While lefties may be in good company—Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, and Prince William are all southpaws—they’re members of a small club. Only ten percent of the world’s population is left-handed, which means a lot of basic items (scissors, video game controllers, spiral notebooks) are built solely with righties in mind. That’s why LomgHorn Steak House is celebrating International… read more
Service Management Group, a global customer experience, employee engagement and brand research partner to more than 500 brands, announced a new partnership with upscale casual restaurant brand Kona Grill. Looking to empower district operators with real-time information and actionable insights, Kona Grill selected SMG for its robust technology platform and industry-leading research capabilities. Established in… read more
Our company spends a good deal of time designing, developing, and deploying multiunit leadership training programs for top foodservice and retail chains worldwide. While both athletes and musicians can be good at just one thing and be successful, an effective multiunit leader, or MUL, must master several key proficiencies to be effective across his or… read more
McDonald’s Corp. announced plans to invest approximately $6 billion to modernize more than 8,700 restaurants in the United States and the District of Columbia by 2020. The new features in these McDonald’s restaurants will include: Modern dining areas with globally and locally inspired decor, new furniture and refreshed exterior designs; Self-order kiosks; Remodeled counters to… read more
Famous Dave’s has been a blend of innovation and legacy over the course of its turnaround stretch. The barbecue brand’s second-quarter report reflected that strategy and promised more changes, including a fresh concept from its new barbecue star, Travis Clark. Famous Dave’s earned $1.4 million in the period that ended July 1. For perspective, it lost… read more
The Wendy’s Co. on Aug. 16 said that it has sold its interest in Arby’s and Buffalo Wild Wings back to their parent company, Inspire Brands, for $450 million. Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy’s had owned 12.3% of Inspire, a legacy of the ownership interest Wendy’s kept in Arby’s when it sold the chain to private equity firm Roark Capital… read more
From the biggest players down to the startups, there’s a feeling around the restaurant industry that a second coming of casual dining has arrived. You see it touching all aspects of the business—service lifted by technology, simplified food preparation with a nod to better execution, new prototypes built around the customer experience—to provide just a… read more
Mr. Martin was most recently the Sam’s team lead for Quaker products at PepsiCo, Inc. Previously, he was the Walmart director of customer management and the Sam’s director of customer management for the Frito-Lay division at PepsiCo. Before that, he held a variety of senior sales and general management roles at PepsiCo. “Tom is an… read more
Ms. Nooyi will remain chairman of the board until early 2019 to ensure a smooth transition, according to the company. Mr. Laguarta has been with the company for 22 years. Since September 2017, he has served as president of PepsiCo, overseeing global operations, corporate strategy, public policy and government affairs. Previously, Mr. Laguarta served as… read more
Kona Grill Inc. has promoted Jim Kuhn as president and CEO to succeed Berke Bakay, who was appointed executive chairman of the casual-dining chain’s board, the company said. Kuhn most recently served as chief operating officer of the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based grill and sushi bar brand, a position he assumed in December. Bakay succeeds Jim Jundt, who is… read more