Vijay Puniani invested $500,000 of his own money and several years of sleepless nights developing Chutney Joe’s, his fast-casual Indian restaurant in Chicago’s South Loop. The eight-month-old concept, which has rapidly carved out its...
Even as the pundits forecast another year of challenging business conditions for the foodservice industry, few believe the “Great Recession” has permanently cooled the consumer’s ardor for dining out.Still, some say, restaurants in post...
As public scrutiny increases over the restaurant industry’s role in America’s growing weight problem, operators are responding by offering a barrage of items boasting fewer calories and lower fat content. In the past year, Dunkin’...
Customers participating in focus group studies last year for Tropical Smoothie Café gave executives of the 280-unit smoothie and sandwich chain plenty to chew on. “They told us what they loved about us and what they didn’t love...
John Kunkel says the fast-casual Lime Fresh Mexican Grill concept he founded has a cult following, not only for its food, but for its frozen sangria, a 16-ounce drink option for $4.95 that pairs well with the spicy menu. The...
Since President Barack Obama’s calls earlier this year to improve the safety of the U.S. food supply, agency officials recently have issued several draft guidelines related to specific types of produce, and lawmakers now are working on a major...
Red Mango, Nation’s Restaurant News’ 2009 Hot Concepts! award-winning tart frozen-yogurt concept, gets its name from the color of a mango just before it reaches its ripest state and turns yellow.The name reflects the company’s commitment to...
Doug Tomlinson says frustration drove him to create Vino Volo, an upscale airport wine bar concept. An oenophile who worked as a management consultant for Deloitte Consulting LLP, he recalls returning from a business trip in...
If Chris Simms were one of the canines photographed on the walls of his Lazy Dog Café restaurants, he’d be a young lab, sprinting for that metaphoric tennis ball of high-volume sales while others in the casual-dining pack remained...
Tom Ryan, the founder of 2-year-old Smashburger, says he realized in the late 1990s that consumers wanted an upgrade from the typical quick-service burger—but without the full-service wait times or the $9 casual-dining price tag. ...
