Growth slows for restaurant chains in 2016

March 31, 2017

The Top 500 chain restaurants experienced a deceleration in 2016 with cumulative sales growth checking in at 3.6 percent, down from 5.2 percent the prior year…

Study: Consumers receptive to chatbots

March 30, 2017

A majority of consumers are comfortable talking with a chatbot yet only a fraction have engaged with one, according to the 2017 Mobile Consumer Report from…

QSR customer experience? Chipotle and Chick-fil-A win, while McDonald's and Taco Bell flounder

March 27, 2017

In the customer experience game, a survey of 10,000 U.S. diners concerning 24 top fast food brands, found that Chick-fil-A rules the coop at 83 percent, with…

How self-serve kiosks can rescue corporate dining — part 1

by Elliot Maras — Editor, Kiosk Marketplace & Vending Times

The self-serve kiosk rewrites the economics of corporate dining.

ICX Association extends entry deadline for annual Elevate Awards

March 14, 2017

Nomination deadline for the Association's annual awards has been extended to April 3.

Study: Americans still love In-n-Out, Chik-fil-A , Chipotle, Firehouse, Marco's Pizza

March 7, 2017

Chipotle, Chick-fil-A, Marco's Pizza, Firehouse Subs and In-n-Out still top the list of Americans' favorite fast food chains, according to a consumer study…

Restaurant numbers drop as diners stay home

February 27, 2017

A series of restaurant industry polls and data analyses indicated significant change is underway in the restaurant industry, much of it not particularly…

Research: Worldwide political uncertainty = unpredictable economies

February 24, 2017

The wildly fluctuating and uncertain political climate in both the U.S. and Europe may cause some real problems for the economy this year for both areas, while…

Wendy's plans to have kiosks in more than 1,000 North American restaurants in 2017

February 23, 2017

More than 1,000 Wendy's restaurants in North America will have kiosks in 2017, Chief Information Officer David Trimm stated at the company's recent investor…

FastCasual accepting nominations for Top 100 Movers & Shakers

January 4, 2017

FastCasual is taking nominations for its annual list of Top 100 Movers & Shakers, which honors the brands and executives leading the fast casual restaurant…

Study: QSR and Fast Casual only restaurant segments to see traffic growth in '17

January 3, 2017

If there's a bright spot in the restaurant industry outlook for the year ahead, at least one data analysis and research company believes it will be in the…

Pushing boundaries: Top 10 menu trends of 2017 revealed

by Cherryh Cansler — Publisher, FastCasual.com

Combining cuisines from all over the world will be 2017's No. 1 trend. Other trends include spicier flavor profiles, more vegan and veggie options and DIY…

5 findings inside diners' minds make great guides for 2017

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

NPD Group recently outlined its top five predictions about the American diner's state of mind as it relates to the dinner plate. Taken collectively, these five…

A 'post mortem': Looking back at 2016's hard-learned lessons

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Experts weigh in on the eight lessons they learned in 2016 about the fine art of running a restaurant.

Delivery data: Mac and cheese, oxtail soup top 2016 at-home orders

December 15, 2016

The market for home-meal delivery grew substantially over the past year, and Grubhub, a mobile food-ordering company, has used data about those deliveries to…

Fishbowl, Olo integrating to allow operators to leverage online ordering data for better customer engagement

December 6, 2016

Fishbowl and Olo are integrating their platforms to allow restaurant operators to leverage online ordering data as a source for identifying customers and…

Q3 restaurant visits decline, fast casual is no exception

December 6, 2016

Although traffic growth at U.S. restaurants remained flat during the first half of 2016, Q3 results were even worse, according to The NPD Group, which found…

Technomic downgrades restaurant growth projections

November 29, 2016

The company said its May results released for the two-year period were overly optimistic and that declining traffic across food service has prompted the…

Will the menu trends of 2017 turn to the dark side?

by S.A. Whitehead — Food Editor, Net World Media Group

Charcoal, heavy fats and lots of bubbles may not sound like they belong on 2017's list of menu trends, but the Canadian food-centric marketing consultancy…

Going global: Restaurant Franchising & Innovation Summit adds European event

Early-bird registration is now open for next year's London and Dallas summits.