It may seem like there’s already a Starbucks on every corner. But the company is still planning on adding tens of thousands more locations in the coming decade. Starbucks said at an investor event that it plans to increase its store count to about 55,000 by 2030, up from roughly 33,000 today. The company is… read more
Foodservice Equip & Supplies News
Leaders Emphasize Importance of Empathy, Flexibility and Safety During COVID
My team spends most of their days designing and deploying next-gen leadership-development tools for multiunit franchisees and above restaurant leaders. Naturally, we pay a lot of attention to the unique challenges facing multiunit leaders and the innovative ways they overcome them, especially in a global pandemic. Since COVID-19 hit, the foodservice industry’s area directors, district… read more
Is The Restaurant of the Future Already Here?
We’re all scrambling to materialize the so-called “restaurant of the future.” What COVID-19 trends are fleeting? Which aren’t? Will customers clamor for the same safety essentials months from now? Have protocols and tech dehumanized the experience? Does it even matter? Picture this environment, outlined by consulting giant Deloitte. A customer strolls into a restaurant with… read more
Chick-fil-A Gets Modular with Restaurant Construction
This past month, Chick-fil-A quietly opened a location that could reimagine its construction for years to come. The company’s Restaurant Development team spent the past several years looking into modular growth as it explored ways to improve Chick-fil-A’s remodeling and rebuilding plans. In October, the first location rebuilt using modular construction opened outside of Atlanta… read more
Restaurants Turn to Innovative Outdoor Solutions Ahead of Winter
As coronavirus cases continue to spike, some states are reinstating restrictions on indoor dining. Restaurants already reeling with huge financial strains are trying to find innovative solutions to keep their doors open. Some are thinking outside the box and into a bubble. “What you’re seeing in Washington D.C. and Chicago and elsewhere are local mayors… read more
Taco Bell to Throw 400 Socially Distanced Hiring Parties
More than 400 Taco Bell restaurants across the country will be hosting hiring parties Tuesday, a festive program the Irvine, Calif.-based chain first tested in 2018 to attract more applicants. The event, now in its third year, has been modified to incorporate social-distancing protocols as the company looks to hire hundreds of employees for the… read more
New Normal Inspires New Innovations in Restaurant Industry
Due to COVID-19, the restaurant industry has seen more change in the last six months than in the last ten years according to Tama Looney, Brand Analytics & Customer Engagement Executive with Xenial, who has been in the restaurant industry for a decade and in the consumer insights and analytic industry for over 20. “Anything… read more
A Look at the Mechanics of how a Legacy Brand Reinvents Itself
Two Years Into Dunkin’s Rebrand, VP Drayton Martin Talks Coffee, Logos, and Even Donuts Despite the pandemic-prompted loss of foot traffic, retail coffee is still among the most robust segments of the restaurant business. According to Research and Markets, coffee shops are expected to grow by 13% between now and 2024, becoming an $81 billion… read more
Tim Hortons to Test Reusable, Returnable Cups and Food Packaging
Tim Hortons has signed a deal with TerraCycle’s Loop program to test an option that would allow customers to pay a deposit and receive their order in reusable, returnable cups and food packaging. Once the customer is done they could return the cups and other containers to a participating restaurant and have their deposit refunded…. read more
Nearly 300 Public, Private Sector Groups Launch Digital Campaign Pushing for a Deal on a Coronavirus Relief
A coalition of travel, restaurant, retail, and state and local government groups launched a digital advertising campaign on Wednesday calling for Congress to quickly approve a new coronavirus relief package. The Covid Relief Now Coalition is made up of organizations representing the public and private sector, including the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA), International Franchise… read more