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Yet Another Whopper Variation for Burger KingSeptember 8, 2010
The Salsa Cheese Whopper in Germany has Cheddar sauce, American cheese, crispy onions and tomato salsa.
South Los Angeles May Make QSR Ban PermanentSeptember 7, 2010
Council people opt not to let marketplace decide what businesses open or close.
AdAge: Why Gen X Won’t Save Our EconomySeptember 7, 2010
Do the numbers: Gen X is too small to revive an economy built on Baby Boomers, says article.
Hardee’s Chicken Tenders Wraps in NCSeptember 7, 2010
Varieties are honey mustard, buttermilk ranch and Sweet Baby Ray’s Barbecue.
In-N-Out, Five Guys Score Well in Consumer Reports PollSeptember 7, 2010
McDonald’s landed at the bottom of the magazine’s taste tests.
Summer Doldrums: NRA Outlook Index Essentially FlatAugust 31, 2010
NRA’s Restaurant Performance Index stands at 99.4, down 0.1 from the previous month.
Mintel: Fast Casual Now $23 Billion CategoryAugust 26, 2010
Mintel report says fast-casual sales have grown 30% since 2006; 26% have visited fast casual vs. 28% for casual dining.
NPD: U.S. Restaurant Traffic to Grow Slower Than PopulationAugust 25, 2010
NPD research says restaurant visits to grow less than 1% annually over the next decade vs. 1.1% annual population growth.
Hardee’s Adds Country Fried Steak ’N’ Gravy BiscuitAugust 25, 2010
Priced at $2.19, the breakfast sandwich has 620 calories and 42 grams of fat.
FDA Issues Draft Guidelines for Calorie DisclosureAugust 25, 2010
Disclosure applies to operations with 20 or more locations.
Burger King Posts -2.3% Comp Sales for 2010August 24, 2010
For the year, US/Canada comps were -3.9% but were only -1.5% for Q4 (vs. -4.5% a year ago).
Tuna is Burgerville’s New Seasonal Menu SpecialAugust 17, 2010
Ale Battered Albacore & Summer Slaw is the new special, priced at $7.59 (basket is $10.59).

When the Global Economy’s a Lemon, Sell Lemonade

McDonald’s became the world’s largest restaurant brand by watchin g, learning and adapting. Today’s second-quarter earnings call shows it still knows how to spot a trend. McDonald’s reported a 4.8% increase in global comparable sales for the quarter, including a 3.7% improvement in the U.S. and Europe jumping 5.2%. Although the economic picture—here and overseas—remains [...]

Jack in the Box Takes a Kona Classic Coffee Break

While Burger King and Subway have embraced the Seattle’s Best coffee brand to boost their breakfast business, Jack in the Box is looking farther west, to Hawaii. The chain this week continues the improvement of its breakfast menu by rolling out new Kona Classic coffee to accompany the Grilled Breakfast Sandwich introduced earlier this month. Asked [...]

Burger King Chucks BK Joe for Seattle’s Best Coffee

House brands are nice; national brands are better. That’s what Burger King apparently decided in throwing its home-grown BK Joe coffee brand under the bus in order to take up with Starbucks-owned Seattle’s Best Coffee as it battles for a larger share of breakfast sales. In announcing an agreement, Burger King says it hopes to have Seattle’s [...]

McDonald’s Ends ’09 with Slow Sales But Greater Share

McDonald’s reported some impressive sales gains for 2009, but did so with little help from U.S. restaurants in the 4th quarter. Globally, same-store sales were up 10% for the quarter ended Dec. 31, 2009, but rose only +0.1% in the U.S. (up 1% in December). For full-year 2009, global comp sales rose 3.8% and were [...]

NRA Forecasts an (Almost) Break-Even Year

The National Restaurant Association today released its 2010 Restaurant Industry Forecast, and it’s just about as upbeat as anything gets in this economy: The rowboat will be taking on less water and sinking less slowly than in the past several years. In data terms, that means NRA sees the foodservice industry hitting $580 billion in F&B [...]

Wendy’s Tests New Fries as QSRs Pursue ‘Differentiated Value’

[1/12 Update: Wendy's plans rollout of Bacon & Blue burger. Details here.] Seeking to build the appeal of its sides as well as entrees, Wendy’s is testing Natural-Cut Fries in selected markets. Sprinkled with sea salt, the thick, skin-on potato strips are served with ketchup in either a mini-tub for dipping or traditional squeeze pack. [...]

Mini Burgers, Appetizers are Keys to Ruby Tuesday Menu Test

[Nov. 9 update: Ruby Tuesday announced a rollout of the "new menu" described below as the test menu. ] Samuel E. “Sandy” Beall is excited. The chairman of the board, president and CEO of casual-dining chain Ruby Tuesday told Wall Street securities analysts during the chain’s October 7 earnings call that it has an important [...]

Why 7-Eleven, Not Starbucks, Is McDonald’s Ultimate Target

What has been overlooked in all the hoopla over McDonald’s Corp.’s $100 million campaign to steal coffee drinkers from Starbucks is that this offensive is only the beginning of a battle that’s far bigger than lattes. McDonald’s target isn’t only coffee shops, it’s also 7-Eleven and other convenience stores. McDonald’s wants to be the dominant retail location for [...]