| June 11, 2012 | News for the franchise sector |
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- Applebee's uses social humor to sell Girls Night Out
Applebee's has been earning mixed reviews for a social media video campaign launched last week that takes a tongue-in-cheek approach to persuade women to trade time on Facebook and other social media platforms for face time with friends during Girls Night Out at Applebee's.  BrandChannel.com
(6/8)     
- Quickservice restaurants tweak menus to draw business
Quickservice restaurant brands hope to drum up business this summer by offering tasty menu items, writes Carol Tice. For example, Taco Bell recently started selling the Doritos Locos Tacos Supreme, and Wendy's is offering a berry almond chicken salad. Meanwhile, Subway is adding avocados to its list of sandwich fixings. Forbes
(6/8)
- N.J. IHOP markets to groups in mourning
An IHOP franchisee in Bloomfield, N.J., is marketing his restaurant's spacious back room to groups looking for a place to hold funeral repasts. "We really don't make any money on these parties. They're really done to get people to visit our store and get to know us and hopefully come back again with their families," says franchisee Clifford Gennarelli. New Jersey Online
(6/10)
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| Best Practices & Business Leadership |  |  |
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- How to create an effective employee schedule
Creating employee schedules is an important part of managing a business, Ming Ong writes. Start by listing all your employees, along with their skills and qualifications. Allow employees to indicate when they are available, and after creating a schedule, make sure everyone knows how to access it. BPlans.com/Up and Running Blog
(6/8)
- 7 ways managers contribute to workplace conflict
Conflict between people is natural, but bad management can make it worse, Steve Tobak writes. He offers a list of seven ways executives create needless dysfunction and tension in their organizations. No. 1 is failing to clarify responsibilities. "When responsibility is shared or isn't clearly defined, that's a recipe for disaster," Tobak writes. CBS MoneyWatch
(6/8)
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- Restaurants begin to attract more repeat customers
Restaurant brands in several market segments were doing a better job of retaining customers in the first quarter of this year compared with the same period last year, according to a survey by Dectiva. "Maximizing the number of customers who are engaged with the brand and come into the restaurant at least once per month, as a percentage of your total customer base, is what differentiates restaurants on the metrics that we monitor," said Dectiva's Dan Meichenbaum. Nation's Restaurant News (free registration)
(6/8)
- Snacks, spices make the list of 2012 quickservice trends
As 2012 hits the midway point, a few hot food trends are emerging at quickservice eateries, including the increasing popularity of "bites" as people opt for snacks instead of full meals. Healthier kids meals, spicier offerings and the introduction of the 100-year-old Oreo into desserts at chains including White Castle, Wendy's and Tim Hortons are also proving hot. QSRWeb.com
(6/8)
- Google launches Promoted Hotels tool on Hotel Finder
The Promoted Hotels tool, an experiment on Google's Hotel Finder Web page, offers hoteliers a new opportunity to compete for online exposure. Under the format, booking providers such as hotels and online travel agencies can bid to have their selected properties featured prominently on the page's search results. HotelNewsNow.com
(6/8)
- STR reports strong 2011 hotel performance amid economic concerns
STR reported during the recent NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference that overall hotel revenue for 2011 reached $137.5 billion, while pretax profit for the entire industry increased 20%, to $21.6 billion. The results, which were part of the findings in STR's Hotel Operating Statistics study for 2011, offered optimism for hoteliers amid a lingering unease over the economy in the U.S. and abroad, this feature says. Travel Weekly
(6/8)
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Growth opportunities abound outside the U.S., hoteliers say: Hoteliers who attended the NYU International Hospitality Industry Investment Conference last week noted the growing lure of emerging markets as sites for new development. "The message is clear: There are a huge number of developing countries that represent a blank piece of paper and pipelines for the global chains will reflect that," said Alex Kyriakidis, president of Marriott's Middle East and Africa division. The hoteliers detailed the opportunities and challenges in some of the most popular expansion targets, including Africa, Brazil, China and India. HotelNewsNow.com
(6/8)
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New poll reveals broad opposition to health care law
More than two-thirds of Americans hope the Supreme Court will overturn some or all of the 2010 health care law, according to a poll conducted by The New York Times and CBS News. Just 24% said they hoped the court would keep the entire health care law in place. The poll reinforces findings from IFA's 2012 Member Survey, in which franchisees listed health care as their top economic concern. Concerns about health care mandates and regulation dimmed the business outlook for franchisees -- just 22% said they expect the economy to be better in 2012, compared with 47% one year ago.
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Pre-expo event includes private-equity session
With growing interest in franchising, private-equity investors are signing up for the first Private Equity and Franchise Finance Bonus Session in advance of IFA's International Franchise Expo. The session, set for 1 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the Javits Center in New York City, will offer a preview of private-capital opportunities and a networking session with investors. Investors from The Riverside Co. and TZP Group, as well as experts from The McLean Group and DLA Piper, will preview private-equity opportunities and trends. Then Franchise Times Publisher Mary Jo Larson will gather franchise leaders to review the latest trends and options in franchise finance, from senior debt to SBA loans. Register now. The IFE is Friday through Sunday in New York City and is produced by MFV Expositions.
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CruiseOne to award 5 veterans free franchises
CruiseOne has launched a contest honoring the nation's military heroes called "Operation Vetrepreneur: Become Your Own General." The campaign will award free franchises to former members of the U.S. military. The contest is open to former members of any of the five branches of the U.S. military who are retired, are off active duty or were honorably discharged prior to May 15.
 | The Franchise Operations Performance Summit is coming! July 18-19 in Denver, Colorado. OPS is the only franchise executive conference dedicated to operations performance excellence. Attendees experience an interactive two-day expert-led series of workshops on a variety of topics, creating actionable plans for their organizations. Learn more. |
| Policy & Finance Update | |  |
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- Should credit unions be allowed to lend more to businesses?
Credit unions and banks are grappling over whether the federal government should raise the legal cap on the amount of money that credit unions are able to lend to businesses. Groups that represent credit unions say they need more ways to be able to use their deposits. But banks say it wouldn't be fair to raise the cap, and they note that credit unions are exempt from taxes. The Washington Post/Capital Business
(6/10)
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