3 brand leaders on the good, the bad, the ugly of third-party delivery

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Love it or hate it, third-party delivery is likely here to stay. At this week's Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in Louisville, three restaurant…

Huddle House executive on deploying digital to serve small towns better

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

Think of Huddle House and you might think "small town," "home-cooking," maybe even "old-fashioned." But, on that last count, you'd be wrong. In fact, this year…

Papa John's new board members bring expertise in marketing, tech, women's advocacy

March 15, 2019

Days after Papa John's founder John Schnatter agreed to leave the brand's board earlier this month, the company's leadership has named media and marketing…

Arizona pizza brand to occupy cannabis retail entertainment complex

March 15, 2019

The relatively new Arizona-based pizza brand, Rickety Cricket, will soon be part of the Las Vegas cannabis retail and entertainment complex, Planet 13. The…

Wavicle launches subscription-based service to help restaurants capture, manage data

March 14, 2019

Wavicle Data Solutions, a provider of data and analytics solutions and services, launched ActiveDash this week during the 2019 Restaurant Franchising &…

March 14: The irrational li'l sweetie 'Pi' that stole the pizza leader's heart

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

Hopefully, you as a restaurant industry executive have already appropriately "circled" this Thursday on your calendar as that celebration of all things…

&pizza CEO on the limited-service leader's key role as employee advocate

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

In the final half of the podcast interview with &pizza CEO Michael Lastoria, the discussion revolves around something the restaurant industry also revolves…

Papa John's, DoorDash partner to deliver nationally

March 13, 2019

Papa John's is partnering with DoorDash for delivery and the duo are offering free delivery during St. Patrick's Day weekend (March 15-17) on orders over $1…

Smoke’s Poutinerie founder: 'We are entertainers'

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Ryan Smolkin, whose Smoke's Poutinerie has opened more than 150 locations in North America in less than 10 years, insists he is in the entertainment business…

What in the world is blockchain?

by Bradley Cooper — Editor, ATM Marketplace & Food Truck Operator

Blockchain, cryptocurrency, bitcoin: These terms can often be highly confusing to those not in some level of the IT industry. Ray Wiley, CEO and co-founder of…

Villa Restaurant Group buys New York Melt Shop store

March 12, 2019

Villa Italian Kitchen parent, Villa Restaurant Group, has assumed ownership of Melt Shop's location at Woodbury Common in Central Valley, New York.

Domino's suffers another down week on NYSE

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

Papa John's, Papa Murphy's and Pizza Hut all posted nice gains in value in stock trading last week, while Domino's continued to fizzle for another week.

&pizza CEO talks about restaurant worker pay, brands as community unifiers

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

It's the counter-culture pizza brand behind "The Hallway Pizza Guy," with those offbeat oval pies and a business mission to unite communities, even in its very…

Vegas wins most punctual restaurant worker race, Oklahoma City, Charlotte not so much

March 8, 2019

The wind may sweep down the plains in Oklahoma, but in its capital city of Oklahoma City, foodservice workers tend to drag a little. That's the verdict from a…

Mod Pizza launches rewards plan with nonprofit donation option

March 8, 2019

Mod Pizza launched a new app-based loyalty program that gives customers the option of taking points for free food or paying rewards forward to trigger a…

PizzaRev awards franchisee 2 California territories

March 7, 2019

PizzaRev has awarded two key growth areas in Central Valley and Southern California to one of its current franchisees in the state, Ajay Maini, who plans to…

Blockchain, POS, online ordering services partner in on-demand restaurant biz solution

March 7, 2019

Blockchain tech-based platform, Serve, has joined with online ordering and POS provider, ItsaCheckmate, to create a service that extends the reach of the…

Putting the brakes on pizza lease problems before they start

It's not just "what you don't know" that can hurt a pizza operator in a leasing arrangement, but also what you don't anticipate. Here, the two men behind "The…

Schnatter agrees to resign board post, drop suits against Papa John's

March 5, 2019

Papa John's founder John Schnatter has agreed to resign his position on the brand's board of directors, after reaching a settlement with the Louisville-based…

Rapid Fired opens in Ohio Kroger's, featuring take-n-bake too

March 5, 2019

The 27-unit Rapid Fired Pizza chain has partnered with  The Kroger Co. to put pizza outlets in Ohio Kroger Marketplaces, a news release said. The grocery…