After 20 years, Rotolo's shows off new Craft & Crust prototype

October 17, 2017

Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based, Rotolo's pizzeria opened a prototype location on Ben Hur Drive in its home city under the Craft & Crust label.

Commodities: Domino's dives despite rosy Q3 financials

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

Late September's gain was last week's pain for Domino's in NYSE trading, but lower cheese and gas prices do soothe some of the hurt.

Restaurant biz down, but not as bad as it looks

October 13, 2017

Ever since Hurricanes Harvey and Irma roared through most of the nation's southern regions, analysts and others have been itching for numbers on the storms…

Pizza conquers the world: A roundup of recent chain expansions

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

The slice of the pie that all pizza restaurateurs want a piece of is growing at a furious rate, as this roundup of recent expansions and openings proves.

Domino's the dynamo: Brand hits 95 quarters of global sales growth

October 12, 2017

Domino's third-quarter financial results marked an enviable 95 consecutive quarters of global same stores sales growth for the brand. Likewise, the company saw…

Toppers Pizza: 'Delivering' during annual football frenzy

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

We're right in the thick of it, as they say, when it comes to heavy-duty pizza delivery season with football in full swing. Toppers director of national…

Pizza Hut pouch heats up delivery

October 11, 2017

Keeping those pies hot en route to delivery customers has always been a challenge for pizza restaurateurs, but Pizza Hut has rolled out a system designed to…

Give up coffee for a year? Yes, said 33 percent, for a year's free pizza

October 10, 2017

California Pizza Kitchen commissioned a national Harris Poll asking nearly 2,300 Americans that eternal question:

Worldwide expansion: Where to go and who to know

by Stephen Dutton — Analyst, Euromonitor International

The old adage of "getting to know the locals" is more relevant today than ever for restaurant chains. Here, Euromonitor's Stephen Dutton spells out three…

Commodities: Domino's leaps up, Papa John's plummets

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

Domino's stock price soared last week while Papa John's took a significant hit. But there was good news for both brands in the largely lower commodity prices…

Pizza delivery's changing landscape: Lessons from retail universe

The trend sweeping the industry for increased delivery from all brands is changing the landscape for pizza restaurateurs, who've traditionally "owned" the…

The pizza brand leader's silver bullet in a tech-filled world

by Bobby Shaw — President, Bobby Shaw Consulting

I love technology as much anyone, and firmly believe that it's an accelerator that not only drives sales and traffic, but also helps to develop great people.

IBM, food distributor partnership boosts delivery efficiency, safety

October 6, 2017

A new tech provider-food distributor partnership uses IoT to improve not only deliveries, but also overall restaurant operational efficiency. The results could…

HR people say predictive analytics work, they just don't have them

October 5, 2017

The predictive analytics firm OutMatch recently surveyed HR professionals about the value of using predictive analytics in hiring employees and then helping…

New Gatti's Pizza restaurant design: Sometimes separation is a good thing

October 5, 2017

The new ownership behind Gatti's Pizza broke ground on the longtime brand's first franchise location in seven years this week, this one on East Central Texas…

Your Pie talks hurricane recovery after this year's 1-2 punch

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

Many brands continue to deal with Hurricanes Harvey and Irma damages, including Your Pie, which has locations in the path of both storms. CEO Bucky Cook…

Go green AND go home: Postmates expands emissions-free deliveries

October 4, 2017

Few, if any, current trends in the foodservice realm can top delivery and sustainable operations. Enter, the on-demand network  PostMates, which has expanded…

Restaurant cooks among top winners in September wage growth

October 4, 2017

The latest annual year-over-year wage growth report is out for September, showing continued snail's pace growth in wages overall, but also indicating that…

New Pieology concept puts customers in brand's R&D Department

Pieology Pizzeria opened its latest endeavor this week, Pieology Pizzeria R&D, a restaurant concept that gives customers a voice in the chain's decision-making…

Commodities: Most brands see sunny end to September in trading, fuel prices

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

Except for Pizza Hut parent Yum Brands' less-than-appetizing trading price trend, the last week of September was a fairly profitable one for major pizza brands.