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With the country's obesity problems regularly in the news, the issue of healthful fare has become a supersized headache for many fast feeders. Despite the recent dismissal of a class-action [...]

Restaurateur Ted Balestreri says his favorite song is 'Memories' because he still remembers that it was playing the night he walked to the podium to receive IFMA's prestigious Gold Plate [...]

LOUISVILLE, KY. Bolstered by a dramatic rebound in sales at Taco Bell and a 19-percent increase in 2001 profits, Tricon Global Restaurants plans to drive U.S. sales volumes with an [...]

Just about the time that Santa Claus, his elves and his reindeer start gearing up for Christmas at the North Pole, hotels a little closer to home begin making their [...]

With quick-service sales declining despite rampant discounting, the nation's largest fast-food chains are scrambling to counter the effects of the tough economy, stiffening competition and changing consumer tastes. Recent quick-service [...]

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Papa John's International, hampered by its rivals' multimillion-dollar marketing blitzes and deep discounting, said it plans to boost lackluster sales by spending more next year on product-quality [...]

LOUISVILLE, KY.--Yum! Brands Inc., despite better-than-expected third-quarter profits driven by growth overseas and at its Taco Bell restaurants, still disappointed Wall Street with a more cautious fourth-quarter outlook spurred by [...]

Dealt a one-two punch by the weak economy and dismal August sales several fast feeders are unveiling this fall an arsenal of both new and old strategies designed to lure [...]

OAK BROOK, ILL. -- Wall Street is casting a cloud of doubt over McDonald's Corp.'s latest plan to revive its flailing business after the company warned that recent disappointing sales [...]

SAN DIEGO -- Joining a growing group of major fast-food chains to be hit by slowed sales, Jack in the Box, while also facing $15.6 million in charges for restaurant [...]

The nation's largest sandwich players have been on shopping sprees. Fast-food giants, such as Wendy's and Yum! Brands -- formerly Tricon Global Restaurants -- have followed the lead of McDonald's [...]

Fast-food menus -- once the province of burgers, fries and simple sandwiches -- are taking on a more upscale look as operators introduce a host of sophisticated items intended to [...]

IRVING, Texas -- Fierce competition in the children's entertainment category was one of the main factors that caused the stock of ShowBiz Pizza Time Inc. to tumble from about $22 [...]

Denny's and Shoney's have undergone major structural changes, and the foodservice industry is waiting to see the results of those changes. In the wake of a public proxy fight in 1997, J. Michael Bodnar has emerged as Shoney's president and CEO. Advantica Restaurant Group, Denny's parent company, has announced that some of the proceeds of the sale of the Hardee's franchise will be dedicated to acquisitions., On the heels of recent major structural shifts at both Denny's and Shoney's, the foodservice industry is waiting to sec how events unfold at the country's two largest family dining [...]

Montana is a place where the restaurant industry is growing, as tourists seek out the state and as celebrities discover its appeal. Bozeman is a particularly active city in terms of restaurant growth, with a population forecasted to reach over 32,000 by 2000, compared to 29,000 in 1997. Montana is promoting itself as the Wild West, and new restaurants are reflecting this theme., BOZEMAN, Mont. - In a state where buffalo still roam the range and cowboys ride on horseback, Montana's newest restaurants are becoming pioneers of urban sophistication. The transformation of the [...]

Eight pizza chains appear in Nation's Restaurant News' list of the top 100 restaurant chains and companies in 1997, accounting for a total of $10.6 billion over their respective preceding fiscal year. Pizza Hut leads the segment in US systemwide sales and in market share, while Pap John's Pizza leads in US systemwide sales growth. Chains are focusing on quality more than on the novelty menu items that are also a segment trend.

National dinner-house chains are using varied design elements to give their outlets local flavor. California Cafe Bar & Grill, for example, fuses local materials and motifs with California design elements. The Denver, CO, California Cafe features a large rock-bordered fireplace that imparts a ski-lodge atmosphere. Hard Rock Cafe's Key West, FL, unit, in keeping with the local architectural tradition, occupies a quaint Victorian house., Whether they're flying fish hanging from the ceiling of a Florida restaurant or Rocky Mountain stones studding the fireplace of a Denver eatery, homegrown design elements are bringing a local [...]

Specialty food items that were previously found only in the kitchens of upscale restaurants are now being sold by most grocery stores as restaurants and chefs package these specialties to capitalize on new retail opportunities. Among those that have taken advantage of this opportunity is Emeril Lagase, chef-owner of Emeril's and Nola (New Orleans, LA). Lagase's Cajun spices have become very popular retail items., As chefs and restaurants package specialties to create savory, new retail opportunities... A growing number of upscale restaurants are putting their brand names on the market. In the form of [...]

David Burke is the chef-partner of the Park Avenue Cafe, Maloney & Porcelli and Mrs. Park's Tavern in New York, NY. He is considered a creative chef who is spending more time developing and opening new restaurants. Burke attends cooking benefits, trains new staff and tries different restaurants to introduce new concepts in his restaurants., Although it is not yet 10 a.m. on a Wednesday morning, David Burke is eating dim sum at a popular Chinatown haunt in Manhattan that closely resembles a typical New [...]

A number of restaurants will participate in testing programs devised by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to minimize the number of on-the-job accidents. The programs will be implemented in Florida, Arkansas, Louisiana, Kansas, Montana, Missouri, New Jersey, Oklahoma, Texas and New York. The tests are part of OSHA's campaign to develop comprehensive cooperative compliance programs spanning different industries., WASHINGTON -- Restaurant operators nationwide could be asked soon to participate in test programs designed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to reduce the number of on-the-job accidents at [...]

Restaurant chains acknowledge that quality staffs give them leverage in a crowded market, but the shortage of qualified people is at crisis stage and the turnover rate remains staggeringly high. Innovative training programs are being developed to battle the problem, including scavenger hunts for trainees, role-playing scenarios and management-employee swap days, during which executives and hourly paid employees swap roles for a day. Some chains are also developing training programs for new managers that permit customization depending upon the training needed., When 26-year-old Martina Brockway decided to leave Dos Hermanos, a casual Mexican operation owned by Levy Restaurants, to earn more money, a manager and a Levy executive took her aside [...]

Hotel restaurants can increase their revenues when they rent out their restaurants for private parties. An event, such as a power breakfast or a wedding, can be more memorable in a hotel restaurant than in a banquet hall. The guests have more control over the area of a restaurant than they do over a banquet facility. Many restaurants will customize the meal and provide hotter, fresher food than a banquet facility., Banquet halls and ballrooms often conjure up images of sterile, cookie-cutter settings with round tables and cold food. But hotel foodservice executives say special occasions do not have to be [...]

The Culinary Institute of America (CIA), headquartered on a 150-acre campus in Hyde Park, NY, began in 1946 as a small cooking school in New Haven, CT. Since then it has graduated approximately 28,000 students, who work across the US and around the world. Its curriculum is 75% hands-on training and its president, Ferdinand Metz, says that the academy's students have contributed tremendously to the improvement in food quality in the US over the last 50 years. The CIA plans a host of celebratory activities for its 50th anniversary, and for the future, intends to become more involved in the international arena and will design a master's degree in culinary arts., The founders of a storefront cooking school in New Haven, Conn. probably could not have imagined how much things would change in 50 years. What began as a local training [...]

CHICAGO -- Zoom Kitchen, while specializing in meat loaf, turkey and mashed potatoes, nonetheless is happy when customers crave greens. That is because the four-unit quick-casual concept, which features customized [...]

OAK BROOK, ILL. -- Looking to reverse a yearlong slump in profits, McDonald's Corp. told Wall Street during its biennial two-day analyst conference that it is experimenting with a full [...]

ANN ARBOR, MICH. -- Domino's Pizza is delivering increases in sales and profits with strategies that include new menu items, product enhancements and a revamped marketing theme, according to the [...]

While the nation's largest fast-food chains are continuing to deliver familiar flavors, some are freshening their menus with products like sourdough bread, Muenster cheese, teriyaki chicken and horseradish. With competition [...]

Eyes better ops through nat'l. evaluations OAK BROOK, ILL. --McDonald's Corp., burdened by four straight quarters of decreased earnings, plans to ascend from its slump with a major restructuring of [...]

COLUMBUS, OHIO -- Donatos Pizza, one of McDonald's Corp.'s three new U.S. brands, is looking to jump-start lackluster sales with a new crust and a new pizzeria prototype. At the [...]

Despite Chicago's reputation as a meat-and-potatoes town, the city has claimed as one of its hot spots Spring, a new restaurant specializing in seafood. 'We are doing very well, better [...]

MIAMI -- In preparation for Burger King Corp.'s long-anticipated split from London-based parent Diageo PLC, the nation's No. 2 burger chain is looking to turn its flagging fortunes around with [...]

When Thomas A. Morrell joined Papa Murphy's four years ago, the foodservice veteran says his intent was to become a franchisee of what at that time was a fledgling take-and-bake [...]

Fast-casual concept combines quick-serve cuisine with casual-dining atmosphere Some of the nation's most popular sandwiches, like the Big Mac and the Whopper, are feeling the heat from a new breed [...]

OAK BROOK, ILL. -- McDonald's Corp., which is expected later this month to post its fourth consecutive quarter of decreased operating income and take a third-quarter charge of nearly $100 [...]

Blackhawk Lodge featured a three-week lobster menu this summer with eclectic options that ran the gamut from Asian-inspired summer rolls to black-bean chili with a Southwestern flair. Executive chef Barry [...]

Aids in capture of Mc Thieves who stole $13M OAK BROOK, ILL. -- McDonald's Corp. is making no apologies for helping authorities nab a ring of people who allegedly bilked [...]

CHICAGO -- Fluky's, a 72-year-old institution here that specializes in hot dogs, is undergoing a revival these days with the recent debut of a downtown location and a cross-marketing strategy [...]

Despite a recent spike in cheese costs, national pizza chains plan to remain on course with value-oriented deals and aggressive price promotions through the end of the year as they [...]

Eyes expansion in Latin America, debut of Tim Hortons in fourth, unnamed U.S. market DUBLIN, OHIO -- Wendy's International Inc., after pulling out of Argentina last year, now is looking [...]

OAK BROOK, ILL. -- McDonald's Corp., reporting a 16-percent earnings drop that marked its third straight quarter of decreased profits, said it could shutter 250 underperforming restaurants in 'emerging markets' [...]

DENVER -- Chipotle, one of the fastest-growing new brands at McDonald's Corp., is dropping the phrase 'Mexican Grill' from its name and upgrading its menu as it seeks increased sales [...]

Among competitors in the second tier of the leading quick-service sandwich brands, Quizno's topped the category with growth in U.S. systemwide sales and unit counts. The Denver-based sandwich chain, which [...]

Mindy Segal is exhilarated by the opportunity to become a partner in the restaurant where she works, a milestone that will become reality this fall when Chicago's chic mk opens [...]

OMAHA, NEB. -- Although it's been around more than 27 years, M's Pub continues to draw crowds of customers for lunch and dinner almost every day of the week confirmed [...]

MIAMI -- Despite nearly $70 million from London-based Diageo PLC to shore up its ailing Burger King brand, the fast-food chain and its franchisees continue to struggle. Diageo announced preliminary [...]

DETROIT -- Although Little Caesars Pizza has closed more than 1,000 units in the past three years, two former Pizza Hut executives intend to help reverse the trend with aggressive [...]

MIAMI - Burger King Corp.'s chief executive, John Dasburg, in separate efforts to reverse sagging sales and forestall threatened boycotts, mandated $30,000-per-restaurant kitchen upgrades and issued stringent new animal-rights rules [...]

LOUISVILLE, KY. -- Amid spiraling cheese costs and the ongoing challenges of rebuilding the struggling Taco Bell brand, Tricon Global Restaurants warned Wall Street that second-quarter comparable-store sales would be [...]

After weakened foreign currencies and scares over Europe's beef supply hurt some chains' results last year, sandwich category leaders have turned their attentions toward home as the softening economy and [...]