• Survey: 92% of diners say they speak up about bad meals
  The lion's share of U.S. consumers say they voice their complaints about bad restaurant experiences to others, and 25% say they'll speak up about cleanliness concerns, according to the 2012 Tork Report. Some 60% of respondents said they were likely to share complaints with their social media networks, and 65% said there was at least some chance they would voice concerns on a restaurant review site. FastCasual.com (12/28)      

• Report: Restaurants win back pizza lovers from frozen alternatives
  Frozen pizza sales took a big leap after the recession hit, as belt-tightening consumers opted to dine out less, but the trend began reversing in 2011, according to IBISWorld. In 2011 and 2012, revenue from frozen pizza sales fell 5% and 3.8% respectively as more people headed back to the pizzeria. PizzaMarketplace.com (12/28)      

• Iowa-based Pancheros plans westward expansion
  Fresh-Mex fast-casual concept Pancheros has grown to 50 locations since the first one opened in Iowa in 1992, and founder Rodney L. Anderson says franchisees will open between 10 and 25 new units next year, entering new markets including California. "We hope to grow to 75 units or so next year and 100 the year after that, but available quality real estate is the key determination factor for this occurring." FastCasual.com (12/28)      

• Other News

• Vegan restaurant gets its sauces into Williams-Sonoma
  The Philadelphia Inquirer (12/26)      

• NYC restaurateurs take their flavors to Asia
  Mario Batali's new Lupa restaurant in Hong Kong is sleek and formal, but it boasts a menu that mirrors the casual New York City original. Batali is one of several Manhattan restaurateurs and chefs such as Michael White, Danny Meyer, Daniel Boulud and Jean-Georges Vongerichten who are looking to Asia and the Middle East for new growth opportunities. The New York Times (tiered subscription model) (12/28)      

• What's on tap for restaurant marketing in 2013?
  In uncertain times, restaurants must do their best to understand the current consumer mindset and market themselves accordingly, writes Duke Marketing CEO Linda Duke. She spells out some trends for 2013, including increased use of photos and video and content likely to be shared and spark new conversations among brand fans. FastCasual.com (12/26)      

• Other News

• Startup looks to deliver healthy, local meals to Philadelphia, surrounding counties
  The Philadelphia Inquirer (12/30)      

• Transparency, sustainability lead 2013 food trends
  Next year's food trends will include a push to reduce food waste, greater transparency in food labeling, a focus on meatless proteins and the increased use of mobile devices to interact with food, according to SupermarketGuru.com's Phil Lempert. Tech startups will also play a growing role in developing applications and other products that help consumers make healthier food choices and obtain food information, he says. Forbes (12/28)      

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

Why some eateries are saying "so long" to cash (QSR Magazine)

What Western concepts need to know about China (FastCasual.com)

Wendy's and its franchisees agree on new value menus (BurgerBusiness.com)

FDA set to sign off on genetically modified salmon (ScientificAmerican.com)

	Report: Restaurant franchises on the rise in 2013 (American City Business Journals)
Results based on number of times each story was clicked by readers.

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