Casual Dining

How Firebirds Wood Fired Grill stays ahead of the culinary curve with its polished casual menu

By Patricia Cobe on Oct. 05, 2023

VP of Food & Beverage Steve Sturm is constantly evolving the menu, with several new initiatives coming just this year.

The Greene Turtle raises $6M from Bill Ackman's Table Management

By Joe Guszkowski on Oct. 04, 2023

The 36-unit sports bar chain will put the funding toward growing its sportsbook business and its new sister concept, Clark Crew BBQ.

Operations

Legal Sea Foods to open innovation center outside Boston

By Joe Guszkowski on Oct. 03, 2023

The state-of-the-art facility in Milford, Mass., replaces Legal’s aging Quality Control Center and will house a growing ecommerce business, among other operations.

Leadership

Bloomin' Brands to part ways with longtime executive Gregg Scarlett

By Joe Guszkowski on Oct. 03, 2023

Scarlett’s position, COO of casual dining, is being eliminated as part of “organizational design changes” at Bloomin’. He has worked there for nearly 30 years.

Marketing

Coffee chains brew up promotions for National Coffee Day

By Reyna Estrada on Sep. 28, 2023

Marketing Bites: Dairy Queen drops new merch, the Spongmonkeys debut their first single and a variety of food-centric holidays are around the corner.

Leadership

Red Lobster promotes General Counsel Horace Dawson to CEO

By Joe Guszkowski on Sep. 22, 2023

The struggling chain has not had a permanent CEO since last April. Dawson has led its legal department since 2014.

Technology

Why Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza ditched its AI phone system

By Joe Guszkowski on Sep. 22, 2023

The bot, nicknamed Becky, was alienating customers and staff. “Everyone said, ‘Becky’s gotta go,’” said CEO Carl Bachmann.

Operations

Olive Garden owner says customers are 'resilient' but 'more selective'

By Joe Guszkowski on Sep. 21, 2023

Some are opting for less-expensive wines and entrees, executives said during a wide-ranging earnings call that also touched on student loans, California’s wage bill and Ozempic.

Workforce

Dine Brands' new parental leave policy was employees' idea

By Joe Guszkowski on Sep. 21, 2023

The perk for new parents came from Women at Dine, one of the company’s staff resource groups. “The idea made great sense,” said new Chief People Officer Sarah Cannon-Foster.

Financing

Cracker Barrel admits it worsened Q4 traffic with marketing misfires

By Peter Romeo on Sep. 14, 2023

The company acknowledged that its messaging failed to deliver, but believes a loyalty program will greatly help.

Page 9