Smashburger CEO trades burgers for pizza

January 9, 2017

Former Smashburger President and CEO Scott Crane has moved to the top job at Pizza Inn and Pie Five, owned by Rave Restaurant Group, according to a news…

IoT, customer-facing robots and VR among topics to be discussed at 2017 ICX Summit

by Judy Mottl — Editor: RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com, Connect Media

The annual conference, which draws hundreds of customer experience leaders and innovators, is June 5-7 in Dallas and features a range of interesting sessions…

Sleep talkers beware: Alexa is listening for your restaurant reorders

Amazon Prime members can now voice-order meals through Amazon Restaurants on Alexa-enabled devices,

Papa Murphy's names interim CEO

January 6, 2017

Papa Murphy’s Holdings has appointed its board chair, Jean Birch, to the position of interim chief executive officer, effective immediately. The leadership…

Mafiaoza debuts sprawling Tennessee location

January 6, 2017

Mafiaoza's Pizzeria and Neighborhood Pub recently opened a site in Franklin, Tennessee, according to a news release.

Little Caesars real winner of world's first texting tug-of-war

January 6, 2017

Free Little Caesars pizza was the reward for the world's first stadium-sized, rope-burn free tug-of-war game in Florida. And yet, the pizza chain itself may be…

Blaze shakes off artificial, unhealthy ingredients

January 5, 2017

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza has launched an initiative to rid the chain's food of artificial ingredients with a promotion that offers free pizza to guests, who…

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.

FastCasual accepting nominations for Top 100 Movers & Shakers

January 4, 2017

FastCasual is taking nominations for its annual list of Top 100 Movers & Shakers, which honors the brands and executives leading the fast casual restaurant…

Papa John's bakes up Beantown business

January 4, 2017

Papa John's has signed an agreement to drive growth in Boston, Massachusetts, with 1630 Pizza Company, which will open 25 units over the next five years…

Little Caesar's LTO feeds family for a fiver

January 3, 2017

Little Caesars comes out of the gate swinging in 2017, with two offerings giving customers cash back along with a little something sweet to start 2017. The…

Study: QSR and Fast Casual only restaurant segments to see traffic growth in '17

January 3, 2017

If there's a bright spot in the restaurant industry outlook for the year ahead, at least one data analysis and research company believes it will be in the…

Pizza Hut pushes online ordering with half-off deal

January 3, 2017

As we enter the nation's official "I'm totally broke" week after the holiday hulabaloo, Pizza Hut is sending some relief with a half-off pie promotion aimed…

Commodities: A rocky 2016 ends with pizza stocks falling

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

The last week of 2016 was brutal for pizza stocks, which bled off significant value before the close of trading on Dec. 30.

Pushing boundaries: Top 10 menu trends of 2017 revealed

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, 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…

Rapid Fired lands in northern Kentucky

December 30, 2016

The Greater Cincinnati suburb of Florence, Kentucky, is the latest city to see a Rapid Fired Pizza open — this one squarely in the middle of the city's…

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…

'If in doubt, leave it out': The lessons in Cinnabon's Carrie Fisher tweet

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

Cinnabon's poorly received social media post about Carrie Fisher, upon her death this week, has restaurant leaders talking about how best to prevent such…

5 findings inside diners' minds make great guides for 2017

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

NPD Group recently outlined its top five predictions about the American diner's state of mind as it relates to the dinner plate. Taken collectively, these five…

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…