Jack in the Box is expanding their line of fresh Grilled Sandwiches with a new Bourbon BBQ Steak sandwich. The new menu item will be added to all national locations on Monday, April 25th. The sandwich consists of hot grilled steak strips, melted cheddar cheese and fresh grilled onions topped with bourbon barbeque sauce. The bold and savory taste is sure to be a hit.
Chicken sandwiches have proven so popular in California that McDonald’s restaurants in the Southern part of the state are adding two new McChicken flavors. The spicy Jalapeno Cheddar McChicken combines a fresh breaded chicken patty with white cheddar cheese and jalapeno toppings. The Cheddar Onion McChicken features white cheddar cheese as well, but less heat with sweet caramelized onions.
As celebrities open their own restaurants, bars and night spots, the options for glamorous dining and night life in Los Angeles are growing. Fat Sal’s is owned by Jerry Ferrara and has a storefront location, while Robert De Niro’s Ago sticks to unpretentious authentic Italian cuisine. Despite the obvious popularity boost from opening a restaurant, many celebrities are actually creating quality dining experiences.
Tilman Fertitta is critical of the decision by the Board of Directors of McCormick and Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants chain to turn down his $9.25 offer for each share of the company. The buy out attempt was turned down and in reaction a “poison pill” bill of rights was instituted by the Board. Fertitta and his company LSRI Holdings plans to continue purchasing stock from holders who do agree with his buy out.
Red Mango hosted its first annual National Conference for franchisee owners recently, and handed out many awards. The owner of the Las Vegas chain of Red Mango won the West Coast Smoothie/Parfait sales contest for 2010, while the Greenvale, N.Y. location had the highest sales of the year. The owners of the Bellevue, Washington mall location managed to sell the most gift cards despite a 700 foot store and the inability to serve smoothies.
Pizza Inn also hosted its National Franchise Convention in Mississippi to honor the best franchisees. Jamey Brown, owner of two Tennessee locations, won the Restaurant of the Year award for his Knoxville restaurant. Joe Crouch was awarded the Griff Glover Franchisee of the Year for his leadership at his Texas location as well.
Dunkin’ Donuts has added a few special items to their menu to help customers celebrate the upcoming Royal Wedding. The Royal Wedding donut is heart shaped and features a white glaze and jelly filling. The sister chain Baskin-Robbins will also create a special Royal Wedding ice cream cake in the turquoise and white colors of the wedding theme.
OpenTable is searching for the Mother of All Foodies to celebrate Mother’s Day. Mothers who qualify as foodies and who love trying new cuisine, finding the hottest restaurants and who love using OpenTable can enter to win 100,000 points for the restaurant. The points are redeemable for $100 worth of guest cheques through the OpenTable system.
The first quarter of 2011 has proven successful for McDonald’s as the company releases its sales figures. Modernizing the menu and improving service has paid off with a 4.2% rise in total global sales, and a 5.7% rise in sales in Europe alone. The diluted earnings per share rose 15% and $2 billion was returned to shareholders through share repurchasing and dividends.
Original Tommy’s, one of America’s last true hamburger chains, will celebrate their 65th anniversary on May 15th. The chain plans to offer .65 cent hamburger and Coca Cola combo meals all day to invite new and old customers alike to stop by. The 33 locations that make up the chain will all host anniversary celebrations, and certain locations are already offer secret .65 cent deals on their Facebook pages.