Brio Tuscan Grille

7 ripples to consider surfing in 2014

For the strongest inkling of what will unfold for restaurants in 2014, consider some of the sleeper trends of late 2013.

The week’s 5 head-spinning moments: Bombshell revelations edition

Cracker Barrel plans a fast-casual entry, chains stress there’s actual cooking in their kitchens, fast-food breads rise into more exotic territory, employers detail their pay ladders and Chipotle reveals its throughput and why franchising is unfair to talent.

COO Brian O’Malley will replace Saed Mohsen in December.

More than half of the restaurant industry’s $491 billion in sales come from the Top 500 chains. And these giants grew at a modestly stronger rate, both in terms of sales and store counts, than the industry overall. Restaurant Business focused on the leading 250 performers to identify trends for our first-ever special report delivering lessons from Technomic’s annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. This special package includes lessons for all operators from the largest chains by segment, menu category and more.

Chains ranking highest in their competitive set deliver more than just good food. They’re winning in all aspects of the dining experience, from service to convenience.

Italian heavyweight Olive Garden increased sales by 3%, helping to drive the menu category's 1.9% sales growth, to $8.5 billion.

We run through what exactly yeast is. Plus there's a step by step on making perfect yeast-raised dough. And useful tips on selecting and preparing ingredients.

This week's most arresting restaurant developments seemed to come in groups, raising the risk of neck injury for the keen observer. Here's a painless review of the head-spinning moments you may have missed.

  • Page 5