Global Foodservice News

Last summer, Blaze Pizza’s buzzword was agility. At that point, the 340-unit cult favorite was only a few months removed from a global pandemic that rocked the entire world. Its 80 percent dine-in business plummeted to zero overnight. Franchisee security, family bundle deals, and digital innovation were among the countless pivots. The journey was tough,…

When George Floyd was murdered at the hands of police one year ago, the nation had enough, and protests led by the Black Lives Matter movement broke out across the country. Goals of these protests included protecting Black men and women from police violence and achieving equity in the world. The social-justice movement quickly expanded…

Yum Brands Inc. has agreed to acquire technology company Dragontail Systems Limited for 93.5 million Australian dollars (around $72.6 million), with plans to scale Dragontail’s artificial intelligence kitchen order management and delivery technology globally, the two companies said Wednesday. Dragontail, based in Perth, Australia, said its technology integrates the process of getting food to customers…

Strain has 20 years of experience in retail development. He is a founding partner of RDE, LLC, a consulting firm providing store development advice to multi-unit restaurants around the country. He has also held real estate and store development positions with McDonald’s, Dunkin’ Brands, and Starbucks. “I am thrilled to join the Potbelly family and…

The National Restaurant Association and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants created a Restaurant Revitalization Fund Expense Tracker to help grantees more easily document their use of funds in specific categories. The budget tool is essential for restaurants, bars, breweries, caterers, distilleries, bakeries, food trucks and other entities who will need to closely track their RRF eligible…

Stories outlining business best practices from consumer packaged goods brands proved especially popular with SmartBrief’s food and beverage readers this week. A feature on Clorox’s hybrid work model topped the list. The company redesigned its California headquarters to better facilitate social distancing and updated employee roles that call for a mix of in-office and remote…

Chef Troy Guard enjoys the process of building new concepts from the ground up. What started with a single fine-dining restaurant, TAG, in Denver in 2009 has blossomed into an umbrella group of eight distinct concepts, ranging from fast-casual to high-end and everything in between. But for as much as Guard relishes starting from scratch,…

The first Buona Beef opened in Chicago 40 years ago, a 1,500-square-foot spot with 36 seats and no drive-thru that was secured when the owners took out a $ 10,000-second mortgage. It took 15 years, but the Italian beef concept opened its second location and then developed a plan to steadily add units. Today, Chicago-based…

Having been around for more than a century, Nathan’s Famous is no stranger to operating a legacy brand through the ebbs and flows of fast-food trends. Of late, this has materialized across 168 operating ghost kitchens—a number growing each week, SVP of restaurants James Walker says. It includes Nathan’s as a bolt-on opportunity for independents…