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Creating a social media voice that works for your business
Being social –- and quirky -– is in California Tortilla‘s DNA. SmartBrief editor Rebecca Pollack chatted with Marketing Director Stacey Kane to find out what goes on behind the scenes and how the...
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New Restaurant SmartBrief Job Board
Starting today, SmartBrief is bringing you a new job search resource. In every issue of Restaurant SmartBrief, you’ll see a new “Who’s Hiring” section, a collection of food-industry career...
View ArticleTop food and restaurant trends for 2011
SmartPulse — our weekly reader poll in Restaurant SmartBrief — tracks feedback from restaurant owners and managers about current trends and issues. Last week’s poll question: Which 2011 culinary trend...
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How Applebee’s survived the recession
Applebee’s survived the recession by creating a dialogue within its management instead of enforcing rigid operational mandates, said Wayne Vandewater, executive director of training at Applebee’s...
View ArticleVirginia sees gun crimes drop a year after law allows weapons in bars
In the fall, we told you about Tennessee and other states that enacted laws allowing patrons with permits to bring handguns into bars, provided they don’t drink. There’s follow-up from Virginia showing...
View ArticleHow coffee can give your restaurant a jolt
While most attendees of the International Restaurant & Foodservice Show of New York hit the show floor in search of a (sample-sized) cup of coffee, some made a beeline for one of the first...
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Q-and-A: Jersey Mike’s Subs President Hoyt Jones on how restaurants can prep...
Hoyt Jones is president of Jersey Mike’s Subs, which opened its first store in Point Pleasant, N.J., in 1956. Last year, the company saw record unit growth of 15% and planned to add 100 additional...
View ArticleAndy’s Answers: How Wendy’s uses social listening to make better business...
According to Brandon Rhoten, social listening has helped Wendy’s accomplish things it never would have done 15 years ago. He says the company has made the kind of decisions that would have given its...
View Article#foodsafety: Diners post food safety violations to Instagram, Twitter
Usually when someone pulls out their phone to snap a picture at a restaurant, it’s to document a particularly delicious or showstopping meal. Now, people are using photos to tell North Carolina State...
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Restaurants and foodservice educate themselves on food allergies
In years past, it has been largely up to the consumer or the parent to protect themselves from exposure to allergens when dining out or grabbing prepared foods at the grocery store, but that’s changing...
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The race is on to become the “Chipotle of pizza”
Consumers, Millennials report strong visitation, interest according to Datassential Market heats up Consumers line up at Blaze Pizza With the true “Chipotle of pizza” title up for grabs, the race to...
View ArticleRestaurants, servers adjust to new tipping rules
Weather permitting, restaurants across the country will be packed tonight with couples out for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner, a meal that often includes wine, fancy food and generous tipping at the...
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Creating the next “it” food: The rise of limited time offerings
How operators are turning long lines, secret menus, and limited quantities into marketing opportunities Since Chef Dominique Ansel released his croissant-doughnut hybrid last year, operators and...
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How “grocerants,” millennials and technology are changing the shopping landscape
Anyone who works in the consumer packaged goods industry can attest that the shopping landscape is evolving at an accelerated pace. As shifts in shopping and spending resulting from the rise of a new...
View ArticleBrewing up new food and beer pairings
It used to be that the word “pairings” automatically turned our thoughts and palates to wine, but the rise in craft beer production, small breweries and brewpubs has brought food and beer pairings to...
View ArticleUmami takes over: Innovative chefs are embracing the “fifth taste”
In Thailand it’s fish sauce. In Japan it’s miso and soy sauce. In Italy it’s Parmigiano-Reggiano. In Spain it’s cured meats. In Australia it’s vegemite. In the U.S. it’s ketchup (and Doritos, as in the...
View ArticleWhat’s new in the world of food industry employment?
From the workers in the fields who pick our produce to the celebrity chefs crafting the 12-course tasting menus at our favorite five-star restaurants, the universe of people who contribute to putting...
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Economy, health and innovation fuel pasta trends and popularity
As it has historically in lean economic times, pasta came to the rescue for many families during the recession, when tighter budgets brought tougher choices at grocery stores and restaurants. The...
View ArticleWhat consumers want from snacks
Snacks used to be those after-school occasions when children savored milk and cookies, or an adult grabbed an apple to tide herself over until dinner. Now snacks are edging in on meal territory,...
View ArticleGMA, FMI, NRA collaborate on toolkit to reduce food waste across the industry
The Food Waste Reduction Alliance released its Best Practices and Emerging Solutions Toolkit last week, as part of an effort led by the Food Marketing Institute, Grocery Manufacturers Association and...
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