EAT (RED) DRINK (RED) SAVE LIVES

June 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment
This month of June Pat LaFrieda and Chef Mario Batali partnered with (RED) to raise awareness of the fight against AIDS. From June 1st – June 10th participating restaurants, bars and food trucks are donating a portion of their sales to the Global Fund to fight AIDS. The participants are getting involved by creating (RED) inspired recipes, dishes, cocktails and prix-fixe menus in order to help #86AIDS, a term used in the industry to show an item is no longer available on the menu: this is ultimately what (RED) wants to see occur with the AIDS epidemic.
A few chefs that have joined the cause include:
Chef Marcus Samuelsson
Chef David Burke
Chef Gabrielle Hamilton
Buddy Valastro
To find out more about either how to get involved or for participating restaurants click here
Filed Under: Events, Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz Tagged With: ,

New Foodie Crowdfunding Site

June 4, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Having noticed a significant increase in food-related crowdfunding campaigns on popular sites such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo, Cheryl Clements, Founder & CEO of Fundafeast, took it upon herself to find a method to help food entrepreneurs grow their business. In February of this year Clements launched Fundafeast, a NYC based food-specific crowdfunding site. A few similar sites already existed, however, the Fundafeast business model set itself apart by having implemented a “Keep It All” policy;  meaning that apart from the site’s 4% fee, members retain all of what they raise. Startups using Fundafeast are also offered memberships to the site where they can benefit from services such as web development, product design guidance and legal help at a very low cost.

To read more about Fundafeast’s growing community and an interview with the Founder & CEO click here

 

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz

Superfoods as a New Menu Trend

June 3, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Restaurant operators are beginning to clearly see the value of implementing more superfoods on their menus. Superfoods can be generally defined as foods that are high in antioxidants, nutrients and fiber as well as have an association with disease prevention and management. As consumers become more health conscious, operators are attempting to provide more nutritionally beneficial options on their menus. A 2012 Technomic, Inc. study showed that 38% of consumers aged 18 years or older would be more likely to visit restaurants that offer healthy choices even if they did not end up ordering them. The addition of superfoods on menus will result in greater variety for the consumer and help drive purchases.

 

Check out the article here

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Local Market Buzz, Trending Now

Chefs Becoming Entrepreneurs

May 28, 2014 by Leave a Comment

GE Capital’s Chain Restaurant Industry Review was recently released and reported that large chain restaurants  increased their market share last year with the 100 largest commanding 49.5% of all restaurant sale in the U.S.

In addition, the total number of independent food businesses outnumbered the total number of chain restaurants. Research showed that there is an increasing number of  unique restaurant concepts gathered under a single chef’s or restaurateur’s brand, such as Union Square Hospitality Group. Although many groups have one concept or brand that evolve into a chain, the business stems from entrepreneurial innovators who want to create something new each time.

This is in part, due to the economics. Fine dining establishments are great for chefs looking to establish their reputations, but the toughest kind of business to grow. For many chefs, once they’ve established themselves with a fine-dining concept, an attractive option is to branch out with new, more casual concepts.

Read more about entrepreneurial chefs here.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With:

Restaurant Industry to Add Over 500K Jobs This Season

May 27, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The National Restaurant Association released new projections that the restaurant industry expects to add 508,000 jobs this summer. This would be the second consecutive year in which restaurants add over 500,000 during a single season. As summer is the busiest season in the majority of the country, the increase in business creates additional job opportunities, particular in large tourist areas.

The states projected to add the most  jobs during the 2014 summer season are below:

California (47,600)
New York (46,300)
Massachusetts (30,400)
New Jersey (28,000)
Texas (27,200)
Ohio (22,400) and
Michigan (21,600)

Read more about the released report here.

 

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz

9th Annual Fast Casual Executive Summit in Denver

May 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The 9th Annual Fast Casual Executive Summit will be held in Denver, Co from October 12-15 at the Four Seasons Hotel. Lon Southerland, senior director, global food and beverage for Marriott International, will be the keynote speakers. The event is designed to bring together the movers and shakers of the of the fast casual industry.

See the agenda and more information here.

Filed Under: Events, Global Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: , , , ,

Domino’s Launches New Application

April 25, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Domino’s, pizza chain, is launching a brand new iPad application that features a 3D “realistic pizza builder.”

The application gives  customers an opportunity to see a “more realistic view” of their end product as the customize with various sauces and toppings. In addition, the iPad app will also feature a tracker that monitors the progress of your order in real time. Similar to other Domino apps, users will have access to Domino’s national menu, coupons, and a store locator.

The new app is way of supporting and growing Domino’s strong percentage of digital orders. According to Tech Crunch, digital orders account for about 40 percent of all the company’s sales in the U.S.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations, Shopbuzz Tagged With: , , ,

Red Mango to Offer Fresh-Squeezed Juices

April 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

Red Mango has recently rolled-out fresh-squeezed juices in their stores and co-branded Juice Bars  across the U.S – an attempt to take part in the $5 billion juicing industry. Founder Dan Kim noted that today’s consumer have limited location options for fresh juices such as a health food store or juicing boutique. Red Mango has been looking to offer affordable and high-quality options for years but have recently decided the time is right as juicing is one of the fastest growing segments in the industry.

The fresh-squeezed juices menu at Red Mango will include flavors such as Sweet Green Zing and Cool Pineapple Zen. All juices are squeezed-to-order in front of the customers. Prices range from $2.95 to $5.95.

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations Tagged With: ,

Panera 2.0: A Digital Ordering Platform

April 21, 2014 by Leave a Comment

At Panera’s Investor Day, Chairman and CEO Ron Shaich unveiled Panera 2.0 – a digital ordering platform that the Company plans to deploy at all of its locations by 2016. Panera 2.0 has two components:

1)  “Rapid Pick-Up,” which allows guests to order from the Panera website or the new Panera mobile app and then pick-up in-store

2) “Enhanced To-Go and Eat-In” kiosks (enclosed and mounted iPads), that enable the customer to order in-store

The idea is to better serve both take-out and and dine-in customers by making the experience more seamless and efficient. Shaich stated that this is not simply a need for new technology but “an evolution of Panera’s guest experience.” The Company’s vision was digital ordering program that utilizes technology to offer customers an experience that is faster, more accurate, and more personal.

You can read more on Panera 2.0 here at Fastcasual.com

 

 

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz, Operations, Uncategorized Tagged With: , ,

Coffee Green Bean Prices on the Rise

March 14, 2014 by Leave a Comment

The biggest arabica coffee rally in two decades is beginning to force smaller-brand roasters to quietly raise wholesale prices, even as top names such as Starbucks Corp resist. The price of arabica coffee futures, the type used primarily in roast and ground brews, surged 80 percent in less than seven weeks on Wednesday, rising above $2 per lb in the biggest such rally since July 1994.
One private-label roaster in the New York area is set to raise its prices by 10 percent to 15 percent within the next few weeks. NY TIMES ARTICLE

Filed Under: Global Market Buzz Tagged With: ,
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