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Sara Rush Wirth

Articles by
Sara Rush Wirth

Page 32

Steal this idea: Weathering a weekend blizzard

A weekend that should have delivered turn-away traffic because of the Super Bowl and Restaurant Week brought instead a business whiteout for some restaurants in Chicago, the result of a blizzard.

Millennials don’t feel the love this Super Bowl for pizza and wings

Classic Super Bowl accompaniments may be losing their cachet among younger female patrons.

A look at modern open kitchens

While not for all, the design can help build connections and provide entertainment—extra incentive to get guests in the door.

Online reservations: A nonnegotiable for millennials

After spending an evening at a recently opened casual Cajun restaurant in St. Louis, senior associate editor Sara Rush, was asked by the owner for her opinion on his operation. What ensued was a classic, “you kids can’t really think this way” discussion.

Consumer Trends

Health wins, snacking grows

Whether touting health halos, all-natural ingredients or entirely new better-for-you menus, chains are using health to keep diners coming back.

Stealable idea: Getting consumer feedback

It’s important to understand what consumers think of your operation, but getting in-the-moment feedback isn’t always an easy task. That's why Los Angeles-based Umami Burger from restaurateur Adam Fleischman rolled out its "Umamify the Guest" program.

Consumer Trends

America's favorite chains

Here, based on exclusive data from Chicago research firm Technomic, is our second annual ranking of the restaurant chains that have solved the puzzle, the ones consumers say are their favorites and why.

Reading labeling: FDA regulations

Now, at last, the Food and Drug Administration has released final menu-labeling rules for chains, and operators have a year to fall in line.

Workforce

3 trendlettes we’re watching

The beginning of the year brings an outpouring of predictions from industry watchers (including us; we did a whole series, including this one). Here are three that made few if any of those lists, yet are already looking like possible trends for 2015.

Stealable idea: Up millennial bar business without adding SKUs

High-end restaurants don’t need deep discounts to win over younger consumers whose preferences exceed their means. Getting creative with what’s already in the kitchen—and marketing it as a value add—might help to capture that elusive millennial clientele more consistently, especially at the bar.

Consumer Trends

Award winning chains 2015

Technomic has announced the winners of its 2015 Chain Restaurant Consumers’ Choice Awards, which are based on consumer assessments delivered through the research and consulting firm’s ongoing Consumer Brand Metrics study.

Technology

CIOs in the c-suite

Recently, many big brands have started bringing professionals into the c-suite to head up tech efforts—from security and payment in the age of data breaches to consumer-facing mobile apps.

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