Fast Food Chains May Soon Guess Your Gender When You Order. Here’s Why Not sure what to order at your favorite fast-food chain? That’s okay because a new artificial intelligence software already does — or at least, it thinks it does, based on how you look. As demoed during the 2022 National Restaurant Association Show,… read more
Global Foodservice News
THIS SPORTS BAR’S AUV REACHED A RECORD-BREAKING $1.5 MILLION THIS YEAR.
Beef ‘O’ Brady’s, like others in the restaurant industry, is wading through an unprecedented macroeconomic environment. In response, the 142-unit sports bar is firing back with some unprecedented numbers of its own. The brand’s same-store sales rose 12.9 percent in the first quarter year-over-year, boosting it to a record-breaking $1.5 million in AUV. The top quartile… read more
Tao Group Hospitality Debuts New LAVO in San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter
Featuring 235 seats and occupying a prime corner in the historic Gaslamp Quarter neighborhood, LAVO San Diego will bring Tao Group Hospitality’s trademark attention to detail where every aspect is not only paid attention to, but amplified, from food and cocktails to design. The restaurant, located in the prominent former Searsucker space on the corner… read more
Digital Ordering is Becoming a Way of Life for Restaurant Consumers
Ever since the outset of the COVID-19 pandemic, off-premises dining has been on the rise. And according to DoorDash’s Restaurant Online Ordering Trends Report, which surveyed more than 1,500 consumers in the U.S., delivery, and takeout have continued to garner preference. The report states that 83 percent of customers ordered delivery food as much or more… read more
El Pollo Loco Nails Authenticity to Bring Birria to the Menu
Birria tacos have been trending on Instagram and TikTok for over a year, and El Pollo Loco, the Mexican-born, Los Angeles-based chain, has been watching. “We’ve been following birria for some time, and the timing was right to for us to put it on the menu,” said Heather Gardea, El Pollo Loco’s VP of culinary… read more
The Noortwyck will serve seasonal fare with global influences in the West Village
After working inside the fine-dining mecca once crowned the World’s Best Restaurant, a pair of Eleven Madison Park alums have decided to serve up more casual fare. This Tuesday, Andy Quinn and Cedric Nicaise will debut the Noortwyck, a New American restaurant tucked into New York’s West Village. Quinn, who previously served as a chef at EMP, has turned his… read more
Popeye’s Offering Cheap Chicken to Mark its 50th Birthday
Popeyes wants to give customers cheap chicken for its birthday. The Miami-based chicken chain will sell two pieces of the chain’s bone-in chicken for 59 cents next week starting Sunday. The catch: Customers have to first buy $5 worth of food on the chain’s digital channels. The price is the same one the company offered… read more
Cracker Barrel Has Strategies for All its Guests, Young and Old
Cracker Barrel is feeling sales pressure from multiple angles as it heads toward the back half of 2022. Topline figures in the brand’s fiscal third quarter were encouraging as February progressed, but higher-than-expected inflation and rises in COVID cases slowed recovery in March and April. Restaurant costs of goods sold were 27.8 percent versus 24.3… read more
Arby’s Does not Have Grills at its 3,500 Locations. Nor Does it Want Them
But the sandwich chain has long wanted to add a burger to the menu without adding extra equipment or capital expense. “At Arby’s, we like to innovate around products that exist in the category but people are settling for billions instead of the best,” said CMO Patrick Schwing. “We saw an opportunity to create a… read more
Menu Prices Rose at an Accelerating Rate in May
Menu prices rose at an accelerating rate in May, with customers typically paying 7.4% more for an item than they did a year ago, according to new government figures. The year-over-year increase was the sharpest upswing in restaurant prices since 1981, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) noted in updating the Consumer Price Index… read more