OpenTable, Inc. has announced that as of September 30, 2010 they had helped send more than 5 million guests to restaurants via their mobile applications. The company estimates that mobile application reservations have accounted for more than a quarter billion dollars in revenue for its partnering restaurants.
The McRib made its way back to Philadelphia on Tuesday. The legendary McDonald’s sandwich will be available for a limited time at participating locations in Philadelphia and around the country. The sandwich is known for making limited and often unannounced appearances on local menus from time to time.
San Francisco’s board of supervisors voted to ban Happy Meals in the city as they are currently constructed and marketed. The measure, which passed with a veto-proof vote, disallows restaurants from offering free toys with meals containing calories, sugar, and fat above a set level. San Francisco is the first city in the country to approve such a measure.
Quiznos has announced a multi-franchise agreement with FOODCO, Inc. to develop 15 new locations in Kuwait. The announcement is part of the company’s recent initiative to increase international growth.
Denny’s Corporation has announced the results of the third quarter ending September 29. The company noted that same store traffic increased by 2.3% at company owned locations; however, same store sales fell by 0.7% at company owned stores and by 1.2% at franchise owned locations. Denny’s also announced a net income of $0.10 per diluted share.
DineEquity, Inc. released the results from their third quarter ending September 30. The release was highlighted by system-wide same store sales increasing by 3.3% over the previous year’s third quarter. The increase marked the fourth consecutive quarter the measure had increased.
Togo’s Sandwiches has introduced a new line of crispy, melted sandwiches to the menu. The new toasted sandwich menu items are now available at all Togo’s locations around the country. In all, the company added four new sandwiches to the menu.
Saladworks has announced a multi-franchise development agreement in the Dallas area. The company has agreed to a deal for the development and operation of three new locations in the Dallas metro area. The first of the locations is expected to open sometime during 2011.
Olive Garden has announced the sponsorship of the Cocinando un Sueno culinary scholarship contest to send aspiring chefs to the Olive Garden Culinary Institute of Tuscany for training. The contest runs from now until December 12. The winning chef will receive a $10,000 culinary scholarship in addition to the invitation to study at the Tuscany school.
A Manhattan woman was unable to persuade the U.S. Court of Appeals that Starbucks should be held liable for burns she suffered when she spilt a cup of hot tea from the restaurant. The court found that the restaurant had “double-cupped” the woman’s drink and that should have served as enough warning to use caution because of the temperature of the drink. “Double-cupping” is standard practice in the coffee and drink industry when high-temperature beverages are served.