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Reality Check

Peter Romeo

The blog from award-winning journalist, RB Editor-at-Large Peter Romeo. Peter taps into his decades of experience covering the restaurant business at a variety of publications to discuss any number of issues related to the operations and general direction of restaurants.

Marketing

3 unconventional ways of touting value

 By Peter Romeo on Jan. 07, 2025

Reality Check: Discounting isn't the only way of offering a head-turning bargain. Here are some alternatives that operators as diverse as Disney and the CineMark theater chain are trying.

Workforce

Union struggle spills into Starbucks headquarters

 By Peter Romeo on Dec. 18, 2024

Reality Check: Starbucks Workers United has organized the home office's store. And now it looks as if an actual strike may be coming.

Marketing

Here are the worst pitches for coverage we fielded in 2024

By Peter Romeo on Dec. 06, 2024

Reality Check: We appreciate all the assistance that was offered for developing stories. Some far, far more than others.

Leadership

Cracker Barrel airs another plea to keep Sardar Biglari off the family-dining chain's board

By Peter Romeo on Nov. 04, 2024

Reality Check: A letter mailed to shareholders Monday repeats a detailed inventory of the investor's alleged faults as a business leader.

Marketing

Here's how a restaurant can harness the trends. No need to thank me

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 29, 2024

Reality Check: Any fool can identify the menu hooks for today's consumers. Only an exceptional one could come up with a name like this to showcase 'em.

Operations

McDonald's scrambles to avoid a repeat of Chipotle's food-safety beatdown

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 23, 2024

The burger giant is emphasizing that the E. coli outbreak announced Tuesday was traced to an ingredient, not the sort of prep mistakes that set Chipotle back nearly a decade ago.

Leadership

Restaurant work is figuring into this year's elections

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 21, 2024

Reality Check: While Harris and Trump tout their French fry creds, real issues are being decided on the basis of politicians' dining-room experience.

Workforce

We need a leash on the NLRB

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 11, 2024

Reality Check: The federal labor watchdog has gone off the rails again. Whatever happened to government accountability?

Financing

This time, Sardar Biglari is villainizing Cracker Barrel's board in hope of seizing control

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 08, 2024

Reality Check: The persistent antagonist is shifting his aim from a takedown of the CEO to a revolt against her bosses.

Technology

Here's how AI sees the need for regulating restaurant AI

By Peter Romeo on Oct. 02, 2024

Reality Check: Calls for monitoring the industry's use of the technology have been increasing. Here's the view of a major stakeholder in the matter, AI itself.

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