts. She also intends to spend up to $90 million on renovations at up to 50 of the 970 Outback stores, but added about half of them need it.
The key element: avoid deep discounting by offering a value menu enhanced with more variety, healthy choices and portion options. That includes launching several sub-500 calorie entrees this month.
When Catriona Noble learnt that she was to be promoted to the top job at McDonald’s Australia, she did what many executives throughout history have done: she popped open a bottle of champagne and bought a boat.
“It’s a one-12th share in a boat down at Spit Junction,” the Sydney-based executive said.
“Nothing extravagant but something we can go out on as a family and enjoy our time together.”
The multinational restaurant chain appointed Ms Noble as managing director 18 months ago and now she has taken over as local chief executive from Peter Bush, who is retiring due to health reasons, reports The Australian.
The promotion completes the 40-year-old’s professional journey from the McDonald’s kitchen, where she worked as a casual throughout high school and university, to one of the country’s most senior businesswomen, overseeing a company with annual revenues in excess of $1.2 billion.
Caffe Boa and Boa Bistro have touched a nerve with their plans to serve a rabbit-based menu on Easter Sunday.
“People just don’t realize what wonderful pets rabbits are,” said Doreen O’Connell, a volunteer at Brambly Hedge Rabbit Rescue in Phoenix.
“They’re just the sweetest pets, so good-natured and funny and loving. And like any pet owner, when you see that on a menu you think how could somebody take my sweet pet and slaughter it and eat it?”
Executive chef Payton Curry, who planned the menu, said they had received more than 100 e-mails and messages about their plans. Last night, he said, the messages were running about 80-20 against the menu. By this afternoon, though, it had more or less evened out.
Feelings were running high.
One anonymous caller, Curry said, wished him a slow and painful death and told him he would end up in hell, then hung up.
Pretzelmaker®/Pretzel Time® announced today that the company will once again host a National Pretzel Day celebration on April 26 at its 300 stores across the country*. This year the company is putting a new “twist” on the holiday by asking customers to “sing for your snack.”
To mark this festive day, customers are encouraged to visit their local Pretzelmaker on National Pretzel Day, sing a snippet from a song of their choice and receive a FREE soft pretzel (with or without salt). Patrons who prefer not to sing won’t go hungry – they can simply say “National Pretzel Day” to receive their free pretzel. The event is supported by NexCen Franchise Management, Inc., a subsidiary of NexCen Brands, Inc.
Pretzelmaker is also providing a way for customers to share their singing talents with the world by uploading a short video clip of themselves singing their own original songs to www.pretzelmaker.com for a chance to win a $50 iTunes gift card weekly. Pretzel fans needing inspiration can check out the recent “4 Buck Hook Up” music video produced by St. Louis teen Goofy Boi on the Web site. The sweepstakes launches today with the redesign of www.pretzelmaker.com and will end May 16.
“National Pretzel Day has become a favorite annual celebration for our brand and we’re excited to add some extra energy with the ‘sing for your snack’ element,” said Jenn Johnston, senior vice president of brand marketing for NexCen Franchise Management. “The holiday is a fun way to recognize and celebrate pretzels as one of America’s favorite, and most versatile, snacks.”
To find a participating Pretzelmaker location near you visit www.nationalpretzelday.com. To stay up to date on all of Pretzelmaker’s products and promotions, join Pretzelmaker’s exclusive e-mail fan club at www.pretzelmaker.com or become a fan of the brand on Facebook.
* Limit one offer per guest during the day of the promotion. Counts vary by store. Valid only at participating U.S. stores. No purchase necessary. No cash value.
Pretzelmaker / Pretzel Time are franchised concepts that specialize in offering hand-rolled soft pretzels, innovative soft pretzel products, dipping sauces and beverages. The brands were founded independently of each other in 1991, united in 1998 by Mrs. Fields Famous Brands and acquired by NexCen Brands in 2007. Beginning in April of 2009 NexCen instituted the consolidation of the two brands which will result in the new Pretzelmaker. Long recognized as innovators in their industry, the brands are credited with inventing the popular Pretzel Dog and portable Pretzel Bites. Collectively, Pretzelmaker / Pretzel Time is the second largest soft pretzel franchise in the U.S. with approximately 360 stores worldwide.
NexCen Brands, Inc. is a strategic brand management company with a focus on franchising. It owns a portfolio of franchise brands that includes two retail franchise concepts: TAF® and Shoebox New York®, as well as five quick service restaurant (QSR) franchise concepts: Great American Cookies®, MaggieMoo’s®, Marble Slab Creamery®, Pretzelmaker® and Pretzel Time®. The brands are managed by NexCen Franchise Management, Inc., a subsidiary of NexCen Brands.
Perkins & Marie Callender’s Inc. (PMCI), the preeminent family restaurant company in the United States with over 600 locations, is pleased to announce the appointment of Richard K. “Rick” Arras as President and Chief Operating Officer of Perkins Restaurants & Bakeries, effective April 19, 2010. Mr. Arras served in the same position from 1988 to 1998.
A seasoned and highly regarded restaurant industry executive, Arras most recently served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Boston Market, and has held leadership positions, including President & Chief Executive Officer of Shoney’s Restaurants and President and Chief Operating Officer of Cracker Barrel Old Country Stores throughout his illustrious 30 year career. A graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, Mr. Arras began as a management trainee with Perkins Family Restaurants in 1979 after serving as an officer in the U.S. Army. While with Perkins he obtained his MBA from Memphis State University.
In his position as President and Chief Operating Officer, Arras will oversee all aspects of operations for over 470 Perkins Restaurants in 34 states and five Canadian provinces.
In making the announcement, Jay Trungale, Chief Executive Officer, PMCI, states, “Rick Arras’ experience as a proven leader in the restaurant industry, coupled with his strategic insight, operations expertise and unparalleled passion for Perkins will be an invaluable asset to our brand and benefit us greatly. We expect his transition back to Perkins will be seamless, and that his interaction with both corporate and franchise operators will prove to be immediately productive.”
Arras adds, “Despite dramatic changes in our industry over the past several years, fueled primarily by a challenging economy, the staying power of the Perkins brand is phenomenal. Not only does Perkins operate well in multiple dayparts, it has incredible appeal to a wide range of people. I truly look forward to once again being an integral part of the strategic development and future of this terrific brand.”
ABOUT PERKINS RESTAURANTS & BAKERIES:
Founded in 1958, Perkins operates 470+ restaurants in 34 states and five Canadian provinces. The Perkins system includes 163 company-owned and operated restaurants and 314 franchised units. More than 50% of Perkins Restaurants are located in Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Florida and Wisconsin. More information about Perkins Restaurants & Bakeries can be found as www.perkinsrestaurants.com.
Delaware North Companies and Food Network, one of the most popular lifestyle networks on television, have entered into a partnership to develop new menu, restaurant and retail concepts for the global hospitality and food service provider’s locations across North America.
Delaware North operates at sports stadiums, entertainment complexes, parks, resorts and airports, including marquee locations such as the New Meadowlands Stadium in New Jersey, Delaware North-owned TD Garden in Boston, Los Angeles International Airport, Kennedy Space Center, Yosemite National Park and The Queen Mary.
In the first phase of the multiyear agreement, Food Network is creating signature dishes for suite menus as Delaware North’s Sportservice division introduces the partnership to its Major League Baseball clients. Sportservice operates concessions and premium dining at more than 50 sports and entertainment venues in North America.
Sportservice’s chefs will be introducing the Food Network-branded menu items at several ballparks in the coming weeks after Opening Day, including at the Cleveland Indians’ Progressive Field, the Milwaukee Brewers’ Miller Park, the St. Louis Cardinals’ Busch Stadium, the Cincinnati Reds’ Great American Ballpark and Rangers Ballpark at Arlington, home of the Texas Rangers.
Food Network reaches nearly 100 million U.S. television households with popular lifestyle programs, including Iron Chef America, Chopped and Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives, and superstar chefs Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Alton Brown, Giada De Laurentiis and others. Its Web site, www.foodnetwork.com, attracts nearly 10 million unique visitors each month. Food Network Magazine, with a subscriber base of 1.25 million, is considered one of the most successful magazine launches of the 21st century.
“At Food Network, we are all about feeding people’s passions in fun and interesting places,” said Sergei Kuharsky, general manager, new business enterprises at Scripps Networks, a division of Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), owner of Food Network. “This partnership with Delaware North Companies allows us to spread our table wider, and deepen Food Network’s relationship with viewers who have always wanted to taste what they see us serve up on TV, online and in the magazine.”
Delaware North will build and operate the concepts, while Food Network will provide training, brand standards and marketing support. All food, beverage and retail concepts developed as a result of the partnership will carry the Food Network brand.
“We are thrilled to be working with Food Network, the brand that connects millions of people to the excitement and joy of preparing, learning about and enjoying food,” said Dennis Szefel, Delaware North’s chief administrative officer. “Food Network has the depth of culinary expertise to help us develop new and unique food and beverage concepts and experiences for the millions who dine at the special places where Delaware North operates.”
Delaware North’s Travel Hospitality Services division is already working with Food Network “Iron Chef” Masaharu Morimoto to create Skewers, a unique Asian dining concept for airport travelers. The division operates dozens of national and regional brand restaurants and shops at more than 20 major U.S. airports.
About Delaware North Companies
Delaware North Companies is one of the world’s leading hospitality and food service providers. Its family of companies includes Delaware North Companies Parks & Resorts, Delaware North Companies Gaming & Entertainment, Delaware North Companies Travel Hospitality Services, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, Delaware North Companies International and Delaware North Companies Boston, owner of TD Garden. Delaware North Companies is one of the largest privately held companies in the United States with revenues exceeding $2 billion annually and 50,000 associates serving half a billion customers in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand. For more information, visit www.DelawareNorth.com.
About Food Network
FOOD NETWORK (www.foodnetwork.com) is a unique lifestyle network, website and magazine that connects viewers to the power and joy of food. The network strives to be viewers’ best friend in food and is committed to leading by teaching, inspiring and empowering through its talent and expertise. Food Network is distributed to more than 98 million U.S. households and averages more than 9 million unique web users monthly. In its first year Food NetworkMagazinedoubled its rate base and passed the one million circulation mark. Headquartered in New York, Food Network has a growing international presence with programming in more than 150 countries, including 24 hour networks in Great Britain, India, Asia and Africa. Scripps Networks Interactive (NYSE: SNI), which also owns and operates HGTV (www.hgtv.com), DIY Network (www.diynetwork.com), Great American Country (http://www.gactv.com/) and Cooking Channel, is the manager and general partner.
Claim Jumper Restaurants, a casual dining restaurant chain with a family-friendly atmosphere and a modern twist on classic American cuisine, partners with Special Olympics and law officials for their 12th annual Tip-A-Cop event on Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. to raise funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Over the past eleven years, CJ and local law officials have raised $1.5 million dollars! Police officers, patrolmen, special agents, deputies and special investigators will be working alongside members of the Claim Jumper staff for Tip-A-Cop 2010. During the event, members of the law enforcement community will be assuming everyday restaurant tasks and responsibilities, including seating guests, serving beverages, delivering meals and bussing tables.
The “tips” or “donations” the officers earn will go directly to support programs offered by Special Olympics. This year, Claim Jumper will proudly donate 20 percent off all dessert sales directly to Special Olympics. An annual event for Claim Jumper, Tip-A-Cop was designed to raise community awareness about Special Olympics and the Law Enforcement Torch Run. In 2009, nearly $155,000 was raised during the evening, this year the goal is set at $200,000.
In addition to the uniformed officers, there will be patrol cars, motorcycle units, DARE vehicles, mobile command centers, equestrian and K-9 units on site to help make the evening special. The support from the law enforcement agencies will be strong with departments and agencies committed to having 10-12 uniformed officers per location, including several police chiefs.
For additional information, please contact your local Claim Jumper Restaurant, call 800.949.4538 or visit www.claimjumper.com.
About Claim Jumper
Inspired by California’s Gold Rush history, Claim Jumper Restaurants opened its first location in Los Alamitos, Calif. in 1977. Today, the casual dining concept is an established family favorite, operating 46 restaurants throughout the West Coast and parts of the Midwest. With a modern twist on traditional American cuisine and a full-service saloon, the chain’s extensive menu offers more than 200 food and beverage choices using only the finest, freshest ingredients available. Claim Jumper restaurants accept reservations and are open daily for lunch and dinner. For more information please visit www.claimjumper.com.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG), the national chain of burrito restaurants known for serving Food With Integrity, today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2010 financial results on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 4:30 PM eastern time. A press release with first quarter 2010 financial results will be issued at approximately 4:00 PM eastern time that same day.
The conference call can be accessed live over the phone by dialing 1-888-204-4349 or for international callers by dialing 1-913-312-1401. A replay will be available one hour after the call and can be accessed by dialing 1-888-203-1112 or 1-719-457-0820 for international callers; the password is 4925049. The replay will be available until April 28, 2010. The call will be webcast live from the Company’s website at chipotle.com under the investor relations section. An archived webcast will be available one hour after the end of the call.
About Chipotle
Steve Ells, Founder, Chairman and co-CEO, started Chipotle with the idea that food served fast did not have to be a typical fast food experience. Today, Chipotle continues to offer a focused menu of burritos, tacos, burrito bowls (a burrito without the tortilla) and salads made from fresh, high-quality raw ingredients, prepared using classic cooking methods and served in a distinctive atmosphere. Through our vision of Food With Integrity, Chipotle is seeking better food not only from using fresh ingredients, but ingredients that are sustainably grown and naturally raised with respect for the animals, the land, and the farmers who produce the food. Chipotle opened its first restaurant in 1993 and currently operates more than 950 restaurants. For more information, visit chipotle.com.
Whether it’s nightmares of wrestling with waiters over napkins (or, as Felicity Cloake eloquently puts it here, a dislike of complete strangers “fussing around your crotch”), fears of being patronised by thick-tongued sommeliers, or dread at having your philosophical conversations cut short by overwrought service – “Madame, allow me to explain our 17 varieties of salt” – there are certain elements of the fine dining experience that can be just plain awkward. Enjoying delicious, well cooked food in a fancy setting is one thing but being flanked by hovering service staff every time you want to pop to the loo is quite another, and it seems there’s a case for claiming that diners are increasingly looking for something a bit less stiff.
Of course, fine dining in the formal, classic sense is still alive and well. Ramsay’s reimagining of the legendary Petrus opened last night after what seems like years of build-up, Michel Roux Jr’s Parliament Square restaurant is scheduled for a soft opening in late April, and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester (where a man with a trolley of planted herbs and special white gloves can mix you a bespoke tisane at the end of your meal) is still basking in the glow of its newly-landed third Michelin star. But there are also a growing number of chefs causing a stir who are coming from different schools, taking their influences from diverse cultures, challenging expectations and creating more laid-back settings for their diners.
For Bjorn van der Horst, whose cheffing stripes were earned firmly inside the fine dining stable (before opening Clerkenwell’s Eastside Inn he worked for Marlon Abela and Gordon Ramsay) “it’s a matter of context.” But then, he’s bound to say that, having just pulled the plug on the more formal, fine dining element of his previously two-sided operation in favour of a more inclusive expanded menu and toned-down service style. “Having both the bistro and restaurant under one roof was our dream, but in reality it was confusing for the guest,” he explains. “We thought about what we really enjoy and the restaurants we love, and decided to consolidate everything – using an expanded menu and a much more casual type of service.”
Mama Fu’s Asian House is cooking up a major expansion for the next five years, with the intention of growing from 13 stores to about 160, company officials said.
The chain’s expansion will rely largely on new franchises willing to take on multiple units. To make the chain more financially attractive, the franchise brand’s owners, Austin-based Murphy Adams Restaurant Group, introduced a new Mama Fu’s prototype that reduced building costs by more than 20 percent, from $800,000 to as low as $500,000.
Each Mama Fu’s restaurant is typically 3,000 square feet, seats about 95 guests and employs 35 to 40 people. Currently, the chain employs 250 people nationwide, a number that will increase locally with two stores in the works in Austin — one in the Arboretum area and one in southwest Austin, said Randy Murphy, president of the restaurant group.
Mama Fu’s was started in 2003 by Atlanta-based Raving Brands Inc., and three years later found itself in a court battle with 40 franchisees and investors who sued the company and founder Martin Sprock, alleging fraud and breach of contract.
Last week, Tulsa-based Mazzio’s LLC announced it had signed a franchise partnership with Fransmart development company to help expand Mazzio’s and its fast casual Oliveto Italian Bistro. But the company release failed to focus on the real news – the explosive potential of lesser-sung concept, Oliveto, and its perfect positioning for consumers with strapped pocketbooks, nutritional awareness, and increasing food savvy.
Oliveto only has one company-owned and one franchise location to parent company Mazzio’s 172 so far, but Mazzio’s CEO Gregory R. Lippert, formerly of Seven-Up Co. and Fazoli’s, said he saw the signs of today’s casual dining slowdown while planning the not-quite fast casual concept.
The chain’s conception started roughly five years ago (and first opened in Tulsa in 2008). By that time, Lippert said, it was apparent that casual dining was in “remission.” Two of the biggest problems were that people didn’t want to spend as much to eat out, and they were wary of the huge portions.
“Location, location, location”-the old adage about the key to business success gains new meaning in the context of the latest social-media opportunity for restaurants: location-based social networks.
Getting the most press these days is Foursquare, which lets users “check in” to the locations they visit throughout the day via a mobile Web site, smartphone applications or text messages. They then can share tips and information on the place they’re visiting, find friends in the area and sometimes even earn rewards for their patronage. Members also can add tags to a business to let others know what it’s all about and what it’s known for, with examples ranging from “burgers,” “brunch” or “diner” to “free Wi-Fi,” “live music,” “family owned” and “late night.”
But the opportunity Foursquare offers restaurants goes well beyond online advertising. Here, R&I shares six ways Foursquare can help drive traffic and a list of creative ways operators are building promotions around the location-based network.
•It lets you identify some of your best customers.
Because Foursquare tracks how many times members visit a particular location, the application is ideal for helping businesses reward loyalty. Some restaurants give perks to the person who has checked in most (known as the “mayor,” more below), while others offer incentives for anyone who checks in (scroll down to find examples). Operators also can give guests a freebie for multiple check-ins. BOKA Kitchen + Bar in Seattle favors this strategy. “We already do a punch card where if you buy six lunches you get the seventh free, so we do the same thing on Foursquare where the seventh lunch is on us,” says Jamie Jacobsen, social-media and promotions manager at the Hotel 1000, which houses the restaurant.
Brian Zachau, a 32-year-old bartender from the Maple Grove, Minnesota T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant was crowned “The Greatest T.G.I. Friday’s Bartender in the World” at T.G.I. Friday’s Worldwide Headquarters in Carrollton, Texas on Friday, following an intense finals competition between ten elite mixologists (bartenders) from around the globe. Ram Ong, from the Philippines placed second and Atillia Farmasi, from Hungary was third.
After four second place finishes and six overall appearances in the World Bartender Championship, Zachau finally broke through for his first world title. Zachau, a five-time defending U.S. Champion, now stakes the claim as the world’s best. This is the first time in 13 years a U.S. bartender has the won the competition.
“Can’t be any more perfect than this!” said Zachau after hearing his name announced as the winner. “I just kept practicing and competing. I knew I’d break through and win some day.”
Nearly 7,000 Friday’s bartenders from 60 countries entered this year’s World Bartender Championship. The ten finalists exhibited their knowledge and showed off their flair through months of local, regional, divisional and national competitions to reach the finals. Friday afternoon’s freestyle segment gave the competitors the ultimate stage to show off their flair techniques of tossing, balancing, mixing cocktails and flipping bottles in the air to choreographed music.
“These ten contestants represent the best of the best,” said Nick Shepherd, president and chief executive officer of Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, parent of T.G.I. Friday’s. “Today’s competition is a testament to Friday’s heritage of having the best mixologists in the world.”
The finalists competed throughout the week in a variety of skills tests, compulsory and speed rounds, where they demonstrated their mastery of bar mechanics, including technical knowledge and accuracy.
Zachau received a $10,000 cash prize, bragging rights and a place in Friday’s lore as well as a propeller engraved with his name to hang above his home Friday’s bar. The propeller is a Friday’s icon which signifies the bar as the engine that drives the restaurant’s energy and atmosphere. Propellers hang above the bars in all T.G.I. Friday’s locations worldwide.
The World Bartender Championship represents Friday’s longstanding heritage, knowledge, expertise and innovation in the beverage industry. The competition began back in the late 80s as a challenge between bartenders and has grown into a full representation of the Friday’s brand, one of the most recognized brands in the world.
Originators of the now-famous, trend-setting, bottle tossing “flair” style of bartending, T.G.I. Friday’s bartenders are world renowned for their accuracy and precision, their larger than life personalities and their award-winning ability to entertain guests around the world.
With more than 900 restaurants in 60 countries, including approximately 600 restaurants in the U.S., T.G.I. Friday’s offers great food, innovative drinks and a unique experience filled with flair and a Thank God It’s Friday’s™ attitude. Friday’s authentic, engaging atmosphere makes it the perfect place to escape, socialize and connect with people while getting a rejuvenating second wind. Members of Give Me More Stripes®, Friday’s guest recognition program, receive free stuff and special perks year-round. As the original casual dining restaurant, T.G.I. Friday’s has a rich heritage which includes being credited with popularizing Happy Hour, Long Island Iced Tea and Loaded Potato Skins. T.G.I. Friday’s is also famous for its flair bartenders, approximately 7000 of whom compete annually for the title of the “World’s Greatest T.G.I. Friday’s Bartender.”
Carlson Restaurants Worldwide Inc., the parent company of TGI Friday’s Inc., is a privately held company owned by Minneapolis-based Carlson, a world leader in the hospitality and travel industries. As of March 2010, Carlson Restaurants Worldwide owns, operates, franchises or licenses more than 1,000 restaurants in 60 countries. For more information, visit http://www.fridays.com.
At Lynn Love’s new restaurant, little remains to remind customers they are eating barbecued ribs in his former used-car showroom.
After 23 years of selling Buicks, Toyotas and other late-model, low-mileage vehicles, Love now is driven by a different livelihood, and the only cars on the lot are those that diners have steered to his Artifacts Bar & Grille.
“We moved from metal to meat,” he likes to say. As with so many things in recent years, his transition was necessitated by the distressed economy, exacerbated by a proliferation of used-car sales on the Internet, and Big Three automakers touting zero-percent interest.
“It did start to deteriorate,” Love said of what had been a solid business, providing a good life for two-plus decades. “Bigger guys than me fell.”
Pondering the inevitable while gazing at MacDill Avenue through his showroom window, Love made a decision. He would convert the building and re-invent himself as owner-operator of a restaurant and bar.
It was visions of Ambrosia that sustained the Spartans, while GIs in the Vietnam War imagined the culinary and sensual pleasures of Saigon. For the troops fighting in the Helmand desert, fantasies tend to focus on chilled milkshakes and Double Whoppers served up on a neon-lit strip of Kandahar airbase known as “The Boardwalk”.
Or they did until yesterday, when the famously ascetic commander of Nato forces in Afghanistan, General Stanley McChrystal, ordered that the Boardwalk — an ever-expanding cluster of fast-food joints at the sprawling airbase — be closed.
The feelings of General McChrystal, an intense, workaholic “warrior monk” who runs eight miles a day, sleeps four hours a night and eats only one meal every 24 hours, were made clear.
“This is a war zone, not an amusement park,” growled his Command Sergeant-Major, Michael T. Hall, on a military blog.
Among the outlets to be sent home are such cultural icons as Burger King, Pizza Hut, Subway and TGI Friday’s, the newly opened branch of which features a plastic scale model of the Star Wars character Yoda. US pilots were apparently in the habit of radioing ahead for pizza delivery when returning from bombing missions over Helmand.
Shares of restaurant chain Benihana Inc. climbed Tuesday amid speculation that a financier submitted a sweetened buyout offer to the company.
Citing anonymous people, the New York Post reported Tuesday that Russell Glass, who leads RDG Capital, increased his bid for the Asian-themed chain to $8 per share, up from his earlier offer of $7 per share.
CL King analyst Michael W. Gallo told investors in a research note that the $8 offer may still be low “but is moving in the right direction.”
Banning fast-food advertising on television in the United States could reduce the number of overweight children by as much as 18 percent, researchers said on Wednesday.
But the team at the National Bureau of Economic Research questioned whether it would be practical to impose that kind of government regulation — something only Sweden, Norway and Finland have done.
“We have known for some time that childhood obesity has gripped our culture, but little empirical research has been done that identifies television advertising as a possible cause,” said economist Shin-Yi Chou of Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
“Hopefully, this line of research can lead to a serious discussion about the type of policies that can curb America’s obesity epidemic.”
The owners of Crazy Otto’s Empire Diner and The Diner Wizard are hoping to break their own record this summer by building the world’s biggest omelet.
Organizers are planning to construct the potentially world-record breaking omelet in synch with the General Herkimer Days on July 10. Kelly Coffin, an organizer, said they will start building the omelet in the parking lot just outside of the Crazy Otto’s Diner on Albany Street at 6 a.m. and continue until about 3 p.m. Once the omelet is completed, they will design an American flag on it with mayonnaise, salsa, blue food coloring and tortilla shells for the stars.
Scott Tranter, who owns The Diner Wizard, said the Guinness Book of World Records now goes by weight when determining the largest omelet, but claims they are the largest by square-footage.
The postcard Florida experience: sun, fun and plenty of local seafood. It was the latter that brought Gary and Vicki Haller from Kansas to Wahoo’s here last week, with its waterfront views, toucan colors and promise of fresh food “from our docks.”
“We live in cow country,” Mr. Haller said. “Here we eat fish.”
But the fish in his “belly buster” sandwich actually traveled farther than he did. It was Pangasius, a freshwater catfish from Vietnam. The grouper and tuna were also imports, according to Wahoo’s managers. And the “local” label on the menu? It still applied, they insisted, because their distributor was down the road.
Florida, from sea to plate, just is not the seafood buffet it once was. Reeling from a record, fish-killing cold snap and tougher federal limits on what can be caught, commercial fishermen and charter-boat captains are struggling. Distributors and restaurants are relying more and more on imported seafood — some of it clearly labeled, a lot of it not.
The District of Tofino is drafting bylaws that would throw up a nearly insurmountable series of roadblocks to discourage franchised fast-food chains hoping to do business in Canada’s surfer playground.
The district is considering restrictions on everything from the size and illumination of signage and cookie-cutter décor to takeout packaging, carbon footprint and use of non-local ingredients, according to Chief Administrative Officer Bob Long.
In addition, the district will draft a description of “unique attributes of Tofino’s west coast culture” for the business sector that any new entry would have to adhere to, said Long.
Other tools may include extending the requirement for development permits to the town’s commercial areas and forming a design panel to vet the form and look of new development in accordance with the newly drafted guidelines. Restrictions on the size of retail space may also be included to discourage big-box stores from setting up shop.
“I will be presenting all these things to council,” said Long.
Sunday heralds one of Palm Beach’s busiest annual dining-out days: Easter.
The island’s resorts, hotels and restaurants are putting on their finest, with everything from lavish brunches to prix-fixe dinner menus and tempting daily specials.
Some are gilding their holiday offerings with complimentary champagne, live music, Easter egg hunts or Easter Bunny visits.
Nearly all of their menus will feature the centuries-old comestible harbinger of spring — lamb.
Because the dining scene will be bustling, making reservations, which often are required or recommended, is a good idea.
Easter brunches have dominated Palm Beach for decades.
This year, they’re as over the top as ever, particularly at the resorts.
Think copious buffet spreads that include everything from traditional breakfast fare to raw bars, sushi, caviar, salads, cheeses, signature entrees, chef-manned carving stations, desserts and more.
Bessilyn Piazza’s sandtart cookies are out of this world—or soon will be. Recently approved to hitch a ride on the Space Shuttle Discovery (scheduled for an April 5 launch), Mrs. Piazza’s cookies are headed to the International Space Station.
The melt-in-your-mouth cookies have been enjoyed by patrons of Bessilyn’s restaurant, The Italian Cafe in Seabrook, for over 20 years. But when one customer requested a batch of cookies for special delivery, NASA called in the order. The customer is Colonel Timothy J. Creamer, Flight Engineer and NASA Science Officer, who is currently living and working aboard the International Space Station. Following standard procedure for crew requests, NASA contacted Bessilyn and obtained a batch of cookies for microbiological testing. One week later, the space-bound “to go” order was approved.
“My feet haven’t touched the ground since I received the news,” says Bessilyn. “This is something I never dreamed would happen. I’m still on cloud nine.”
The original sandtart recipe hails from Bessilyn’s late mother, who baked the Italian wedding-style cookies for years for The Italian Cafe. As demand for the cookies grew by the dozen, Bessilyn relieved her mother of the rolling pin and rolled up her own sleeves. She’s been up to her elbows in flour ever since.
“When these cookies board the Space Shuttle in April, it will be the perfect tribute to my mother,” says Bessilyn. “I know how proud she would be to see her sandtarts travel into space.”
Six sandtart cookies for a mere $2.75 are a regular feature on The Italian Cafe’s dessert menu. Shipping is available worldwide—and now off the planet.
About Bessilyn Piazza
For over 20 years, Bessilyn and Frank Piazza have owned and operated the popular Italian Cafe in Seabrook, Texas, serving tens of thousands of satisfied customers. Bessilyn maintains the restaurant’s office and day-to-day operations, while Frank creates new dishes, conducts cooking classes and adorns the walls with his artwork. For more information, please visit www.TheItalianCafe.com. Known to her three granddaughters as “Noni,” Bessilyn is working on a new venture to expand her culinary offerings. Watch for www.NoniPiazza.com, coming soon.
Driven by a solid improvement in restaurant operators’ outlook for sales growth, capital spending plans and staffing levels, the 
Denny’s (NASDAQ:DENN) will redefine the concept of traditional value menus on April 3, 2010 with the nationwide introduction of its new $2 $4 $6 $8 Value Menu. Denny’s first-ever, all day, every day value menu will provide consumers a variety of meal choices at affordable prices, featuring traditional favorites as well as new a la carte menu items for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert and late night. Denny’s 16-item value menu seeks to establish an alternative to fast food establishments by providing consumers a wide variety of everyday affordable menu items.
In the biggest news since Dairy Queen® launched the signature Blizzard® Treat 25 years ago, the treat category leader has announced the introduction of a new Mini size for the Blizzard, available nationally beginning in August.
Shrimp fans will want to seize the day at 
Sales and profits are improving slowly at the parent of Outback Steakhouse, but officials Wednesday said a full-fledged fix requires a methodical plan to rejuvenate the brand.
When Catriona Noble learnt that she was to be promoted to the top job at McDonald’s Australia, she did what many executives throughout history have done: she popped open a bottle of champagne and bought a boat.
Claim Jumper Restaurants, a casual dining restaurant chain with a family-friendly atmosphere and a modern twist on classic American cuisine, partners with Special Olympics and law officials for their 12th annual Tip-A-Cop event on Thursday, April 8, 2010 from 5 p.m.-9 p.m. to raise funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG), the national chain of burrito restaurants known for serving Food With Integrity, today announced that it will host a conference call to discuss first quarter 2010 financial results on Wednesday, April 21, 2010 at 4:30 PM eastern time. A press release with first quarter 2010 financial results will be issued at approximately 4:00 PM eastern time that same day.
Brian Zachau, a 32-year-old bartender from the Maple Grove, Minnesota T.G.I. Friday’s restaurant was crowned “The Greatest T.G.I. Friday’s Bartender in the World” at T.G.I. Friday’s Worldwide Headquarters in Carrollton, Texas on Friday, following an intense finals competition between ten elite mixologists (bartenders) from around the globe. Ram Ong, from the Philippines placed second and Atillia Farmasi, from Hungary was third.
