After years of using six direct-mail coupon drops per year to drive customers in when a new product or limited-time offer was introduced, El Pollo Loco this year increased the number of coupon mailings to nine, along with adding more...

HOUSTON —Just a little more than a year after being buffeted by Hurricane Ike and the nation’s credit collapse, this Texas port city is nonetheless in the midst of a restaurant boom. As other...

When President Obama hosted a “beer summit” on race relations over a few cold ones this summer, wags likened the White House Rose Garden to a beer garden. But for a growing number of restaurant operators and their customers, it’s no joke at all to...

David Mansbach, co-president, North America, at HVS Executive Search in Mineola, N.Y., and longtime consultant to the restaurant and hospitality industries, knows that the best compensation packages aren’t all about the numbers. Mansbach has...

As the stalled economy forces chain executives to focus on cost cutting, fine-tuning operations and chasing elusive sales, they are spending less time on matters like executive compensation, benefits and total rewards packages—and that will come...

Restaurateurs are finding ways to offer benefits and perks despite the unrelenting downturn, runaway unemployment and skyrocketing health care costs.While some operators say they have been forced to cut back on programs such as 401(k) and health...

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DALLAS —No matter which way you slice it, sandwiches and burgers will continue to be menu mainstays because of their versatility and popularity, said Kevin Higar, director of operator product...

DALLAS —Restaurateurs hoping to attract recession-weary customers should entice them with familiar favorites that create a temporary escape from the pressures of the day, food trends expert Nancy...

DALLAS —Value-driven promotions are a near necessity in the current economic climate, but they must be tailored carefully to a brand’s image to maximize success, executives from four restaurant...