The National Restaurant Association’s annual report on the Top 20 Food Trends for 2018.
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Chick-fil-A is beating every competitor by training workers to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ – BI
”The secret to Chick-fil-A’s success is as simple as saying “please” and “thank you.”
“The chicken chain is statistically the most polite chain in the restaurant business, according to a QSR Magazine’s annual drive-thru report released in October. Employees at Chick-fil-A were the most likely of the 15 chains surveyed to say “please” and “thank you,” and to smile at drive-thru customers. Chick-fil-A workers were also as the second most likely to have a “pleasant demeanor,” only topped by the up-and-coming fast-food chain PDQ.”
Going Out for Lunch Is a Dying Tradition – WSJ
“Restaurants suffer as people eat at their desks; no more three-martini sit-down meals”
“The U.S. restaurant industry is in a funk. Blame it on lunch. Americans made 433 million fewer trips to restaurants at lunchtime last year, resulting in roughly $3.2 billion in lost business…”
Four of America’s Greatest Chefs Talk About Their 30-Year Friendship
Darden’s ‘Back-to-Basics’ Approach is Beating the Competition
“In the second quarter, Darden’s total sales boomed 14.6 percent, year-over-year, to $1.88 billion…[even as] BDO’s latest edition of The Counter, an industry benchmarking update that collects data from publicly traded restaurant companies, showed that sales at casual and upscale casual restaurants fell 0.9 percent and 0.4 percent, respectively, across the board, in the past quarter.”
“The 500-unit LongHorn has reduced its menu by nearly 30 percent over the past couple of years. The change has led to higher level of execution, Lee said. It’s also allowed LongHorn to focus on quality, guest experience, and service.”
Looking to Hire Millennials? Sustainability Commitment Is Key
“79 percent of millennials consider a company’s social and environmental commitments when deciding where to work. Another 75 percent of millennials say they would take a pay cut to work for a company with a strong commitment to the Earth.”
(study by Cone Communications)
Report: Fast Casual Sales Hit Hardest in 3Q – QSR Magazine
“As companies work to cater to consumers’ demands for high quality and freshness, restaurants will have to get creative with menu engineering to satisfy these cravings while managing somewhat unpredictable costs,” BDO said.”
Soil Power! The Dirty Way to a Green Planet
"The last great hope of avoiding catastrophic climate change may lie in a substance so commonplace that we typically ignore it or else walk all over it: the soil beneath our feet."
"The earth possesses five major pools of carbon. Of those pools, the atmosphere is already overloaded with the stuff; the oceans are turning acidic as they become saturated with it; the forests are diminishing; and underground fossil fuel reserves are being emptied. That leaves soil as the most likely repository for immense quantities of carbon."
Chipotle seeks CEO successor with turnaround expertise
“Company faces near-term uncertainty with Steve Ells’ stepping down, analysts say. Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. seeks a CEO with turnaround expertise to succeed founder Steve Ells, who will step down to become executive chairman, but restaurant analysts expect uncertainty in the near term.”