Pizza Hut names UMC Field Marketing Agency of the Year

January 21, 2009

DALLAS -- Pizza Hut named United Marketing Communications "Field Marketing Agency of the Year" at its annual Fall Business Conference.   UMC was recognized for…

California Pizza Kitchen opens Middle East restaurants

January 20, 2009

LOS ANGELES -- California Pizza Kitchen Inc. has opened its first location in the Middle East, the company has announced. The new restaurant, opened by CPK…

NPC, Pizza Hut close restaurant deal

January 20, 2009

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- NPC International Inc. has closed the previously announced transactions in which Pizza Hut International purchased 42 Pizza Hut units…

CiCi's offers slice of awareness to mentoring program

January 20, 2009

COPPELL, Texas -- CiCi's Pizza has joined forces with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Texas again this year to promote January as National Mentoring Month. CiCi's…

Papa John's plans 40 new UK stores

January 20, 2009

The Daily Mirror: Papa John's plans to create 600 jobs in the United Kingdom this year. The company will open 40 new restaurants, boosting its total to 160. …

Fresh Ideas to focus on local store marketing

January 20, 2009

NEW ORLEANS -- A 15-year industry veteran with experience in both restaurants and hospitality has formed Fresh Ideas Marketing Group Inc, a specialized…

Survey finds diners still spending, but less

January 20, 2009

Business First of Louisville: A survey by Norcross, Ga.-based hospitality research firm A Closer Look has found that Americans are still heading to restaurants…

Zagat's 2010 America's Top Restaurants Report

Annual report reveals more patrons are price sensitive, want to eat 'green' and order online.

Technomic: Diners' entree choices shaped by economy

January 19, 2009

CHICAGO -- Foodservice consultants Technomic has found that the weak economy hasn't just reduced restaurant traffic, it has influenced diners' choices in…

19 fall ill at Miss. Pizza Hut

January 19, 2009

Greenwood (Miss.) Commonwealth: Nineteen members of a church group were hospitalized after eating at a Pizza Hut in Greenwood, Miss. The cause hasn't been…

Pizzeria operator calls for wing boycott

January 19, 2009

WIVB-TV (Buffalo, N.Y.): A pizzeria operator in Niagara Falls is calling for a boycott of chicken wings. Sam Musolino of Sammy's Pizzeria says he's paying…

Delivery driver arrested for drug running

January 19, 2009

Asbury Park (N.J.) Press: Police in Keansburg, N.J., have arrested a pizza delivery driver on drug charges. Paul D. Hatch apparently was delivering oxycodone…

The nature of sustainability

by Rebecca Barnes

Everybody's talking about it, but what does it mean to operate a sustainable restaurant?

NRA Show 2009 outlines educational offerings

January 18, 2009

CHICAGO — The 2009 National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show, held May 16-19, 2009, at McCormick Place in Chicago, will feature more than…

More communities consider trans fat ban, menu labeling

January 18, 2009

Star Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.): A number of cities, counties and states across the nation have imposed or explored bans and labels in the name of…

Papa John's taps Desmond Howard for anniversary promo

January 18, 2009

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- Papa John's has enlisted pro football star Desmond Howard to help the company celebrate its 25th anniversary with a promotion dubbed "The…

Pizza Hut to roll out pasta in Australia

January 18, 2009

Melbourne Herald Sun: Pizza Hut is temporarily rebranding two of its Australian restaurants as Pasta Hut as part of its Tuscani Pasta rollout in that country.

NPD reports U.S. restaurant unit count flat

January 18, 2009

ROSEMONT, Ill. -- According to The NPD Group's fall 2008 ReCount study, the number of restaurants opened in 2008 was balanced out by the number of restaurants…

Commodities update - Week of Jan. 19, 2009

January 18, 2009

CHICAGO -- Block cheese prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange fell further last week, averaging slightly above $1.06 per pound for the trading week ended…

Sbarro's Q32009 net losses skyrocket

January 17, 2009

Sbarro Inc. released numbers for their 2009 third quarter ended Sept. 27. The company said large income losses were primarily due to low comparable unit sales.