Starbucks chief Howard Schultz called on restaurateurs who packed his keynote address at the National Restaurant Association to take greater responsibility. In the view he tried to sell to the industry, leaders should assume responsibility for their failures, employees should be responsible for their brand and Americans should take responsibility for fixing the problems that leaders in Washington D.C. have been unable to address.
The web is buzzing over a just-released finding that New York City’s suspended ban of large soft drinks could encourage rather than temper soda consumption. Less publicized is the research’s indication that the ban could increase quick-service restaurants’ sales through a simple variation on a common marketing practice.
If there is one thing to take away from the 2013 Restaurant Growth Index it’s this: competition is more intense than ever.
The 2013 RGI—compiled for Restaurant Business by Nielsen, a global provider of information and insights into what consumers watch and buy—shows weakening restaurant sales, but more restaurants—a volatile combination.
The James Beard Foundation announced the final nominees for its annual recognition program, which honors the country’s best and brightest chefs, restaurants, bars, sommeliers and other industry luminaries. Established in 1990, the James Beard Foundation Awards recognize culinary professionals for excellence and achievement in their fields. The awards also emphasize the Foundation’s mission: to celebrate, nurture, and preserve America’s diverse culinary heritage and future.
John C. Metz, Jr., creator of the Atlanta area’s Marlow’s Tavern and Aqua Blue restaurant concepts, was named the top independent restaurant operator in the country by the International Foodservice Manufacturers Association.
Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs, was named IFMA’s top quick-service restaurant executive, and Harald Herrmann, president and CEO of Darden Restaurant’s Yard House casual-dining chain, was tapped as the best full-service chain operator.
