Brio Tuscan Grille

Financing

Bravo Brio rejects takeover bid from Romano's Macaroni Grill

The two-concept Italian operation says its pending acquisition by a Swiss private-equity group is a better deal.

French Toast

Classic French toast is adorned with butter and syrup and perhaps a sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar. But this simple breakfast favorite has grown in scope in the brunch world. French toast is now being served up in new and inventive ways—all decidedly decadent.

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

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.

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