• Restaurant chains change it up with new concepts
  Starbucks is branching out into tea, juice and fruit smoothie concepts, while White Castle is expanding with The Laughing Noodle and a sandwich eatery called Deckers. While some big chains are experimenting with completely new concepts, most such as Red Robin and Famous Dave's BBQ are aiming for new twists on their established brands. Forbes (11/16)      

• Brinker's survival strategy focused on cost cutting
  When the recession hit, Chili's and Maggiano's owner Brinker International put the brakes on new restaurant openings and focused on cutting costs and maximizing efficiency in its existing restaurants. While sales have declined as a result, sales per employee are at their highest level ever and earnings rose 66% in the past two years. The Dallas Morning News (free content) (11/17)      

• Survey: Most consumers want calorie counts on the menu
  Some 70% of consumers say it matters to them that calorie counts, sodium content and other nutrition information are included on the menu at chain restaurants, and nearly as many would like to see the information available at all restaurants, according to a Technomic survey. "As a consequence, we expect restaurants will face growing pressure for more comprehensive nutritional disclosure," said study director and Technomic EVP Bob Goldin. QSRWeb.com (11/16)      

• Other News

• Wage lawsuit vs. Darden grows to more than 50 plaintiffs
  Reuters (11/16)      

• Pizza chain Uncle Maddio's to open 2 stores per month in 2013
  FastCasual.com (11/16)      

• Franchisee PJ United buys 26 Papa John's units
  PizzaMarketplace.com (11/16)      

Sponsored Poll

• What are your company's expansion plans for 2013?
  

We have no plans to expand

We plan to expand locally

We plan to expand regionally

We plan to expand internationally

• Can you turned canned food into a gourmet meal?
  Canning was invented in response to an 18th-century challenge by Napoleon Bonaparte, who was looking for a way to keep food safe and portable for his armies. Today, practical aspects of canned food keep it popular, while chefs increasingly are showing cash-strapped consumers how to create culinary masterpieces by opening a few cans. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Food & Beverage (11/19)      

• Food takes center stage on world tours
  Americans' growing passion for everything food has spurred a rise in popularity of global culinary tours, exploring everything from the lobster industry in Maine to an olive press in Tuscany. "There has been an evolution of baby boomers who look at food not just as nutrition. They buy food as art and see food as culture," said Stacie Fasola, a spokeswoman for Boston-based travel company Road Scholar. The Boston Globe (tiered subscription model) (11/17)      

• NetWaiter tracks the growth of online ordering
  Online ordering capabilities quickly morphed from simple operational tool to marketing asset as eateries realized customers using online ordering were spending more and ordering more often, said Jared Shimoff, who co-founded NetWaiter early last decade. He shares insights into how online ordering has evolved, especially with the advent of social media. QSRWeb.com (11/16)      

• Can tech tools add the human touch?
  Your workers would be hard-pressed to remember the names and faces of all your customers, much less keep track of each persons' preferences, but there are several technology tools that can help your eatery add a personal touch. The solutions range from mobile ordering options that speed the process to "previous order recall" options and loyalty programs that track customers' personalized orders. QSRWeb.com (11/16)      

• American-style "better" burgers find favor in France
  French restaurateur Victor Garnier took a lengthy burger-tasting tour of the U.S. before heading home to open his gourmet burger joint, Blend. Garnier, "The Smoking Truck" operator Kristen Frederick and others are making the most of a growing French craving for American-style gourmet burgers. CBS News (11/18)      

• Other News

• McDonald's takes the yolk out of the McMuffin
  BurgerBusiness.com (11/16)      

Top five news stories selected by Restaurant SmartBrief readers in the past week.

Times critic flames Fieri's new restaurant with first no-star review (The New York Times (tiered subscription model))

Starbucks to make biggest-ever acquisition with Teavana purchase (The Wall Street Journal)

Food Network restaurant dishes out fare inspired by celebrity chefs (Sun-Sentinel (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.))

Fla. restaurateur to label new fee "Obamacare" (The Huffington Post)

	Pizza Hut sends wing concept on solo flight (The Dallas Morning News (free content))
Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

Featured Content

• Wingstop names new franchise development chief
  QSRMagazine.com (11/16)      

Nature never said to me: Do not be poor. Still less did she say: Be rich. Her cry to me was always: Be independent." --Nicolas Chamfort, French writer

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