Continue to Site >>>

10 groundbreaking concepts of 2014

Instead of following the lead, these trendsetting operations have changed the game with unique, new business plans. So they've become the ones to watch. By Sara Rush Wirth on May 05, 2014

As concepts fight for a foothold in the crowded restaurant industry, determination to be on the cutting edge drives many decisions. These 10 groundbreakers all pushed the envelope during the last 12 months in terms of both design and operation, bending traditions and blurring lines within their typical space to set new directions.

  1. Eataly
  2. Kitchen LTO
  3. Teavana Fine Teas + Tea Bar
  4. Legal Crossing
  5. Rose. Rabbit. Lie.
  6. Pizza Hut
  7. KFC Eleven
  8. Disney World Food Trucks
  9. McDonald's Build Your Own Burger
  10. Tom Bradley Terminal

Next: Eataly

Members help make our journalism possible. Become a Restaurant Business member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.

design  food 
Sara Rush Wirth is the former Content Director for Winsight Media's Foodservice group.
View All Articles by This Author

Multimedia

CEO Chris Simms favors 'approachable innovation' to steer the menu at Lazy Dog Restaurants

Spike Gjerde highlights the terroir of the Chesapeake Bay region

At The Dabney, chef-owner Jeremiah Langhorne showcases mid-Atlantic cuisine and conviviality

Suresh Sundas and Dante Datta innovate with Indian food & drink in D.C.'s H Street neighborhood

The Latest

Food

Menus show early signs of summer

Financing

Why Jack in the Box changed its CEO

Consumer Trends

Restaurant consumers are overextended, health-minded and nostalgic

Listen to your daily news: RB PodcastsNew episodes weekdays
Restaurant Daily
A Deeper Dive
Menu Talk
The Week in Restaurants
Working Lunch

Exclusive Content

Marketing

Drops become restaurant chains' new loyalty program incentive

Marketing Bites: Taco Bell perfected the feature with its Taco Tuesday Drops, and several other brands have since added their own version, offering everything from merch to free food.

Financing

The casual-dining comeback starts at the top

Sit-down restaurant chains showed signs of life last year. But much of the growth came from just a few brands, primarily Chili’s.

Food

El Pollo Loco accelerates innovation to fill menu gaps

Behind the Menu: Chef Rene Pisciotti has kept R&D constantly in motion at the chicken chain to build a strong pipeline. First order of business: A signature chicken tender.

Trending

Food

Menus show early signs of summer

Financing

Why Jack in the Box changed its CEO

Consumer Trends

Restaurant consumers are overextended, health-minded and nostalgic

More from our partners

At Snowbird, chefs are elevating the art of cooking. Literally

Real California Dairy Makes The Hottest Menu Trend Even Cooler

Why Scratch-Made Quality Is Redefining Value in the Emerging Bagel Category

How Enterprise Brands are Building a Digital Ordering Strategy that works on Every Channel

Monin Brilliance Expands with Nostalgic Orange Cream Energy Flavor