Brinker International has honored their most successful global franchisee with the “Franchisee of the Year” award. It was presented to Artur Jotic and his International Restaurant Services company. The company operates 17 Chili’s Bar and Grill locations in Puerto Rico. The company also helps train franchisees opening locations in similar cultures, such as the Middle East and Asia.
The 20th annual shareholders meeting for Starbucks was held on March 23rd. CEO Howard Schultz and the management team of the corporation outlined new plans for growth in the coming decades. One major area of focus for the meeting was expanding the Starbucks brand beyond retail locations. The agreement with HMSHost, which places Starbucks coffee in motor and air travel centers around the world, was also renewed at the event.
The Starbucks Digital Network has also expanded recently. Marvel Digital Comics, Yahoo! and The Economist have all joined forces with Starbucks to offer unique digital content to customers. The network offers a number of channels, including news & sports, entertainment and business and careers. Accessing the network requires a laptop or mobile device for connecting to the free WiFi at a Starbucks retail location.
Five Guys Burgers and Fries, a restaurant chain that offers fast casual hamburger based dining, has received a $100 million development capital credit from GE Capital. The company plans to use the funding to continue with expected growth that will lead to new locations in many states across the country. The chain currently operates 640 locations, with over 300 of them opening in the past three years alone.
The President of the Moe’s Southwest Grill chain, Paul Damico, says that going green and becoming environmentally aware in your restaurant business practices can bring in new customers. Due to the rising popularity of grain fed beef, organic vegetables and lower amounts of waste, customers are now looking for restaurants that fit their own environmentally conscious practices. Healthy, all natural ingredients appeal to a customer base that is rapidly growing.
Dairy Queen has started a new online video contest to promote random acts of kindness that will award one lucky winner with a Mini Cooper Countryman car. Contest participants must catch themselves helping someone or offering a spontaneous act of kindness with a new Mini Blizzard in their hand to enter. Entries will be accepted until April 30th, and will be judged based on creativity and content.
International Waffle Day was March 25th, and IHOP gave the day its full support. Although the chain is named after their buttermilk pancakes, the waffles at IHOP are just as important. Customers can choose from multiple fresh fruit toppings, a healthy waffle that keeps calories low without losing the great taste or the Southern classic meal of chicken and waffles.
The Saladworks chain has announced the roll out of new whole wheat pasta in the salad toppings case of their restaurants. Three new soups are also being added to the 15 current varieties. The soups are Asparagus & Pea, Loaded Baked Potato and Lasagna. The pasta offers more fiber and nutrients that bleached wheat varieties, and the three soups are all under 200 calories per serving.
Caribou Coffee, the second largest coffee shop chain in the country, has received a new customer service award from J.D. Power & Associates. They were the only coffee company to receive the award this year. Companies that win stand out above other competitors in their industry as well as against 800 other companies tested by the award panel.
OpenTable is now focusing on sending in walk-in traffic as well as online restaurant reservations. The company currently works with over 20,000 restaurants in the U.S. and receives a small fee for every customer it refers. The Connect tool helps restaurants that do not focus on formal reservations, such as small cafes or other informal settings, bring in new customers as well.