Seafood and Vegetarian Dishes Can Help Drive Sales
Healthy menu options are becoming more important to driving foodservice traffic and sales. As operators add healthy fare to menus, they should consider seafood and vegetarian dishes if they align with their concept and menu positioning. Technomic’s Center of the Plate: Seafood & Vegetarian Consumer Trend Report not only confirms that health is a strong reason why consumers eat these foods, but also shows that health concerns are driving consumers to increase their consumption of these foods. MORE>>
Denver Bar Louie Celebrates Remodel With Promotions
Bar Louie announced they are celebrating the recent remodels of their Denver locations in Centennial and Stapleton with two days of specials and events. The Centennial location kicked off festivities March 5 while the Northfield Stapleton location will begin its celebration Thursday, March 12. The events include $5 burgers and $6 domestic beer buckets. MORE>>
American Palates Growing More Adventurous
Nine in 10 restaurant operators say their guests are more knowledgeable about food than they used to be and pay more attention to food quality than just two year ago, according to the National Restaurant Association's 2015 Restaurant Industry Forecast. "As dining out has grown into an everyday activity over the last few decades, we essentially have become a generation of 'foodies' with a much wider base of experience and trial of new cuisines and flavors than previous generations," said Annika Stensson, director of research communications for the National Restaurant Association. MORE>>
Despite Weather, Restaurants Saw Growth in February
February might have been the worst month on record weather-wise for many regions of the country, but for restaurants, the results were far from dreadful as the industry was able to post its eighth consecutive month of positive same-store sales growth. With these latest results, Q1 of 2015 is firmly positioned to become the third consecutive quarter in which the industry has achieved positive growth in comparable stores; the first time in more than two years. MORE>>
Land of Fire and Honey...Jack Daniel’s fuels Brown-Forman
Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Fire could replicate the success of Tennessee Honey, Brown-Forman says, as it pushes the cinnamon-flavored whiskey out across the US. MORE>>
Redd’s Apple Ale Adds Two Flavors
Redd’s Apple Ale, a brand of Chicago-based MillerCoors, a joint venture of SABMiller plc and Molson Coors Brewing Co., added two new flavors to its line of super-premium domestic beers: Green Apple and Wicked Mango. Redd's Green Apple Ale is a light-golden beer that serves up a dose of green apple flavor with a balance of crisp and tart flavors, the company says. At 5 percent alcohol by volume, the beer boasts a clean, slightly dry, yet smooth finish that complements the Redd's Apple Ale brand, it adds. MORE>>
App Offers Free Cocktails for Women Only
The gender-specific app allows the user to claim the cocktail at any participating bar in return for an automatic check-in on Facebook, prompting their presence at the bar to appear in their friends’ feeds. Establishments in London, Manchester and Liverpool – including Buddha Bar, JuJu, Lola Lo, and Holborn Grind – are already in on the action, and the app plans to expand across the UK. MORE>>
Banking On Mixology Trend, Italian Bitters Proliferate In U.S.
After years of stagnant growth, the Italian bitters-liqueurs category is now blossoming in the U.S. market, driven by current mixology trends and maturing consumer palates. While Gruppo Campari leads the category with its namesake bitter brand—which has seen strong growth recently—a host of other players are also bullish on the category, with new product activity intensifying lately. MORE>>
Mobile Pay Makes Headway in Restaurants
Mobile payment technology is growing fast as a must-have component in the restaurant business, alongside customer demand for speed, convenience and a willingness to use the technology. While many operators rely on third-party services, some have chosen to develop proprietary smartphone apps in house. “[Technology] has become a part of everyone’s daily life, and this is just the beginning,” said Kevin McCarney, owner of the 10-unit Poquito Mas restaurant group in Los Angeles, which last year introduced mobile payments and online ordering through a third-party provider. MORE>>
Torres named World's Most Admired Wine Brand
The family owned brand fought off new competition this year from fellow Spanish brand Vega Sicilia, which jumped eight places to second in Drinks International’s annual poll. More than 200 of the world’s top masters of wine, sommeliers, educators and journalists took part in the annual poll, which pits wine brands from all regions, styles and qualities against each other. MORE>>