Commodities: Down, down, down … for all but Domino's

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

Commodities traders were invoking Johnny Cash's lyrics during trading in the week before Christmas, as prices on all pizza chain commodities except auto fuel…

News items from around the restaurant scene this week

December 22, 2016

Lots of brands are making end-of-year moves that are making a difference in the lives of their customers and communities. Here are a handful of news morsels…

Yum declares 1st dividend after split from China business

December 22, 2016

In its first dividend declaration since separation from its China business, Yum Brands Board of Directors declared a quarterly dividend of 30 cents per share…

Global Q3 restaurant traffic holds it own

December 21, 2016

The restaurant industry worldwide was stable for Q3 2016 and, in fact, performed better than the previous quarter despite numerous events around the globe that…

A 'post mortem': Looking back at 2016's hard-learned lessons

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

Experts weigh in on the eight lessons they learned in 2016 about the fine art of running a restaurant.

You can’t win an EEOC lawsuit, but you can prevent it

Of the 89,385 charges the EEOC reviewed in 2015, Retaliation, Race, Disability, and Sex discrimination were the most prevalent, and 28,000 charges, or 3…

How is color coloring customer perceptions?

Color is critical to customer experience since it has a notable and predictable impact on their moods and emotions.

New food hub connects the local vegetable stand to biggest restaurant brands

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

December 20, 2016

Restaurateurs hoping for a central, tech-connected marketplace linking small local farmers to the skyrocketing number of restaurants, whose customers are…

Marco's to make its mark: Nearly 200 new sites by 2021

December 19, 2016

Marco's is making its move in a big way, announcing today that the chain will add nearly 200 new stores — mostly in the Midwest — within three to five years…

Commodities: Little joy to the world in pizza commodity prices

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

Papa John's was the only pizza chain that reported a markedly profitable week, while the other three brands monitored here remaining essentially flat or…

'OK, Google, talk to Domino's:' Google ordering begins

December 19, 2016

 Domino's Pizza today launched ordering via Google Home, its fifth AnyWare ordering capability addition this year, a news release stated. 

Study: Customer data is growing player in restaurant marketing

December 16, 2016

Research from Winterberry Group found that guest data plays a key role in the way restaurants handle challenges, including increased competition, declining…

4 union organization changes restaurateurs need to know

Restaurant operators must take the time now to learn how recent union-relaterd labor rulings from the National Labor Relations Board may affect their…

Pizza Hut intros voice ordering via Alexa

December 15, 2016

Pizza Hut is giving its customers the ultimate in passive pizza ordering via Alexa Voice Service on Amazon Echo, Amazon Tap, Echo Dot, Amazon Fire TV and Fire…

Blast & Brew taps into allure of personal choice

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

The new Blast & Brew pizza and beer franchise gives customers creative choice regarding what's on their plates and how they most prefer to wash it down. Here…

Delivery data: Mac and cheese, oxtail soup top 2016 at-home orders

December 15, 2016

The market for home-meal delivery grew substantially over the past year, and Grubhub, a mobile food-ordering company, has used data about those deliveries to…

2 studies yield 2016 and 2017 chain winners and losers

December 13, 2016

As the year that was 2016 heads into the history books, year-end awards and year-beginning trend predictions have begun in earnest. For instance, Technomic has…

Pizza Hut, Menulog hop to deliver brand Aussie-style

December 13, 2016

Pizza Hut and Australia’s largest food ordering platform, Menulog, are partnering to deliver the brand's products across Australia. The brand now has more than…

Blaze opens 4 multi-national locations Thursday

December 13, 2016

Blaze Fast-Fire'd Pizza is opening three U.S. locations and one in Canada this week, according to a news release. All four sites open Thursday, including: • …

Commodities: Supply prices up, stock prices mixed

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

It got more expensive to stock the shelves for pizza restaurateurs last week, but most brands still got a lift in trading over the week.