Operations: Page 90
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Restaurant gift card sales expected to rise during holidays
Since diners typically spend $59 more than the value of their gift card, these offerings can boost sales and traffic during slow winter months.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 10, 2018 -
Burger King's app hit 1M downloads after trolling McDonald's
The "Whopper Detour" geolocation stunt propelled the app to the top of the App Store this week.
By Robert Williams • Dec. 7, 2018 -
Trendline
Back-of-house Technology
From voice AI at the drive-thru to robot-powered makelines, restaurants are investing in technology solutions to optimize kitchen operations and reduce employee turnover.
By Restaurant Dive staff -
Flynn Restaurant Group becomes largest franchisee with Arby's buy
With the acquisition of U.S. Beef Corp., Flynn becomes a $2.3 billion company with more than 1,200 restaurants in its portfolio, from Taco Bell to Applebee's.
By Alicia Kelso • Dec. 6, 2018 -
From free cheesecake to dollar drinks, casual dining shifts focus to millennials
The Cheesecake Factory gave away 40,000 free slices of cheesecake through DoorDash Wednesday, but it remains to be seen if the promotion will drive growth for the casual chain.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 6, 2018 -
Shake Shack owner nixes fast casual model at NYC pizzeria
After 15 months as an upscale fast casual restaurant, Union Square Hospitality Group's Martina will switch to a more traditional table-service model.
By Kristine Sherred • Dec. 5, 2018 -
Strong Thanksgiving dining spend signals growth through New Year's
Spending was up 4.1% Thanksgiving through Cyber Monday, with quick-service restaurants posting strong market share fueled by mobile offerings.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 4, 2018 -
Beyond value menus, fast food prices inching closer to fast casual
What once was a 30% price difference between chains like Shake Shack and McDonald's has plunged to 8%, as fast food contends with higher wages and food costs amid sluggish traffic.
By Kristine Sherred • Dec. 4, 2018 -
Wind to power more than 1,000 Starbucks stores
The coffee giant has invested $325 million in a wind farm as part of its goal to operate all of its locations with renewable energy.
By Julie Littman • Dec. 3, 2018 -
Asian grocerant Be-Se-To coming to Maryland next year
The two-story retailer/restaurant hybrid includes a Korean restaurant, a Korean-style Japanese restaurant, a Korean-style Chinese restaurant, and a Korean dessert shop.
By Krishna Thakker • Dec. 3, 2018 -
Tock snags $9.5M in funding, further upending reservation game
With nearly 1,000 restaurant clients in two dozen countries, Chicago-based Tock now has more funding than Resy, which acquired Reserve last month.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 30, 2018 -
Dunkin' hit by online data breach
Hackers used information from other company data breaches to gain access to DD Perks accounts, as well as customer names, emails and passwords.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 30, 2018 -
McDonald's extends renovations deadline to 2022
As tensions with franchisees rise, the chain will let operators delay remodeling — which includes self-order kiosks and extra drive-thru lanes — but at a cost.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 29, 2018 -
Cracker Barrel navigates guest satisfaction issues as off-premise business grows
During its latest earnings report, the company noted sales and check increases buoyed in part by off-premise growth, but traffic continued to decline.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 29, 2018 -
Baskin-Robbins scoops up redesign to sweeten customer engagement
The ice cream chain's new concept store in California includes a frozen treat menu, more comfortable seating and unique location-specific artwork.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 29, 2018 -
Auntie Anne's hits the pavement with food trucks
The pretzel chain has built a fleet of two dozen trucks since 2013 and even more street-side carts and standalone shops in a quest to find customers where they are.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 28, 2018 -
Q&A
Abuelo's CMO dishes on social influencers and scooping up the growing Gen Z market
The Tex-Mex chain's Renae Scott discusses influencer marketing's challenges and opportunities and what success looks like to the company.
By Jacqueline Renfrow • Nov. 28, 2018 -
Restaurants adapt menus daily in wake of romaine recall
Alternative leafy greens are in high demand as chains try to swap out the recalled lettuce, but some companies are facing high prices and trouble securing daily supplies.
By Julie Littman • Nov. 28, 2018 -
NYC salmonella cases drop after public letter grades, study says
Research shows that since the scoring system was implemented, outbreaks dropped more than 5% in the city, and now 71% of restaurants earn A's.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 27, 2018 -
QSRs to grow 4.6% globally by 2022, bolstered by consumer demand
North America leads the quick-service segment, but growth in Asia and Europe will revive the category as global diners push for unique experiences in convenient packages.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 27, 2018 -
Restaurants embrace LTOs, add-ons to spice up slim menus
Chains across categories have cut back long menus in favor of specialty sauces and extras like shrimp and grilled chicken add-ons, offering customers variety without overburdening the ingredient list.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 26, 2018 -
How will restaurants contend with rising minimum wages?
About 20 states are set to increase their minimum wage on Jan. 1, including Arkansas and Missouri, which turned out a record number of voters.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 21, 2018 -
How can restaurant operators improve toxic kitchen cultures?
According to research from advocacy group FairKitchens, 1 in 4 back-of-house workers have reported physical abuse on the job, and nearly two-thirds of chefs suffer from depression.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 21, 2018 -
Jack in the Box franchisees dispute lease restructuring to new property company
The franchisee association alleges the burger chain's proposed strategy to move leases under a new property company could leave owners high and dry.
By Kristine Sherred • Nov. 20, 2018 -
Chipotle rehires manager who asked black men to prepay
The incident sparked extensive discussion on Twitter and elsewhere, with some comparing it to an April incident at a Philadelphia Starbucks.
By Ryan Golden • Nov. 20, 2018 -
Panera intensifies breakfast competition by adding delivery
The fast casual giant, which began delivery in 2014, announced it will add breakfast delivery to 381 cafes for orders of $5 or more.
By Alicia Kelso • Nov. 19, 2018