News
Denny’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts Go Back Decades
In the mid-1990s, Denny’s faced class-action lawsuits that accused the company of discriminatory actions. The family-dining leader agreed to pay more than $54 million to settle lawsuits filed by thousands of black customers who claimed they were refused service or forced to wait longer or pay more than white guests. At the time, Deval L.…
Read MorePPP Forgiveness Process Begins
Restaurants who received funding from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) may soon learn if their loans have been forgiven. The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) began processing applications for forgiveness on Friday, with some lenders already being forwarded funds to cover loans to restaurants and other small businesses under the $670 billion program, according to…
Read MorePapa John’s Names New CFO
Steve Coke, interim principal financial and accounting officer, will continue in his role as vice president of investor relations and strategy. Ms. Gugino brings to the role more than 20 years of financial management, planning and strategic expertise. Most recently, she was senior vice president of financial planning and analysis at Target Corp. Previously she…
Read MoreCleaning, Sanitizing, Disinfecting, what’s the Difference?
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency have released comprehensive guidelines outlining how to keep restaurants and other food services running safely. There’s a wealth of information on how to properly clean, sanitize, and disinfect different parts of your establishment. Here’s a quick roundup of what these steps mean that…
Read MoreTik Tok Proves Potent Marketing Channel for some Restaurants
Ever heard of Charli D’Amelio? If you’re not on TikTok—the fast-growing, video-based social media platform—chances are you haven’t. At least not prior to Sept. 2, when Dunkin’ launched a collaboration with the 16-year-old TikTok megastar—and immediately broke its record for daily active app users. “On launch day, we saw a 57% increase in Dunkin’ app downloads in…
Read MoreBlaze Pizza Names New CMO and Chief Restaurant Officer
Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza has expanded its executive ranks with the appointment of Vince Szwajkowski as chief marketing officer and Rick Gestring as chief restaurant officer, the company announced. The Pasadena, Calif.-based fast-casual pizza brand earlier this year added Marie Zhang as chief supply chain officer and Ed Yancey as vice president of franchise development on…
Read MoreWinners Chosen in Chicago’s Outdoor Dining Design Contest
Cozy cabins and heated tables are among the winning ideas announced Thursday as part of a design contest in Chicago to develop solutions to extend the city’s outdoor dining season. The city-sponsored contest, which began in August, drew 643 submissions, including humorous offerings such as generating warmth by heating up urban rats. Judges from design…
Read MoreDomino’s Quarterly Sales Surge but Pandemic Costs hit Earnings; Shares Tumble
The pizza chain reported fiscal third-quarter net income of $99.1 million, or $2.49 per share, up from $86.4 million, or $2.05 per share, a year earlier. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting earnings of $2.79 per share. While the pandemic lifted sales, it also boosted costs for the company. Higher wages for front-line workers, personal…
Read MoreInnovation is not Cancelled
Despite economic challenges, hundreds of thousands of startups are launching across the country. The number of business applications filed in the United States in the week ended Aug. 29 exceeded 101,600, up 62% over the prior-year period, according to US Census Bureau data. Drexel Food Lab, a product development and culinary innovation center at Philadelphia-based…
Read MorePollo Campero Seeks its Piece of the Chicken Empire
Sam Wong remembers hearing about the chicken concept Pollo Campero nearly 20 years ago. He was told that customers were waiting hours just to get into the restaurant. At first, Wong wasn’t buying the hype. So he drove 65 miles to Los Angeles to get a firsthand impression. As it turns out, the hyperbole was…
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