Top Restaurant Chains Serving Healthier Dishes
Retail restaurants are increasingly meeting diners' demands by offering healthier menus featuring low calorie options, fewer processed ingredients and more choices for those with dietary restrictions. This not only has major implications for consumers but for investors in these restaurants as well. MORE>>
Tavistock Restaurants Upscale Collection Welcomes John T. Bettin as CEO
Tavistock Restaurants is pleased to announce John T. Bettin as Chief Executive Officer of its Upscale Collection of restaurants. Bettin will oversee Tavistock's numerous award-winning Upscale Collection concepts, including Abe & Louie's, AquaKnox, Napa Valley Grille, California Cafe, Atlantic Fish, Coach Grill, ZED451, Joe's American Bar & Grill, Blackhawk Grille, Timpano Italian Chophouse, Cafe del Rey, Taqueria Canonita and Sapporo. MORE>>
Embassy Suites Pittsburgh International Airport Welcomes New Executive Chef
The Embassy Suites Pittsburgh International Airport Hotel is pleased to announce that Thomas Raymond has been named Executive Chef of the hotel, whose responsibility includes Bridges 446, the hotel's Contemporary American on-site restaurant. Chef Raymond is an experienced Food and Beverage professional with experience in both gaming and luxury hotels. MORE>>
New Flavors Bloom on Spring Menus
Spring is finally in the air and new flavors are blooming on menus nationwide. Along with traditional seasonal ingredients like strawberry, rhubarb, asparagus, peas and ramps, other less-expected items are also taking root. Here’s a look at what’s popping up and what’s to come. Brie: Creamy, premium and indulgent, this mild French cheese is appearing on sandwiches and burgers, and in snack boxes and elsewhere. MORE>>
Planting a Seed: Applebee’s Breaks Ground on New Richardson, Texas Location
It’s proof that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, as city leaders joined Applebee’s executives to help plant a new seed for Applebee’s in Richardson. Ground was just broken for a new Richardson Applebee’s store at 125 N. Plano Rd., the first since the popular neighborhood bar and grill opened in the Dallas suburb in 1989. The store will be moving to the new location upon its completion in July. MORE>>
The New Way to Woo Guests? Tech.
Corey Kline, chairman of the NRA’ Information Technology Study Group, shares his thoughts on engaging guests through technology. The group meets April 21 through 24 in Miami. Q. What are you most excited about for the upcoming meeting? A. I really like the focus that we have for this meeting: architectures for guest engagement. A lot of things could be part of a restaurant’s technology plan, depending on the type of guest experience you’re trying to create. The question is: What are the right pieces for your restaurant? MORE>>
Report: Use of "Organic" as Label on Menus Declines
Recently, consumer confidence in the food industry has been shaken by food scandals, lack of transparency in food preparation, and questionable treatment of animals, according to Mintel, a global supplier of consumer, product, and media intelligence. As a result, restaurants have shifted their business practices to introduce a greater number and wider variety of claims that reflect trending food concerns, in hopes of regaining consumers’ trust. MORE>>
Tapping Into a Trend: Kegged Cocktails
“Efficiency” doesn’t get a lot of mentions in discussions of the craft cocktail movement—saving time wasn’t the goal of the shift toward offering more thoughtfully crafted, carefully built libations. But efficiency remains a top concern for operators looking to maximize their adult beverage profits, especially in light of the fact that drink sales slowed in restaurants and bars in 2013. MORE>>
Andrews Expands In North Texas With Acquisition of Coors Distributing
Andrews Distributing Company has expanded its business in North Texas by acquiring Coors Distributing Company of Fort Worth. With an increased beer and beverage distribution footprint in North Texas, Andrews gains eight brewing suppliers in the region, 3,000 retail accounts and is expected to grow its beer and Red Bull sales from 28 million cases to 33 million cases a year. MORE>>
Last-minute dining reservations service TableSAVVY launches mobile app for iPhone
TableSAVVY—a real-time, last minute dining reservation system—announces the launch of their first-ever mobile app for iPhone users. High-end, Chicagoland restaurants can post last minute, available tables through TableSAVVY's online platform. For a $5 service fee, spontaneous diners can snag these last minute tables and receive a 30% discount off their meal through booking reservations online or via the new app. MORE>>