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.

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…

Q3 restaurant visits decline, fast casual is no exception

December 6, 2016

Although traffic growth at U.S. restaurants remained flat during the first half of 2016, Q3 results were even worse, according to The NPD Group, which found…

Old Chicago looking for franchisees

December 1, 2016

 Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom is looking for franchisees in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio to help grow the brand's presence in those areas, according to a…

Technomic downgrades restaurant growth projections

November 29, 2016

The company said its May results released for the two-year period were overly optimistic and that declining traffic across food service has prompted the…

Will the menu trends of 2017 turn to the dark side?

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

Charcoal, heavy fats and lots of bubbles may not sound like they belong on 2017's list of menu trends, but the Canadian food-centric marketing consultancy…

Report: 4 top pizza industry growth factors

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

Good news came this morning in the form of a new report on the global pizza market for the next three years. Technavio's latest research shows that the market…

Going global: Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit adds European event

Early-bird registration is now open for next year's London and Dallas summits.

Now trending: Restaurants offering gender-neutral bathrooms

by Cherryh Cansler — Editor, FastCasual.com

Many restaurants are ditching signs indicating separate men's and women's restrooms.

Free webinar: How to Create Loyal Guest Behavior

September 1, 2016

Restaurant chains across the country are continuing to build and execute loyalty programs that provide immediate and sustainable results.

Technomic report says customers blame restaurants for third-party delivery service failures

August 23, 2016

Technomic Inc. found that 76 percent of consumers polled hold restaurants responsible for all errors on online portals and delivery services. In fact, the…

RSR reveals digital gift card winners

August 23, 2016

 Retail Systems Research has published the report, "Digital Gift Cards In 2016: Where Omni-Channel Strategy Meets Customer Expectations." 

NRA: Restaurateurs want technology without headaches

August 3, 2016

Only 12 percent of restaurant operators consider  themselves to be cutting-edge in implementing technology, according to a recent study conducted by the…

The true effects of food photos: part 1

by Matthew Harper — Intern, Networld Media Group

Back in the 1800s when photography was first invented, it would have been hard to imagine people using the technology to document lunch. As restaurants are…

Smoothie system sales down, the NPD Group finds

July 25, 2016

Dollar sales of smoothie makers declined during the first part of 2016, a press release said. According to the NPD Group, a global information company, dollar…

Why your app isn't appealing to your customer base

Not all apps are created equal, and consumers don't have the patience to wait while you to get it right.

3 steps to cutting 1 huge expense

Legal hacks of credit card fees may seem complicated at first, but once understanding the three basic components of payment processing statements, they become…

Boo(ze)-hoo! Restaurant liquor sales fall for 3rd straight year

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

A new industry report shows that on-premises alcohol sales have dropped again, and the cause might just surprise you.

Grubhub offers restaurateurs access to consumer ratings and reviews

July 12, 2016

Grubhub, the online food delivery service, announced the launch of its new faceted ratings and reviews system in a press release. The new system provides…

Fast casual industry still growing

July 11, 2016

The fast casual industry is growing at a steady rate and outranking its counterparts, according to a Technomic report. In year-over-year results, cumulative…