The restaurant industry is eager to regain some sales ground after declines due to the recession, and they’re getting creative with food formats and meal times. Many chains are targeting unusual meal or snack times like post-happy hour eating and late breakfast snacks. Other restaurants are adding new small portion options for consumers looking for a less expensive purchase.

All franchisees must devise their own map to success, but some franchise operators are relying on sheer willpower. Perserverance has paid off for people like Denise and Tim Coulter, owners of nine Subway restaurants. They’ve dealt with challenges like not being able to take a personal paycheck for the first six years as they struggled to build profits.

The Food and Drug Administration’s new ruling on displaying menu calorie counts will soon be enforced. Many restaurants are choosing to add healthier and lower calorie foods or cutting current calorie counts before they must reveal the final numbers. Many chains, like IHOP, feature meals that offer over 1,000 calories on one plate.

Straw Hat Pizza is running a promotional deal on their famous Hot Hat Stuffed Sandwiches for the summer. All of the Hot Hat Sandwiches, first introduced in the 1970s, will be available for $5. This deal ends at the end of August. The Hot Hats are more than just sandwiches, and are modeled after calzones but are easier to hold while eating.

CNN says that regionally based European cuisine, such as Italian or Mediterranean foods, is one of the hottest trends in the restaurant industry this year. To fit this rising demand The Original Italian Pie chain is expanding. The chain was recently purchased by Big Game Brands and will soon be expanding throughout the Southeastern United States.

Johnny Rockets has added three new seasoned professionals to their company management team. David Kreizinger is now the new vice president of Finances, Brett Willis joins the team as vice president of Franchise Sales and Mike Chico is the manage of Facility Design. All three are responsible for working on both the company managed restaurants and franchised locations.

BUBBA Burgers are sold nationally as frozen packaged beef patties, but now you can enjoy a fresh BUBBA Burger at the Original BUBBA Burger Grill restaurant as well. The first location was opened recently in Jacksonville, Florida. Three more locations will open in the city before the end of the year and national expansion may occur over the next few years.

BJ’s Restaurant recently announced the opening of their most recent location. The new restaurant held its grand opening celebration on June 20^th and expands the BJ’s brand to Las Vegas. The location seats nearly 300 guests and is part of the massive Centennial Center that boasts over one million square feet of dining and shopping.

Dickey’s Barbecue Pit will be adding a chain restaurant location in San Antonio, Texas soon. Franchisee Peter Do joins the company to expand the Texas based chain in its home state. Do lived in Michigan originally, but moved to San Antonio for a warmer climate and delicious barbecue. He chose the chain for its combination of great food and family friendly atmosphere.

Farmer Boys Restaurants, the company behind the Farmer Boys World’s Greatest Hamburgers chain, has hired a new chief financial officer. Judy Lewis has been working in the restaurant industry since she was 16, but she’s also well-educated in the world of business administration and finance. As CFO she’ll also be in charge of human resources and information technology.

Many California restaurants have introduced calorie counts on menus in recent years. But as part of the recent federal healthcare overhaul, the Food and Drug Administration is expected to roll out national rules by year-end requiring any chain with 20 or more locations to post calorie counts for every item they sell.

Chains are scrambling to rework consumer favorites so they have fewer calories, and they are redesigning menus so that high-calorie items are balanced out by more-healthful options.

IHOP took its standard bacon-and-eggs breakfast, with 1,160 calories, and developed a version with turkey bacon and egg whites that has just 350 calories. Panera Bread Co., worried that customers would balk at sandwiches with more than 1,000 calories, cut back on mayonnaise, salami and bread. Starbucks Corp. launched a line of tiny cakes and mini donuts.

Continue reading . . .

Given the number of Americans who eat out instead of cooking meals at home, along with the sobering number of us tipping the scales as overweight or obese, a growing number of cities and states have been mandating calorie labeling on restaurant menus. That includes fast-food establishments as well as family dining eateries, with the idea being that once people see the staggering number of calories they are about to consume, they might scale back their eating habits and make healthier choices.

At least that was the idea. But the latest study from one fast food restaurant chain in Washington state found that the calorie counts did not make any difference in purchases that people made.

Continue reading . . .

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 restaurants in California will have to include calorie counts of items on menus. Last week, San Francisco officials passed the so-called Happy Meal ban, which forbids toys to be included with meals that don’t meet nutritional standards. Santa Clara County had earlier approved such a ban.

Now the battle switches to Southern California, where the city of Los Angeles wants to bring back — and tighten — restrictions on establishing new fast-food restaurants in some minority neighborhoods where obesity is a significant health problem.

Continue reading . . .

CHICAGO  (RestaurantNews.com)  The foodservice industry demands change as often as the limited-time offers (LTOs) at your favorite restaurant, and this year was no exception. In light of the recent healthcare bill that requires restaurants with 20+ units to list calorie counts on the menu, operators are now tasked with balancing federal regulations with the differing demands of their customers. Restaurant-goers value menu transparency, but still want the occasional indulgent dining experience. Mintel Menu Insight’s foodservice trends for 2011 are all about walking that fine line between open disclosure and customer satisfaction.

According to Eric Giandelone, director of foodservice research at Mintel, “Both the government and consumers want healthier menu options, but restaurant-goers are also very concerned about value and how their food tastes. Keeping both parties satisfied might be a challenge as we move into 2011.”

Trend #1: Healthy by Association

Sixty-two percent of consumers say they plan to eat healthier in the upcoming year, but many complain that healthier food doesn’t taste as good without the added sugar, sodium and fat. Restaurants will address this problem by swapping in ‘healthier’ ingredients to their patrons’ favorite dishes, and positioning them to appear better-for-you. For instance, Taco Bell has quietly reduced sodium at 150 stores in the Dallas market, while Jason’s Deli promotes its food as being free from high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS), trans fats or pesticides. Consumers enjoy visiting restaurants that are perceived as healthy because these venues make them feel good about themselves and their meal choices. Consumers might opt to visit the ‘healthy’ restaurant, but be wooed by the not-so-healthy LTOs offered at these places (see Trend #5).

Trend #2: Automated Menus

Convenience and technology will form the perfect union this year as restaurant-goers will see an increase in automated menus at their favorite establishments. These electronic order-takers will provide customers with the opportunity to order food to their specifications in do-it-yourself style, thus reducing the restaurant’s reliance on front-of-house staff, as well as full-time employees. Automated menus, in addition to mobile applications, will allow restaurants to reach a younger, more mobile consumer.

Trend #3: Transparency

Consumers want to know what they’re eating, and the recently passed healthcare bill mandates such disclosure. Restaurants with 20+ units are now required to list calorie counts on their menus. Consumers seem happy with the impending disclosure, as 61% agree that restaurants should post nutritional information, like calorie counts and fat grams, on menus. More cities will start forcing restaurants to visibly display their letter grades from local health departments, further increasing menu transparency.

Trend #4: Indigenous Ingredients

While the local food movement continues to grow, the push toward indigenous ingredients takes that trend a step further. In 2011, we will see restaurants incorporating more traditional or authentic ingredients to their ethnic or globally-positioned entrees. One example of this trend is Frontera Grill’s Panucho Yacateco, an entree that boasts a traditional Yucatan crispy tortilla filled with black beans and hard-boiled egg with shredded chicken in tangy escabeche. “Local” as an ingredient marketing claim has grown by 15% from Q2 2009 to Q2 2010, according to Mintel Menu Insights, and it’s likely that number will increase in the coming year.

Trend #5: Exemptions to the Rule

A vast majority of restaurants will have to disclose calorie counts on their menus, but that rule doesn’t apply to LTOs. Operators will take advantage of this loophole by offering less-than-healthy novelty or seasonal menu items, allowing customers to indulge in a guilty treat, without feeling pressured to make a healthier menu choice. As it stands, 43% of consumers say they’re likely to change what they order when calorie counts are listed on the menu. LTOs allow consumers the occasional opportunity to indulge in a meal out.

Mintel is a leading global supplier of consumer, product and media intelligence. For more than 38 years, Mintel has provided insight into key worldwide trends, offering exclusive data and analysis that directly impacts client success. With offices in Chicago, New York, London, Sydney, Shanghai and Tokyo, Mintel has forged a unique reputation as a world-renowned business brand. For more information on Mintel, please visit www.mintel.com. Follow Mintel on Twitter: http://twitter.com/mintelnews

When the U.S. House of Representatives passed its sweeping health care reform bill in March, many in the restaurant industry – including the National Restaurant Association, applauded the bill’s provision that requires calorie labeling on chain restaurant menus, menu boards, and drive-thru displays.

The legislation applies to chains with 20 or more outlets and will be enacted beginning in 2011.

As with any new legislation, there are plenty of naysayers. But there are also plenty of industry insiders welcoming the change. Jeff Sinelli, founder and chief vibe officer of Which Wich and founder of Burguesa Burger, shared his thoughts thoughts with QSRweb.com about how the impending legislation will affect his business – and the restaurant industry – for the better. However, he also cautions against relying solely on the industry to provide nutritional education.

Lori Walderich, chief creative officer at IdeaStudio, a chain restaurant marketing and promotions firm, also applauds the impending mandate from a marketing perspective. She shares her point-of-view and suggests quick-service restaurants take full advantage of their branding potential:

Continue reading . . .

Fast-food aficionados can enjoy at least another year of blissful ignorance about the food they eat, including the fact that a large order of fries and ketchup may contain more than 500 calories.

Establishments with at least 20 locations in Massachusetts were supposed to post calorie information on menus or menu boards by Nov. 1, but the federal health care overhaul passed in March includes a similar requirement that supersedes the state rules adopted last year.

The US Food and Drug Administration has one year to formulate uniform national regulations. But Suzanne Condon, the director of the state Bureau of Environmental Health, said yesterday that it remains unclear when the federal law will be implemented and enforced.

Continue reading . . .

While many restaurant owners are not thrilled with the requirement in the recently signed health law to post calorie information on their menus and drive-through signs, their industry signed off on the plan.

Why?

The laws across the United States, even local laws within states, were a patchwork of requirements. So large chain operations determined that the requirement would give it some uniformity

A Denny’s spokeswoman noted that such a law already exists in California, where about one-third of its eateries are located. New York City was the first place in the country to require posting calories.

Rich Jeffers, a spokesman for Darden Restaurants, the owner of six brands, including Red Lobster and Olive Garden, said his company already posts nutritional information on its Web site. Darden lobbied for the national standard on menus, he said. For a company with 1,800 restaurants scattered across the nation, establishing a consistent set of rules was important, he said.

“It’s part of what we do for our guests today,” Jeffers said. “We just wanted to get agreement on exactly how that’s going to look on a menu and in restaurants.”

Continue reading . . .

Jane Short made her lunch selection at a Panera cafe-bakery in Fort Worth on Friday, not realizing that the chain was the first to nationally roll out menu boards displaying calories of each item.

All of the chain’s 585 company-owned stores now have the signage, getting a jump on rivals that must eventually follow suit under a provision buried deep in the recent healthcare reform law’s more than 2,000 pages. (Subway’s signage discloses grams of fat, not calories.)

The law requires chain restaurants with more than 20 outlets to post calories of items on menus and menu boards as part of efforts to curb the nation’s obesity problem. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to release final rules in about a year.

Public health professionals hope that consumers will trade down to, say, a healthier, 350-calorie salad with grilled chicken upon seeing that a Triple Meat Whataburger packs 1,120 calories, more than half the daily recommendation for a sedentary, medium-size adult.

A number of cities and states — from Seattle to New York City, from California to Massachusetts — already have passed or implemented calorie-count menu boards and menus in the past two years.

Continue reading . . .

Will a national requirement for chain restaurants to post calorie counts sound the death knell for bacon cheeseburgers and double chocolate doughnuts?

The calorie-posting mandate, signed into law by President Barack Obama as part of the health care overhaul, assumes diners will feel the culinary equivalent of sticker shock when confronted with calorie counts for greasy, sugary and fatty foods.

Anti-obesity advocates also hope that forcing restaurants to reveal calorie counts will coax the chains to offer healthier options.

Early studies do show some modest changes in consumer behavior in New York City, which enacted its pioneering calorie-posting law in 2008. But whether the measure also is pushing healthier items onto menus is less clear.

While chain restaurants have introduced scores of healthier menu items in recent years, most say the changes are coincidental to calorie-posting laws, an effort to keep pace with consumer demand for healthier items.

Continue reading . . .

Part of the health care bill that President Obama signed Tuesday requires all chain restaurants with more than 20 locations to post calorie listings on their menus and drive-through signs. This ruling, which should affect more than 200,000 restaurants from coast to coast, has found a surprising ally: the restaurant industry.

This is a turnaround from the position that the industry took when calorie postings came to New York City in 2008. At the time, restaurants fought the ruling, and the New York State Restaurant Association took the city to court, claiming that the regulation impinged upon its members’ right to free speech. The case was eventually struck down and the posting rule went into effect.

It’s not hard to see why some restaurants had a problem. After all, calorie postings reveal a few uncomfortable facts about what qualifies as a single serving at many fast-food restaurants.

Continue reading . . .

How many calories are in the hamburger on the menu at your favorite chain restaurant? With burgers ranging from 250 calories to more than 1,000, it’s anybody’s guess.

Restaurant goers will soon be getting more help when it comes to making choices about calories. A calorie- labeling requirement for restaurants with 20 or more locations is part of the nation’s week-old health care reform. Additional nutrition information will have to be available on request.

The law will require calorie information on restaurant menus, menu boards and drive-through boards, and on vending machines. The regulations must go through a formal rulemaking process with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, said Margo Wootan, nutrition policy director at the Center for Science in the Public Interest. That process must begin no later than a year from now.

The federal law exempts small businesses. A proposed Florida bill HB 783, titled “Prevention of Obesity,” would have required every restaurant in the state, even those with just one location, to post calorie counts next to the price of each item.

Continue reading . . .

Panera Bread announced Wednesday that it will become the first national restaurant chain to voluntarily post the calorie information for its menu items at all 585 of its company-owned locations.

The decision comes as an increasing number of counties and states across the US are requiring chains with a certain number of locations to post the information, mirroring a 2008 New York City law.

But prominently displaying this information at the soup and salad joint could be an eye-opening experience for some diners, as it has maintained a healthy halo despite a number of not-so-healthy offerings.

The fast-casual chain’s Chicken Bacon Dijon Panini, for example, has 850 calories, and its Frontega Chicken Panini 860 calories.

Scott Davis, Panera’s chief concept officer, said posting the information at stores operated in areas where it is mandated has had no impact on the company’s sales. Instead, people shifted their orders to healthier picks, with many selecting the company’s You Pick Two option, which offers smaller portion sizes.

Continue reading . . .

I can afford the souvlaki — but can I afford the calories? Your lunch choice is about to become anxiety-inducing. Last summer, The Real Greek became the first restaurant chain in the country to include calorie counts of all dishes on its menus. Since then, Pret A Manger, Wimpy and the Camden Food Company have followed its lead. Pizza Hut, Harvester and several pub chains are considering making local trials national. Within two years, calories on menus could be the rule.

They are all trailblazers for an initiative from the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which believes that providing calories on menus will help us to make healthy eating choices. A national consultation ends this week and, if there is enough support from health bodies, consumers and restaurants, the FSA will push for a voluntary roll-out in all restaurants from this summer.

Yet some have raised voices of concern. Actually, say some experts, putting calories on menus makes no sense if you want to create a healthy attitude to food.

“Giving people information like this doesn’t change their behaviour,” says Professor Andrew Hill, an eating psychologist. And those helping people with eating disorders worry that it may promote food anxiety.

“There is a real feel of nannying about this,” says Emma Healey, of the Eating Disorders Association, now named Beat. “Calorie-counting is joyless.”

Continue reading . . .

A meal from your favorite eatery may soon come with a side of calories.

Some Florida lawmakers want restaurants to put basic nutritional information on menus in a measure aimed at promoting healthier eating.

The effort puts Florida at the center of a burgeoning national debate over how to halt growing obesity rates.

“We are not trying to dictate what people order, we just think there is information out there that people want to know,” said Rep. Ed Homan, R-Temple Terrace, an orthopedic surgeon who chairs the Health and Family Services Policy Council.

Continue reading . . .

Columbus Public Health says two out of every five grade-school students tested in Columbus are overweight and among adults the figures is three in five. One in 14 has diabetes.

In Columbus’ Clintonville neighborhood, Lavash Cafe owner Nasir Latif says calorie counters will find plenty of choices at his Mediterranean restaurant.

He is willing to display nutritional information on his menu, but he is not willing to pay for scientific testing to determine precise calorie counts.

“If I want to take this stuff to go to the lab, of course, it’s going to cost me a lot of money. But if the city provides us with some help, I have no problem with it,“ Latif said.

Columbus Public Health has requested federal grant funding that could help 20 to 30 restaurants pay for detailed nutritional information.

Continue reading . . .

When restaurant menus list calories, parents will limit how much fast food their kids eat, a new report suggests.

But parents don’t restrict their own energy intake, according to the report, which joins a growing body of work on the effects of menu labeling.

For the study, researchers randomly assigned 99 parents of 3- to 6-year-olds to one of two groups. Both were shown McDonald’s-like menus and asked to choose foods for themselves and their kids. However, one group’s menu included the calorie content next to the price for each item.

On average, parents whose menus did not list calories chose a meal of about 670 calories, while those who did have that information chose a meal of 570 calories.

Continue reading . . .

• Profitable Menu Planning
• Menu Design: Merchandising and Marketing