50 Great Ideas

The top industry ideas we've spotted in the last year

50 Great Ideas

12. Just Say Yes

To help staffers feel empowered, Cava launched a Just Say Yes campaign. The Mediterranean fast casual wants staffers to feel they have ownership of the guest occasion, CEO Brett Schulman said at the R...

50 Great Ideas

15. Delivery hot spots

At a time when chains are pouring into the delivery market, Domino’s is finding new turf to explore. The unabashed leader in delivery added more than 150,00 Hotspots—unconventional delivery zones in p...

As cannabis becomes legal in more states, operators are finding clever ways to promote different menu items. Gracias Madre in West Hollywood, Calif., offers a Stoney Negroni cocktail with CBD oil and ...

At University of Michigan, the kitchen staff prepares salads and other perishables in the walk-in wearing parkas and hats supplied for them, then stacks the food on rolling carts to deliver to the din...

Holiday Inn is bringing back its chocolate milk and cookies happy hour, luring in excited kids—and their parents’ dough. The hotel chain is working closely with its supplier to reinstate the promotion...

Houlihan’s divides its restaurants into one of three tiers, then creates a drink menu tailored to the typical guest. Tier 1 guests care most about value, Tier 2 customers put equal weight on brands an...

Instead of having the in-house chef create ethnic-inspired specials, In Situ, in the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, offers a rotating menu of signature dishes from 80 chefs around the world. The ...

To combat the tough labor market, TJ Schier, president of Which Wich Superior Sandwiches franchisee SMART Restaurant Group, passes out business cards to anyone, anywhere who has given superior custome...

At Pennsylvania State University, managers ask students and full-time employees if they have a best friend at work. Management says it’s a great measurement of employee morale.

The Pilot Flying J convenience store chain has potential hires meet with “role champions,” employees who excel in the position. The champions talk with applicants about expectations and demands and pr...

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