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…

Study: Consumers receptive to chatbots

March 30, 2017

A majority of consumers are comfortable talking with a chatbot yet only a fraction have engaged with one, according to the 2017 Mobile Consumer Report from…

Blaze Pizza 'Keepin It Real' in 2017

March 29, 2017

Blaze Pizza won't have any artificial additives in its menu items as part of its "Keepin' It Real" initiative, which also encourages guests to commit to…

Pupatella expands with four Virginia locations

March 29, 2017

Franchisee Zeeshan Kaba has signed a deal with Pupatella, a Neapolitan pizza concept, to open four locations in Richmond, Virginia, according to a press…

McDonald's massive move to mobile ordering: A big change that warrants big groundwork

by Russell Zack — SVP, Products and Solutions, HelloWorld

McDonald’s and its recently unveiled plans to implement mobile ordering and curbside pickup is proof that even the mightiest brands now know mobile ordering is…

A little online burger buzz teaches a lot about menu prices

by Josh Anish — Head of Content, Quantifind

Polls and restaurant traffic data this year have made it relatively clear that limited-service restaurant customers today are increasingly concerned about the…

Rosati's CEO: 'If your company is a boys club then join the club'

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Marla Topliff, president of Rosati's Pizza, fell in love with the restaurant business after working as a marketer for Rosati's.

3 pizza concepts adopt Punchh platform

March 23, 2017

Punchh, a restaurant technology platform, added MOD Pizza, Pizza Inn and PizzaRev in the second half of 2016, according to a press release.

NRA implores Congress: 'Keep debit-swipe fee controls in place'

March 22, 2017

The National Restaurant Association has joined forces with dozens of other restaurant groups to launch a campaign against repealing debit swipe-fee protections…