Inflation and increased competition mean that menus have to work harder to build traffic and sales, concluded speakers at the Restaurant Leadership Conference. Here’s how to make that happen.
Taste Tracker: BWW adds a sauce to go; a snack and dip launches at Bojangles; strawberries top a sundae at Haagen-Dazs; and Potbelly kicks up the spice.
The Bottom Line: Restaurant brands want traffic. Franchisees want profitability. The current operating environment is making that a tough choice and the result has increased tension at many franchises.
The North American Association of Subway Franchisees said it has hired Robert Zarco, signaling a different tack in its relationship with the franchisor.
The chicken chain’s franchisee association says the company stopped providing information on how it uses their marketing dollars and a second “secret” account.
Executive Summary: Christian Kuhn is the new CMO at Blaze. Veteran chain executive Starlette Johnson becomes interim CEO at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and more.
Taste Tracker: Bowls rule at Bojangles; Walk-Ons, Smalls Sliders and PJ’s Coffee kick off Mardi Gras; health is on the menu at Next Level Burger and Nekter Juice Bar; and more food and drink news of the week.
Taste Tracker: Apples star at Wayback but pumpkin endures at Dutch Bros, Ziggi’s, Hungry Howie's and Denny’s; Bojangles and Jinya wing it for football season; and Fogo de Chao goes all in on veggies.