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In his interview with BurgerBusiness.com earlier this month, J.M. Owens, president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association, said that one challenge keeping McDonald’s from offering breakfast all day is simply space limitation: There isn’t enough grill space in a standard McDonald’s kitchen to prepare two menus—breakfast and lunch/dinner—at once. In Rockford, Ill., northwest of [...]

1) Where there’s an advantage to be had, take it. There’s no evidence that Burger King served horsemeat to consumers, but the chain did withdraw and dump product from one of its meat suppliers, which has been implicated in the supermarket scandal, British magazine Marketing reported. Right on the heels of BK’s announcement that it [...]

Fast-casual burger chain Meatheads celebrates its fifth anniversary today (1/28), which means it is young enough to remain true to the quality commitment on which it was founded but mature enough to concede that a few tweaks could be made to the concept. One departure from custom is the decision to offer a special birthday [...]

The total number of U.S. restaurants increased by 4,442 or 0.7% to 616,008 between the fall of 2011 and fall 2012, according to new data from The NPD Group. Additionally, the number of QSR (quick service and fast casual) burger-menu restaurants grew by 0.7% as well. But the most surprising news is that the number [...]

McDonald’s Corp. CEO Don Thompson pledged that the world’s largest restaurant brand will be more aggressive this year in its pursuit of sales and customers. This comes as the company announced global same-store sales that were up 3.1% for full-year 2012 despite Q4 comps that rose just 0.1%. He warned that January 2013 comp sales [...]

Is bison poised to succeed lamb as the next hip, hot burger protein? Given The Counter’s decision this week to make bison a permanent build-your-own-burger option coupled with Red Robin Gourmet Burgers’ revelation that it is considering a new line of premium Kobe beef and perhaps bison burgers, the all-American protein seems positioned for appearances [...]

In the U.S., McDonald’s “What We’re Made Of” food-quality campaign includes TV spots introducing its suppliers, such as potato grower Frank Martinez and cattle rancher Steve Foglesong. But in Australia McDonald’s is using a variety of high-tech tools to go even deeper with its food sourcing/quality message, allowing diners to track the ingredients in the [...]

Bottom line, Wendy’s hasn’t found a way to make breakfast profitable. Speaking at this week’s ICR Xchange Investor Conference, The Wendy’s Co. CEO Emil Brolick breezed through his A Cut Above/Recipe to Win presentation, stopping just long enough to essentially say, “Oh, and breakfast? Maybe in 2016.” He pointed to a $14.6 million charge the [...]

The bad news is that dining occasions are declining among young adults, who traditionally account for the most restaurant business customer traffic. Balancing this is the news that visits by Millennials’ parents and grandparents have been rising. According to an NPD Group report, “Boomers and Beyond—Targeting for Success,” baby boomers and their seniors (called Mature [...]

 Giraffas was a small burger joint in Brazil when engineering student Carlos Guerra bought it 30 years ago. He kept the fanciful name and expanded it into one of the country’s largest quick-service burger chains. The first of Giraffas Brazilian Steaks & Burgers’ three U.S. locations opened in Miami in 2011 and more are under [...]

Last August, McDonald’s introduced the Chicken Box in Germany, offering a customizable, mix-and-match pack of Chicken McNuggets, Chicken McBites and Chicken Sticks. This site has since predicted that boxed multi-person meals with burgers would finally come to the U.S. in 2013, and we didn’t have to wait long to see it. Just in time for [...]

A McDonald’s franchisee for more than 40 years and operator of eight units, J.M. Owens this year became president of the Greater Atlanta McDonald’s Operators Association. He spoke with BurgerBusiness.com about the negative impact of ending the 2% payroll tax reduction; menu (including McWraps) and pricing; efforts to extend breakfast sales; and the chain’s intention [...]

The Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery chain’s menu offers what it calls an Old Time Pub Burger that it defines as being “no-nonsense.” Menu copy says the burger is “cooked your way and topped with pickles, mayo and mustard. That’s it. Simple and delicious.” This idea of a “pub burger” has gained popularity, perhaps because [...]

McDonald’s is testing lower pricing for its Mighty Wings bone-in chicken wings and not just consumer interest in its test of the item in Chicago. The wings test that began last July in Atlanta moved to Chicago this week with a tweak in pricing. According to a GrubGrade report last summer, in Atlanta the wings [...]

Sonic Drive-In says it is shifting its media-buying strategy to give its brand—now operating in 43 states—a more national profile. And while “non-TV” media spending will be slashed to 7% of its budget, compared with 17% in 2012, the Oklahoma City-based chain says that represents primarily a minimizing of outdoor advertising not digital spending (although, [...]