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| On the Front Burner |  |
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- McDonald's tests late-night 'overlap' menu
Quickservice chains typically don't have the kitchen capacity to serve breakfast and lunch at the same time. Now, McDonald's is testing a limited late-night "McDonald’s After Midnight" menu that offers a "best of" selection from both meals. BurgerBusiness.com
(1/31)      
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 | Made-From-Scratch Flavor Made Easy
Drive fry sales with hand cut taste that's shortcut simple. Customers look for words like "natural," "hand-cut" and "authentic" on menus. With NEW McCain Fresh-Style Fries, you can make hand cut quality fries in minutes—and with less waste than making them from scratch. Save up to $100. |
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- Chains go big with Super Bowl party packs
Quickservice and fast-casual chains are ramping up their party-size offerings for Super Bowl Sunday. Chipotle will bring back the carryout carton for orders of six to 100 burritos, KFC will sell a new 26-piece bucket that comes with a bowl of wings and chicken bites, and others including Taco Bell, Pizza Hut and McDonald's have created super-sized party packaging just for the big game. The Wall Street Journal
(1/29)
- Report: Grocers raise quality bar on prepared foods
Supermarkets' prepared food offerings won over budget-conscious consumers during the downturn, but many shoppers are turning back to restaurant meals as the economy improves, according to Technomic. Now, some retailers are improving the quality of their prepared offerings in an push to keep customers coming back, the report says. FastCasual.com
(1/30)
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What is your restaurant's main strategy for avoiding menu price increases despite rising commodity costs?
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Reducing portion sizes and/or removing high-cost menu items |
35.25%
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Mitigating and preventing losses |
22.13%
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Promoting lower-priced items |
12.30%
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Renegotiating contracts |
11.48%
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Other |
9.84%
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Changing suppliers |
9.02%
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- Is there room to cut costs from your food budget?
Food costs are on the rise, but restaurants have a roster of tips and tricks to cut costs without sacrificing quality, writes consultant Jeremiah Higgins. He advises operators to keep inventory organized, work with vendors to create order guides for managers to follow and set firm delivery times. PizzaMarketplace.com
(1/28)
- Food Recovery Network saved 120,000 pounds of food in 2012
Students from the University of Maryland who were amazed at the amount of food that was thrown out of cafeterias and after sporting events decided to take action and reduce the amount of food waste in their community. They formed the Food Recovery Network, which picks up leftover food and delivers it to shelters instead of letting it end up in the trash. The initiative has expanded, and last year, students at 12 campuses saved 120,000 pounds of food. The Washington Post
(1/28)
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- Arby's molten chocolate cake was 58 years in the baking
Molten chocolate cake has its roots in the "Tunnel of Fudge" cake that won the Pillsbury Bake-Off in 1966; the concept of a cake with warm, oozing fudge filling really started to take off 21 years later, when chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten added the treat to the dessert menu at JoJo. Arby's head chef Neville Simpson Craw spent seven years tailoring the recipe for mass production, and this month the chain finally debuted its Molten Chocolate Lava Cake. The Huffington Post
(1/30)
- Chefs get creative when diners want salads in January
Some restaurants say they've seen more salad orders this month, which is making it a challenge for chefs to find fresh produce in colder climates. Hartford, Conn., chef Billy Grant says he uses fruits and creative toppings to make up for a shortage of fresh veggies in the winter, and he offers warm vegetable dishes, such as beets and red kale, that still fit into the salad category. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model)
(1/31)
 | All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast."
--John Gunther,
American author and journalist
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