Commodities: Last week was 'all mixed up'

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

For pizza operators, last week was a grab-bag of results on the commodities and stock markets, where prices paid for public brands and essential operational…

Blaze moves beyond US with biggest deal ever, announces minority owner

July 14, 2017

After officially becoming the fastest-growing brand in U.S. history earlier this week, Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza today said it's moving beyond North American…

Going UP in a 'Blaze'of glory: Chain now fastest starting in history

July 13, 2017

Blaze Pizza is fastest-starting chain ever, according to Technomic. That's what stories in both Forbes and Quartz are reporting this week, after the chain …

Domino's moo-ves in to milk some action from 'Cow Appreciation' events

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

What do you do when a competitor has a really good annual promotion that they thought of first? If you're Domino's, you apparently tell the competition to…

Everything's bigger in ... China?

July 12, 2017

China's restaurant industry is    one of the nation's main economic growth drivers, according to a report released by Meituan-Dianping, a foodservice-focused…

Study on independent brands: Only the strong survive, but they also thrive

July 11, 2017

Staying independent is a pretty rough game for U.S. restaurateurs. Still, survival is not only possible but also relatively profitable for solid concepts with…

Commodities: Holiday makes for a mild mid-summer trading week

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

It was a relatively uneventful week in commodity and pizza stock trading with only moderate gains or losses on either front, suggesting that a lot of traders…

Be my 'bBff': Marketing guru says best brands 'participate' in diners' lives

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

Brands with the most loyal and committed customers know you only earn super-loyalty when you participate in customers' lives, says veteran marketing guru…

Caliburger founder to discuss how $3.1M investment will fuel robotics in the kitchen

The substantial investment is the combined effort of Acacia Research Corporation, Match Robotics VC, and a number of undisclosed strategic investors.

It's good to be Yum China: Q2 operating profit up 64%

July 6, 2017

Yum China continues to be embraced with open arms in China, reporting a 3 percent spike in Q2 same-store sales and mobile payments exceeding 40 percent of…

Japanese mega-retailer proves 'grocery-ification' of eating out goes beyond US

July 5, 2017

Call it the grocery-ification of the restaurant business, and it is happening and not just in the U.S.

Food truck boosts sales for Texas pizza and wings restaurant

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Il Primo Pizza & Wings in Richmond, Texas has proven that a food truck can do a lot to promote a brick-and-mortar restaurant, and that there are significant…

Utah gets Mod

July 5, 2017

Mod Pizza is debuting in Utah, then coming on strong with a total of five openings there by year's end, a news release said. 

Surprise! Readiness tips for times when bad news lands on your doorstep

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

On any day of the week, any brand in the world can get sucked into the vortex of a negative news event. Read on for tips from a PR veteran and longtime…

Marco's introduces tuition perk for employees

June 27, 2017

Marco's has added an employee perk that substantially boosts its attractiveness to potential employees, according to a news release.

Commodities: Gas, cheese and trading prices play nice with most brands

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

It was a good trading week for all but one pizza brand, while all pizza operators got a break last week on cheese and gas prices.

Pizza in Chile? Little Caesars says, 'Yes!'

June 26, 2017

Little Caesars is putting their pizza in Chile, where consumers are increasingly demanding "takeaway" brands that offer value per serving.

Vapiano's Big Apple relaunch sets stage for major US expansion

June 22, 2017

The leaders at Vapiano made some Big Apple-size noise this week about their newly refurbished New York City restaurant, with "red carpet" appearances from…

New studies show restaurant 'do's and don'ts' of online ordering, delivery

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

As the restaurant industry continues to bask in the big-dollar benefits of online ordering, two new studies shed light on best practices when it comes to…

Fast food customer satisfaction remains unchanged, but high

June 20, 2017

There weren't too many surprises for fast food operators in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index, a national poll on the quality of an entire range…