lunch

Operations

Early birds are perking up traffic at Olive Garden

More customers are visiting the Italian casual-dining chain in the late afternoon and early evening, which has helped lift transactions, according to data from Placer.ai.

Workforce

Marriott pledges to hire 3,000 more refugees

About 1,500 will work in the lodging giant's U.S. hotels, while another 1,500 will be recruited in Europe.

Remote work continues to keep a lid on midday restaurant traffic in big cities, according to new data from Toast.

The food-and-games chain said it’s looking for ways to maximize the midday daypart. But that will likely entail a rethinking of its food-and-beverage operations.

The daytime dining chain is tweaking its operations with the additions of bars and takeout areas while forgoing the dash into farther-afield ventures such as ghost concepts and virtual brands.

NRD Capital has created Franklin Junction, a company that creates “host kitchens” in restaurants that have excess capacity and need sales.

Classic sandwiches can be a restaurant operator’s best friend. And that means sandwich icons are ready to be turned into one-of-a-kind menu signatures.

Executives attributed the gains to innovations on several fronts.

Several big players are talking about the stretch between lunch and dinner as an opportunity akin to what breakfast afforded a few years ago.

The coffee giant is about to test freshly made sandwiches that will also enable the chain to feed the hungry.