Why Dominos and Papa John's sales are up in a food service downturn

by Jennifer Wiebe — Marketing Manager, Speedline Solutions

Why are some pizza chains thriving in an overall economic downturn for the restaurant industry? The answers speak volumes about today's customers' demands.

Pushing boundaries: Top 10 menu trends of 2017 revealed

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Combining cuisines from all over the world will be 2017's No. 1 trend. Other trends include spicier flavor profiles, more vegan and veggie options and DIY…

The lucky 13: Twitter features to maximize restaurant marketing

by Seshu Madabushi — Founder & CEO, mKonnekt

Twitter has effectively been our micro-blogging friend for a decade, which has changed the face of marketing because this great promotional tool allows brands…

5 tips to boost customer loyalty in 2017

by Jon Siegel — CMO, ZBoxDVD

The new year is fast upon us, and with it comes new opportunities for restaurant brands to surprise and delight their customers with engaging and rewarding…

Are you accounting for those holiday gift cards correctly?

by Dustin Minton — National Restaurant Practice Co-Leader, BDO USA, LLP

For many restaurants, the holiday season bustles with promotions, parties and gift card sales. But amid the season's cheer, restaurants must account for these…

You can’t win an EEOC lawsuit, but you can prevent it

Of the 89,385 charges the EEOC reviewed in 2015, Retaliation, Race, Disability, and Sex discrimination were the most prevalent, and 28,000 charges, or 3…

4 union organization changes restaurateurs need to know

Restaurant operators must take the time now to learn how recent union-relaterd labor rulings from the National Labor Relations Board may affect their…

How the election could (and should) change the way restaurants do business

By Mike Lukianoff, Chief Analytics Officer/Fishbowl

Trumping the restaurant industry

The founder and owner of the six-restaurant Uncle Jack's brand and former host of the Food Network's "Restaurant Stakeout" discusses how he thinks…

5 ways to attract the under-tapped teen consumer

As the restaurant industry faces among the lowest annual revenues since 2008, the teen market represents a bright spot in future spending. For the restaurant…

What to learn from DC pizza brand's fake news nightmare

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The potentially brand-ending effects of rumor in the Internet age became painfully evident Sunday when a fake news report connected to Washington D.C's…

Curse you, unruly reindeer! Domino's reins in reindeer delivery plan

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Domino’s Japan said that after a few days of working with reindeer to deliver its pizzas in cold, snowy Hokkaido, Japan, it's abandoning the plan to use them…

Big Mac inventor leaves invaluable lesson for restaurateurs today

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

The passing of Big Mac inventor and McDonald’s longtime franchisee, Jim Delligatti, got me thinking about the value of true, two-way communication between a…

Menu Labeling: Recent clarification means law goes into effect as planned

by Betsy Craig — pres, menutrinfo.com

Yesterday when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration sent out its Clarified Statement on Compliance Date, regarding the activation on Dec. 1 of the new menu…

3 steps to choose the right technology

We all know that the amount of investment capital flowing into the food tech space has led to a virtual saturation of new restaurant technology in everything…

Is it time for restaurateurs to really talk turkey?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Thanksgiving, when you think about it, is the celebration of eating out with friends. Why then, doesn't the restaurant industry claim it and give restaurateurs…

Will the menu trends of 2017 turn to the dark side?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Charcoal, heavy fats and lots of bubbles may not sound like they belong on 2017's list of menu trends, but the Canadian food-centric marketing consultancy…

Mobile payments + loyalty programs = a millennial magnet

Entice and capture millennials and you simultaneously attract the larger overall audience. That's why restaurants need mobile payments and loyalty programs now.

6 hacks to optimize restaurant digital tech

You can invest in the best digital technology, but you'll only be getting mediocre results unless you employ techniques like the six hacks explained in this…

Three ways to get maximum power out of direct mail

by Mike Tinz — Vice President of Franchise Sales, Money Mailer

Tech may be all the talk, but one of the lowest tech approaches to promoting your brand, direct mail, is still not only effective but competitive with most…