Clicks and cravings: How social media impacts food choices

by Melissa Abbott — Director, Culinary Insights, The Hartman Group, Inc

There is no debate that social media and digital technologies have altered U.S. consumers' shopping behaviors and purchase decisions for foods and beverages.

Report: Customers tend to patronize independent restaurants over chains

September 26, 2011

Battling with low-operator and consumer confidence, rising food costs and a lack of corporate support, independent restaurants can be hit hard in these poor…

NRA seeking experts for show sessions

September 25, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is now accepting proposals for education sessions from individuals and organizations for its 2012 Restaurant, Hotel-Motel…

Technomic: Mediterranean cuisine presents opportunities

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

September 22, 2011

Mediterranean cuisine is increasingly appearing on restaurant menus across numerous segments, according to recent research from Technomic.

Commentary: Social media has earned a seat at the table

Social media efforts need to be on par with all of the mainstream disciplines, such as operations, marketing and real estate.

Carl's Jr., Hardee's reaching out to Millennials

September 21, 2011

CKE Restaurants Inc., parent company of Carl's Jr. and Hardee's, has signed an advertising agreement with OneMinuteNews.com, an online news website geared…

NPD Group: Restaurant traffic slips slightly in Q2

September 18, 2011

Just as the U.S. economy stalled in the second quarter of the year, so did restaurant industry traffic, according to The NPD Group, a market research company.

NRA Innovations Awards application process opens

September 14, 2011

The National Restaurant Association is now seeking applications from foodservice equipment manufacturers for its 2012 Kitchen Innovations Awards.

LivingSocial survey: Lunch is most popular dine-out opportunity

September 14, 2011

LivingSocial has released results from its first "Dining Out" survey of consumer behavior. The research was conducted among 4,000 Americans by Mandala Research.

QSRs roll out fall LTOs, promotions

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Autumn flavors pushed into spotlight; football-themed promotions generate guest excitement.

NPD Group: Millennials' influence on foodservice industry growing

September 6, 2011

Millennials made more than 13 billion of the 59 billion visits made to foodservice establishments in 2010 and spent $73 billion dollars, according to The NPD…

Wendy's named top overall QSR in Zagat's 2011 list

September 5, 2011

McDonald's, Subway and Wendy's were big winners in this year's Zagat's National Fast Food Restaurant Survey, released today.

Kids have tastes, too

by Barry Klein — Marketing Directo, Go Roma

The deluge of news about changes and restrictions in Kids Meals, and new offerings that are supposed to make kids healthier and happier is most interesting.

Restaurants gear up for Labor Day as industry outlook softens

August 30, 2011

New research from the National Restaurant Association estimates that 35 percent of American consumers will dine out, takeout or order delivery from a…

QSRs upgrading burgers to keep up with fast casual growth

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Although McDonald's is still the clear sales-driver in the burger category, fast casual brands now represent a majority of the Top 75 burger concepts in…

Snack attack: Changing lifestyles present sales opportunities

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Chains are embracing smaller portioned items in post-lunch space.

Growth spurt: Inc. 500 list full of fast casual concepts

by Alicia Kelso — Editor, QSRWeb.com

Annual list measures percentage revenue growth of privately held companies.

Are you delighting your customers?

by Janet Eden-Harris — CMO & SVP Strategy, Market Force

The growth in our industry is just mind-boggling when you think about it. According to the NRF, you and I now spend 49 cents of every food dollar on dining…

Study: Despite more choices, customers still choosing regular coffee

August 16, 2011

Despite an increase in specialty coffee offerings, regular hot coffee still accounts for the highest level of consumption among consumers recently surveyed by…

Restaurant State of the Industry Report, Part 2 now available

August 16, 2011

The Restaurant State of the Industry Report, Part 2: Business Strategy, developed and published by FastCasual.com, is now available for purchase.