ChowNow

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

Building a restaurant marketing budget can feel overwhelming. With tight margins, unpredictable cash flow, and endless marketing options, its hard to know how much to spendor where to spend it. Creating an effective marketing budget doesnt have to be all that complicated. The good news?

Marketing

Restaurant Business

JUNE 13, 2025

Starbucks’ latest gambit to improve operations? By Heather Lalley on Jun. 13, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Upscale soup dumpling chain Din Tai Fung has the industry’s highest average unit volumes. Photo: Shutterstock Welcome to Restaurant Business’ Week in Review for the week of June 9, 2025.

Operations

ChowNow

MARCH 7, 2025

Every online order, email sign up, and reward program interaction generates valuable insightsbut if that data just sits there, youre missing a major opportunity. When used strategically, customer data can help you personalize marketing, streamline operations, and create a better dining experience for your guests.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Business

JUNE 20, 2025

Toward the end of the quarter, the chain began advertising delivery on TV and elsewhere. Laurie Casler, Seasons 52’s operations chief, will become president of Seasons 52. He has been EVP of operations for LongHorn Steakhouse for seven years. of sales in the quarter. Fine dining: negative 3.3% Other brands: 1.2%

Delivery

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 22, 2024

Let’s explore 26 proven online marketing strategies to help your restaurant thrive. Target location-specific searches for more visibility The ultimate goal of your online marketing campaigns should be to bring in local customers to your restaurant. To do so, you must have an optimized website and engaging social media profiles.

Book

7 Shifts

OCTOBER 28, 2024

As a restaurant owner, it's easy to pour money into advertising and promotions without knowing how much it’s really costing your business. Knowing how to calculate and optimize your customer acquisition cost (CAC) can help you make smarter decisions about your marketing and advertising strategies.

Loyalty Program

ChowNow

JULY 25, 2025

You’d never run your kitchen without knowing your food costs, so why would anyone run their marketing campaigns without knowing the return on investment? Too many restaurant operators pour time and money into marketing efforts, then cross their fingers and hope for the best. Here’s why it matters.

Marketing

Restaurant Business

JULY 3, 2025

The sale comes just four years after Olo went public, and ends a difficult period on the public markets. Its core product is online ordering, but it has expanded into marketing and customer engagement as well as payment processing. per share for the online ordering and payment company just four years after Olo went public.

Leadership

ChowNow

MAY 30, 2025

Figure out your goal, then match it with a promotion that fits your restaurants operations and venue. A restaurant marketing strategy that works for a sports bar might fall flat at a vegan cafe. Restaurant Promotion Ideas Your Customers Will Love You dont need a full-fledged marketing team to pull off these promotions.

Ordering

Restaurant Business

JULY 8, 2025

Domino’s Chief Marketing Officer Kate Trumbull said in a statement that there are 34 million potential combinations of one of the chain’s pizzas, effectively making this a discount on 34 million products, at least through Aug. The deals intensify a tradition of value marketing in the pizza business. Little Caesars is offering a $9.99

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 22, 2025

Click here to complete your profile Multimedia How Cracker Barrel chef Matt Banton is expanding the flavor portfolio Tyler Florence dishes on San Francisco and David Burke puts his pastrami to the test Happy Hour value and summer flavors The summer of spritzes The Latest Leadership Wendys names Pete Suerken president of its U.S.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

They are popping up more often in conversations this year, and they point toward deeper trends in the restaurant tech market. One example is OpenAI’s Operator, a tool that can perform web-based tasks like making a restaurant reservation or ordering food from a delivery app. Add these six terms to your vocabulary.

Hiring

Restaurant Business

JULY 2, 2025

The 20 puree flavor possibilities were eventually narrowed down to six that were test marketed in Michigan. At the same time, Kahn was working on revamping the simple syrups, developing them in house and creating flavors like habanero, ginger and lavender to add complexity and more customization to the margarita lineup.

Fast Casual

ChowNow

APRIL 4, 2025

But more and more operators are realizing that relying too heavily on those platforms comes at a costliterally and figuratively. Most restaurant operators dont think twice about how their online orders are processeduntil they see where the money (and the customer data) is going. And for many restaurants, they still serve a purpose.

Ordering

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

Immigrants Operations RATIONAL’s iCareSystem AutoDose helps you keep your oven clean without the extra effort Sponsored content from our partner RATIONAL on Jun. This post is sponsored by RATIONAL technology operations Restaurant Business Want breaking news at your fingertips? To learn more, click here.

Food Supply

Restaurant Business

JULY 22, 2025

22, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Legacy Brands operates about one-third of the Friendly's system. Legacy Brands International operates more than 30 Friendly’s on the East Coast, or about a third of the chain. Kohli started at Friendly’s as a waiter at age 15 and began operating locations in 2009. “I

Franchise

Restaurant Business

JULY 28, 2025

Shipley operates 375 locations in more than 14 states. Since then, the company said that it has generated 18 straight quarters of same-store sales growth, expanded into new markets, developed new products and launched a marketing cooperative with its franchisees. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Unit count grew nearly 5%.

Leadership

The Rail

MARCH 25, 2025

By using a combination of digital and traditional marketing strategies, you can turn your restaurants move into a celebration rather than a disruption. Send Personalized Email Announcements If your business practices direct communication with customers, email marketing remains a powerful means to deliver your message.

Social Media

Restaurant Business

JUNE 27, 2025

That led to selling bagels at farmers markets. But the team build a trademarked system—dubbed Au-Dough-Mation”—that can now manage front- and back-of-house operations. and Bruegger’s, Jeff sees a world of opportunity for bagels made better, especially in markets he sees as “bagel deserts.” We’d sell out. She’s on time.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 11, 2025

11, 2025 Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Huddle House will add drive-thrus as it moves into more urban and suburban markets. | The restaurants tend to be community hubs, “a part of life” in the cities and towns where they operate, O’Reilly said. Many of the changes it is making are intended to help it adapt to these new markets.

Fast Casual

EATER

OCTOBER 21, 2024

Every year we gave away over 1,200 free truffles, caramels, honeycombs, and more for people’s birthdays — no purchase required, no email signup, no catch,” it wrote on Instagram. The bottom of the Yang’s Kitchen menu notes to diners, “We are working with Zero Foodprint to restore the planet.”

Sustainability

Restaurant Business

JULY 29, 2025

The Farmstand as marketing tool Calling the made-to-order menu of value meals “Farmstand Fresh & Affordable” reinforces Farmer Boys’ farm-fresh roots. To amplify the message and promote the new boxes, the marketing team organizes events at select locations and sets up an actual farmstand filled with fresh produce. Sign up here.

Menu

The Rail

FEBRUARY 7, 2025

Video marketing is an essential tool to captivate audiences, drive foot traffic, and win the fierce battle for online attention. Taking it a step further than high-quality images , video marketing taps into the sensory appeal that text and photos cant achieve. Remember the days of beautiful dinner images on Instagram?

Serving

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

The three-unit chain has two more under construction in the Tampa Bay area, and another five to seven are planned in 2026, reaching the Orlando market. But Tampa-based Greenlane is among a growing number of fast-casual concepts making freshly prepared salads a drive-thru option. All are company owned and there are no plans to franchise.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 6, 2025

Operators can capitalize on the trend by adding more nonalcoholic drinks to their menus, offering zebra-striping promos across dayparts and creating flights of both boozy and booze-free drinks.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JULY 21, 2025

Premium Financing In the Del Taco franchisee bankruptcy, signs of the industry’s distress The Bottom Line: Why did a 22-unit operator of the Mexican chain turn to one of the riskiest pieces of financing? Because the industry is in a tough spot, and some operators have few options. Whether theyre working is another thing.

Fast Casual

Restaurant Business

JUNE 12, 2025

The company plans to expand into more markets and expects to have thousands of bots on the ground by the end of the year, which it says will give it the largest autonomous vehicle fleet in the world. Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI and an existing Coco investor, contributed to the fundraising round. And customers don’t have to tip.

Delivery

Restaurant Business

JULY 21, 2025

Fitzpatrick is taking over for Carrie Walsh, who has operated as interim chief executive since the retirement of John Chidsey in December. Before that, he worked for several years with Burger King, working in operations and franchising before becoming the chain’s chief brand and operations officer from 2011 to 2012.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Business

JUNE 17, 2025

Premium Financing Krispy Kreme reminds us that doughnuts are a tough business The Bottom Line: The chain’s sudden profitability problems and the questions surrounding its McDonald’s partnership show just how difficult it is to operate a doughnut chain at scale. Trending Premium Emerging Brands Forget coffee.

Food

Restaurant Business

JULY 22, 2025

The anomaly was explained by a few franchisees we spoke with, who believed the brand signed on a lot of inexperienced operators early in its history who are not as profitable as they could be, while more experienced franchisees do better. In reality, there is a simpler explanation: The median net profit in the document was meaningless.

Franchise

Restaurant Business

JUNE 13, 2025

Photo: Shutterstock San Francisco-based delivery service DoorDash announced Friday that it has completed its purchase of SevenRooms, a New York-City-based reservations and marketing platform for restaurants. It’s been a little over a month since DoorDash announced it was buying both SevenRooms for $1.2 billion, both in cash.

Reservations

SpotOn

NOVEMBER 21, 2024

Your loyal customers are your best advocates, and when they give someone a gift card from your restaurant as a present, they’re spreading holiday cheer and helping you attract new customers without spending a dime on advertising. Use email and social media to promote gift cards and drive holiday sales.

Loyalty Program

Restaurant Business

JUNE 23, 2025

It’s easy to score what’s marketed as a Dubai Chocolate Bar at specialty retail food stores; in New York City a 7-ounce bar sells for about $19. Although the shake was an instant winner, some operational kinks had to be ironed out before it could roll out systemwide. You can also buy them on Amazon and at some Costco locations.

Bar

Restaurant Business

JULY 9, 2025

Continue to Site >>> Menu An idea from a Burger King guest inspires the new BBQ Brisket Whopper Newsletter Search Restaurant Business Search Login Subscribe Newsletter Login Subscribe Topics Consumer Trends Food Beverage Emerging Brands Operations Technology Marketing Workforce Leadership Financing Data Top 500 Chains Top 100 Independents Future 50: (..)

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JUNE 25, 2025

Nikka brings a wealth of experience in finance, strategy and operations that will prove invaluable as we create the blueprint to scale and grow Panera for the future.” Panera is part of Panera Brands, including Caribou Coffee and Einstein Bros.

Leadership

Restaurant Business

JULY 16, 2025

But CEO Patrick Fore is a big Taco Bell fan, and he was impressed by the way the Mexican fast-food giant hacked a menu category by developing a pizza, said Jon Pavano, brand director of operations for Miami-born Lime Fresh. Now the marketing push is on, and there’s a possibility of line extensions if the sales support that move.

Menu

ChowNow

AUGUST 1, 2025

It’s probably fair to say that most operators know why they should use social media marketing for their restaurant. But actually knowing how to use social media marketing to grow their business is where restaurant owners get stuck. Where do you start? How do you turn followers into paying customers?

Social Media