2009 Year in Review: Alcoholic beverage trends

Dec 21, 2009

In 2009’s tough economic climate, where every penny counted, operators looked to alcoholic beverages to fill up in profits.Operators prepared specialty drinks with less expensive brands and ingredients while they changed and updated beverage menus...

2009 Year in Review

Dec 21, 2009

The foodservice industry spent 2009 slogging through the worst economy in living memory, facing customers whose most frugal moods in previous years seemed downright extravagant compared with their attitude over the past 12 months. Consequently...

2009 Year in Review: Legislative issues

Dec 21, 2009

As foodservice operators struggled to find a glimmer of light at the end of our long recessionary tunnel, lawmakers in 2009 grappled with a list of vital legislative issues, a number of which could have long-term ramifications for the industry...

2009 Year in Review: Side Dishes

Dec 21, 2009

When applying for a job, try not to rob the placeOMAHA, NEB.—Here’s a helpful hint on what not to do when interviewing for a job: Try not to rob the restaurant where you say you want to work.A man here, who asked for and received a job application...

Quick-service operators count on couponing

Dec 14, 2009

After years of using six direct-mail coupon drops per year to drive customers in when a new product or limited-time offer was introduced, El Pollo Loco this year increased the number of coupon mailings to nine, along with adding more...

Houston’s pro-business climate cooks up Texas-sized recovery

Dec 07, 2009

HOUSTON —Just a little more than a year after being buffeted by Hurricane Ike and the nation’s credit collapse, this Texas port city is nonetheless in the midst of a restaurant boom. As other...

Liquid assets: Restaurant owners tap craft beer’s profitable power

Nov 30, 2009

When President Obama hosted a “beer summit” on race relations over a few cold ones this summer, wags likened the White House Rose Garden to a beer garden. But for a growing number of restaurant operators and their customers, it’s no joke at all to...

Rewarding packages for executives should go beyond just cash

Nov 16, 2009

David Mansbach, co-president, North America, at HVS Executive Search in Mineola, N.Y., and longtime consultant to the restaurant and hospitality industries, knows that the best compensation packages aren’t all about the numbers. Mansbach has...

Pay attention or pay the price

Nov 16, 2009

As the stalled economy forces chain executives to focus on cost cutting, fine-tuning operations and chasing elusive sales, they are spending less time on matters like executive compensation, benefits and total rewards packages—and that will come...

Restaurant companies find creative ways to compensate talent

Nov 16, 2009

Restaurateurs are finding ways to offer benefits and perks despite the unrelenting downturn, runaway unemployment and skyrocketing health care costs.While some operators say they have been forced to cut back on programs such as 401(k) and health...