News

Tik Tok Proves Potent Marketing Channel for some Restaurants

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Ever heard of Charli D’Amelio? If you’re not on TikTok—the fast-growing, video-based social media platform—chances are you haven’t. At least not prior to Sept. 2, when Dunkin’ launched a collaboration with the 16-year-old TikTok megastar—and immediately broke its record for daily active app users. “On launch day, we saw a 57% increase in Dunkin’ app downloads in… read more

Square is Bringing Online Ordering to in-Person Dining

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Technology has been crucial to restaurants looking to meet the demand for online takeout ordering during the COVID-19 crisis, and Square Inc. is betting that the in-person dining experience is also ripe for a high-tech upgrade. The company announced Tuesday that it was rolling out a QR-code feature that would let diners scan a code… read more

Blaze Pizza Names New CMO and Chief Restaurant Officer

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Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza has expanded its executive ranks with the appointment of Vince Szwajkowski as chief marketing officer and Rick Gestring as chief restaurant officer, the company announced. The Pasadena, Calif.-based fast-casual pizza brand earlier this year added Marie Zhang as chief supply chain officer and Ed Yancey as vice president of franchise development on… read more

Winners Chosen in Chicago’s Outdoor Dining Design Contest

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Cozy cabins and heated tables are among the winning ideas announced Thursday as part of a design contest in Chicago to develop solutions to extend the city’s outdoor dining season. The city-sponsored contest, which began in August, drew 643 submissions, including humorous offerings such as generating warmth by heating up urban rats. Judges from design… read more

How one Town is Helping its Restaurants Survive

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Like communities across America, the New York City suburb of Port Washington, N.Y., saw its restaurants—nearly all of them locally owned independents—struggling to survive under capacity limits set by the state to protect residents from COVID-19. Few local places offered patio dining before the pandemic, and the inline configurations of many were a limit on… read more

Domino’s Quarterly Sales Surge but Pandemic Costs hit Earnings; Shares Tumble

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The pizza chain reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $99.1 million, or $2.49 per share, up from $86.4 million, or $2.05 per share, a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting earnings of $2.79 per share. While the pandemic lifted sales, it also boosted costs for the company. Higher wages for front-line workers, personal… read more

Fogo de Chão’s CEO Barry McGowan on how to Transition from Fine Dining to off-Premise in the Middle of a Pandemic

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Barry McGowan has been CEO at Fogo de Chão since December 2018 and was a big part of the steakhouse chain’s effort to market to Millennials, but fine dining has taken a huge hit during COVID-19, and Fogo de Chão is no exception. The Plano, Texas-based fine-dining chain focused around churrascaria currently has 57 units… read more

U.S. Representatives ask FTC to Probe 3rd-Party Delivery Operators & Franchisers

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U.S. Representatives ask Federal Trade Commission to Probe Third-Party Delivery Operators, Franchisors U.S. Representatives from three states also ask the FTC to take a closer look at franchisor/franchisee relationships; Grubhub says their mission is to drive orders to restaurants. Congressional leaders from Washington state, Illinois, and Pennsylvania took aim at third-party delivery operators this week,… read more

NYC Dining Rooms are Still Closed. That’s Squeezing Olive Garden’s Best Restaurant

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Before the pandemic, New York City’s Times Square was bustling with office workers, theatergoers, and tourists. But pandemic restrictions have FORCED Bradway to go dark and dining rooms to remain closed. New York City has banned indoor dining since March and plans to start allowing indoor dining at up to only 25 percent capacity at… read more