Technology
Make it funky: "What's on your current playlist?"
For chefs, music is often as important as the knives they cart around. While chefs tend to avoid music during restaurant service, prep is another matter.
Australia as incubator
Major chains have been turning to the outback as a testing ground for ideas to bring home. Starbucks’ latest menu add, the Flat White, is a latte variant imported from Down Under.
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.
Sandwiches are the cornerstone of lunch and dinner menus at both limited- and full-service restaurants, where they are offered more than any other entrée. More consumers report purchasing sandwiches away from home today vs. just two years ago, due in large part to operators' innovative responses to consumer demands for lower prices, greater variety, fresher fare, flexible portions and healthier items.