Tom Wilscam was 14 when he became a soda jerk, and 25 when he became manager of his first restaurant. It was a small place, not a very busy one, located between Golden and Boulder, Colo. He worked there after graduating from college, making a...

IRVINE CALIF. —El Pollo Loco has launched the first of four new Spanish-language TV spots under the theme “Dark Side” that depict the lengths to which people will go to keep the chain’s flame-grilled...

Restaurant marketers have something new to worry about if they have to deal with a crisis, as Yum! Brands Inc. learned recently from a rat infestation at a franchised KFC-Taco Bell restaurant in New York City.The Internet—a vital tool in giving...

PALMDALE, CALIF. —When the franchisor of the 64-unit RedBrick Pizza concept files for renewal of its Uniform Franchise Offering Circular in California this spring, the UFOC document likely will disclose nine lawsuits—enough, some...

Two little words—“in China”—deleted from a franchising law could make a big difference between profits or perils for American restaurant chains that have yet to open in the world’s fastest-growing economy. The recent sigh of...

Restaurant anniversary promotions can be as simple as offering free dessert or as elaborate as sending a lucky customer on a European vacation.But operators say almost any method for celebrating a birthday milestone can be a potent way to raise...

Major restaurant chains have long relied on computerized sales forecasts or old-school human analysis to determine whether or not to invest in a new location. Now many franchised brands are learning that one of the byproducts of such research can...