Chains garner growth via vision-impaired operators

Jun 18, 2007

Consumer demand for restaurant brands is re-energizing a 69-year-old federal program that trains blind and visually impaired entrepreneurs to manage foodservice operations that ring up hundreds of millions of dollars in sales at federal buildings...

Growth-minded coffeehouses seek jolts from service, new items

Jun 18, 2007

Coffeehouses nationwide are stepping up efforts to build customer loyalty by adding beverage variety, new dining room amenities, more drive-thrus and improved customer service as they strive to woo patrons away from segment leader...

Malody: Approach wood-fired ovens with realistic expectations

Jun 18, 2007

Operators considering the addition of wood-fired pizza to their menus should have a realistic grasp of the commitment the item requires, said Karen Malody, a Seattle-based foodservice consultant. “When it’s done right, it’s a beautiful thing,”...

Despite strong sales, Benihana's profits flatten

Jun 18, 2007

MIAMI Benihana Inc., operator or franchisor of 59 namesake teppanyaki restaurants and 20 other Japanese eateries, posted flat net income for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended April 1, as strong sales were offset by higher labor, occupancy...

Chop't keeps cool on food safety

Jun 18, 2007

Chop't Creative Salad Co. is fanatic about refrigeration. After all, the New York operator of fast-casual salad restaurants is all about cold salads made to order. It starts before the ingredients reach the company's three stores. When...

Upscale restaurants in St. Petersburg make hay on the bay

Jun 18, 2007

ST. PETERSBURG FLA. —Once called “God’s Waiting Room,” this water-front metropolis on the west side of Tampa Bay in recent years has shed its reputation as a place for the newly wed or newly dead and...

Chop't generates plenty of green by being prepared

Jun 18, 2007

Be prepared. That is the mantra, as well as the operations challenge, at Chop't Creative Salad Co. in New York City, a pioneer among the numerous fast-casual salad concepts that are cropping up across the United States. Since it opened its first...

McD looks to double its presence in Poland

Jun 15, 2007

OAK BROOK, Ill. McDonald’s Corp. plans to double the number of its restaurants in Poland, from 210 to 420, over the next decade, according to a company statement. McDonald’s Polska opened its first restaurant in the country in Warsaw in...

Steak n Shake names Janjua to exec ops post

Jun 14, 2007

INDIANAPOLIS Steak n Shake said it has hired Omar Janjua as executive vice president of operations. Janjua previously led operations services at Pizza Hut and earlier worked in restaurant finance, concept development, and franchise...