Papa John's turns to antiquity to meet latest pizza trend

April 19, 2017

Sorghum, teff, amaranth and quinoa are all grains used in antiquity. But the food service industry is embracing them as among the trendiest edibles going — one…

Restaurants dish out savings to soothe the stressed tax filer

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

Restaurants are doing their part to calm the masses with money-saving deals on Tuesday, the nation's day of shared tax-paying pain.

Capturing today's diners? A lot of it is still about 'the money'

Even with the surprises that the AlixPartners diners' preferences poll has shown this week, in many ways it still all comes down to the fact that customers…

Yelp's restaurant review data gets much easier to use

April 14, 2017

Restaurant social media managers at the Restaurant Franchising and Innovation Summit in Dallas last month clearly identified Yelp as the go-to source of…

Study: Many consumers lukewarm on restaurant tech, loyalty programs

April 13, 2017

The new trends survey from AlixPartners provides some significant surprises concerning consumers' views of restaurant technology, loyalty programs, third-party…

Operators and vendors join forces to set supply chain best practices

April 12, 2017

Foodservice supply chain company, HAVI, has joined with the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association, food industry consultants at Kinetic12 and…

Study: Wanderlust is stealing restaurant dollars

April 12, 2017

Consumers' love of travel is slicing into the food service sector's pie, potentially creating a defining moment for the restaurant industry.

Mergin' and movin' out in the pizza universe

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

April 12, 2017

Four pizza brands are planning additions to their worldwide restaurant system pies this spring, along with two other brands who are set to merge.

New tech finds, funnels real-time restaurants digital sign content

April 11, 2017

Allure is debuting an advanced content automation technology for digital signs and other devices used in the fast food and fast casual sectors. Allure…

Pie Five, Firehouse, First Watch,Pei Wei execs discuss 'the good, the bad and the ugly' of online reviews

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

A recent survey found that 61 percent of the dining public check online reviews before visiting a restaurant. How those reviews can help or hurt sales was a…

2 pizza brands 'lightening up' spring menus

April 10, 2017

Both Mod Pizza and Blaze are taking decidedly "lighter touches" with their spring offerings, adding a few veggies to star on their menus. 

ICX Summit: Neuroscience, millennials and measuring customer experience

The upcoming June ICX Summit boasts top leaders in customer experience speaking on a range of topics from CX strategy to measuring customer experience…

Pressure grows to make restaurant kiosks 'disability-friendly'

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

A recent lawsuit on behalf of a blind customer against Eatsa, a restaurant that uses self-order kiosks, has put the kiosk industry in the spotlight.

Hot Heads & Rapid Fired Pizza founder on a regional growth approach

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

Hot Heads Burritos founder, Ray Wiley, is on a roll again, this time with a fast pizza concept, called Rapid Fired. The chain has taken a regional approach to…

Cowboy Chicken, Elevation Burger execs: Pay supply chain due respect or pay consequences

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

In a world, where customers are demanding that restaurants use ethically produced, sustainable and healthful ingredients, supply chain management has grown in…

Fast insights on crisis management, leadership development and restaurant/retail partnerships

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

Attendees at the Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit in Dallas got down to business with fast insights in three key business management areas.

Why playing the 'right' background music increases sales

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Restaurants that play a carefully selected mix of music reflecting their cultures can increase sales by more than 9 percent, according to a 2016 study.

Study: UK restaurateurs need to improve customer experience

April 4, 2017

U.K. restaurateurs and retailers are not providing a rewarding customer experience despite the fact that consumers are more likely to buy if they have a…

5 pizza brands explore new territories

April 4, 2017

Pizza's worldwide appeal needs no further proof than the weekly parade of pizza restaurant opening announcements. In fact, at least five established brands…

C-Speak: PDQ president using tech to get rid of the back office

PDQ President Steve Erickson and David Cantu, co-founder of HotSchedules, discuss how the brand uses technology to control operations and deliver better…