Restaurant gift cards appeal to 72% of people, according to a new survey from the National Restaurant Association. About 47% of U.S. adults say they plan to give a restaurant gift card this season, according to Hudson Riehle, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association’s senior vice president of research and knowledge. That number rises to 60%… read more
Fazoli’s has joined forces with Impossible Foods, Inc. to offer spaghetti dishes featuring plant-based meat sauce. The Italian fast-casual chain is debuting Impossible meat sauce, made with ground Impossible Burger, and testing it at five locations near its headquarters in Lexington. Fazoli’s will incorporate the meat alternative, made with soy protein, into two Italian menu… read more
Here’s a look at three of the top trends you can expect to see in foodservice and food retail in 2020. Plant-based, the next generation: plant foods — especially meat alternatives like the Impossible Burger — were one of the biggest trends in food this year. In 2020, chefs and food brands will continue to… read more
The Mexican fast-food chain Tuesday said it will expand its dollar menu with the return of one of its most successful $1 offerings, Double Stacked Tacos. The company will offer three flavors of the taco: Nacho Crunch, Chipotle Cheddar and Reaper Ranch. The item features both a hard shell and a soft tortilla. The tacos bring to 21 the number of… read more
If you were to believe newspapers and dietary advice leaflets, you’d probably think that doctors and nutritionists are the people guiding us through the thicket of what to believe when it comes to food. But food trends are far more political—and economically motivated—than it seems. From ancient Rome, where Cura Annonae—the provision of bread to the… read more
Chipotle Mexican Grill recently remodeled a store near the fast-casual chain’s Newport Beach headquarters, a major top-to-bottom overhaul that features pick-up shelves at the front entrance, a mix of barstools and community tables and a lower glass partition along the dine-in queue. Does this store represent the look of Chipotle’s next generation of stores? It’s… read more
Jack in the Box has sold its San Diego headquarters to the city’s local school district for $21.5 million.San Diego Unified School District approved the purchase of the property last week after initially making an offer to the quick-service chain on March 12. The property, at 9330 Balboa Avenue, includes a 15,000-square foot building on… read more
JAB Holding Company is combining two of its coffee brands — Dutch beverage group Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Berkeley, Calif.-based Peet’s Coffee & Tea — and exploring an initial public offering outside of the United States with the merged company, JDE Peet’s. Jacobs Douwe Egberts announced the merger Dec. 17, adding Berkeley, Calif.-based Peet’s Coffee… read more
When it opened last year, the Lynchburg, Virginia, location of East Coast Wings + Grill launched with a charity day instead of a grand opening. Franchisees Mike and Leah Morrell donated 10 percent of their sales from the day, and the corporate office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, matched their gift. The result? A $2,000 donation… read more
The Dinex Group Tuesday announced the appointment of Sebastien Silvestri as its first Chief Executive Officer. A respected authority in the hospitality industry, Silvestri comes to Chef Daniel Boulud’s award-winning restaurant group with more than 25 years of proven experience focused on development of bold marketing strategies, effective partnerships and branding tactics. In this newly… read more