Two in Five Customers are Tipping More in 2022 Inflation and economic uncertainty are influencing consumer spending behavior, but support for restaurants continues. Although the number of consumers who typically tip restaurant staff 20% or higher is trending down, 41% of consumers report tipping more this year than last year—and 70% expect to be extra… read more
Global Foodservice News
KCL Adds 25 New Manufacturers in 2022
Orlando, FL – KCL, the industry leader in foodservice design technologies, announces 25 new manufacturing partners who now host their equipment content–PDFs, CAD blocks, Revit families, and supporting images and documents–on KCL software. In addition, several manufacturers expanded from their North America lines to also feature their European, Middle Eastern, and African foodservice equipment. Designers,… read more
The Buffet Segment is Now Growing
The Buffet Segment is Now Growing, Just Ask Pizza Ranch The first few weeks of the pandemic were “dicey for everybody,” says Mark Souba, chief development officer for buffet concept Pizza Ranch. There was a fair amount of uncertainty, particularly with buffets and safety concerns, but Pizza Ranch drew confidence from its unique offering. For… read more
Lezcano Most Recently Served as senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Church’s Texas Chicken
Fuku Taps Claudia Lezcano as its new CEO Claudia Lezcano has been named CEO of the fast-casual fried chicken concept Fuku. She most recently served as senior vice president of U.S. marketing at Church’s Texas Chicken. Lezcano has more than 25 years of marketing experience, including for brands like Celebrity Cruises, Miami Dolphins, and Miami… read more
Seven Ways to Create Brand Recognition from Benihana
When you think of recognizable brands, companies like Coke, Apple, Amazon, and McDonald’s come to mind. It’s hard to imagine there is anyone who wouldn’t recognize the brand name or logo of these companies. Some of my clients have said something like, “If we could just get a fraction of that kind of recognition, it… read more
Locali in Southern California is expanding through a licensing agreement with Local Kitchens
How one QSR Deli is Growing Through Food Halls Health and convenience used to be an oxymoron. That was something that Melissa Rosen, founder of Southern California-based Locali, wanted to change with her concept. Locali was supposed to be a healthful convenience store when it first opened 14 years ago — something like 7-Eleven meets… read more
New Sheetz locations in Michigan to open in 2025
Mid-Atlantic Chain’s Expansion will Begin in the Detroit Market Today Sheetz, a major Mid-Atlantic restaurant and convenience chain, announced it will expand into Michigan, with the first store location projected to open in 2025, starting in the Detroit market. Named a Best Regional Fast Food Chain by USA TODAY’s 10Best Readers’ Choice travel awards, Sheetz’s… read more
Le Pain Quotidien and Little Beet Unite Under New Platform
Le Pain Quotidien, Little Beet, and Little Beet Table — three emerging New York City concepts operated by Aurify Brands since 2020 — have now united under one umbrella platform: Convive Brands, led by former NPC International CEO Jon Weber. Aurify — which currently has major investments in Fields Good Chicken, Melt Shop, and a… read more
Restaurants and Robots
Restaurants and robots: Don’t be alarmed So much of the recent news about robots in restaurants has focused on the kitchen, where experts seek to engineer the perfect automated pizza maker or a robotic fry station attendant. While the jury’s still out on whether these devices could ever demonstrate the dexterity humans have for making… read more
Taco Bell Experiments with More Nacho Fries Variations
Taco Bell seems to have figured out the right cadence for product launches to generate strong sales and traffic. For Q3, that launch was the beloved Mexican Pizza. This quarter, it may very well be the Enchirito, which has officially made its return to menus nationwide for the first time in nearly 10 years. Taco… read more