Food & Beverage News

McDonald’s is creating a team focused on digital customer engagement as the restaurant industry continues to look to technology as a key way to boost sales. The new team is part of the fast-food giant’s strategy to use technology to reach customers and drive sales growth. McDonald’s has been installing digital self-order kiosks in its…

Paris Baguette USA Inc. has promoted Darren Tipton to CEO of American operations, replacing former CEO Jack Moran, who has been promoted to global CEO, effective Jan. 1, the bakery-café concept said. In his new position, Tipton, below, who was previously chief operating officer, is responsible for operations as well as overseeing franchise sales and…

Columbus, Ohio-based Donatos Pizza signed a franchise agreement with Jacksonville-based Quick Family & Associates Holding Co. Inc. to develop five restaurants in metro Orlando, bringing roughly 150 jobs to the market. No leases have been signed, but the group has identified possible markets as Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Oviedo and Winter Park, said a news release.…

Fiesta Restaurant Group Inc. is closing 19 Taco Cabana restaurants immediately, the company said. Dallas-based Fiesta, which also owns the fast-casual Pollo Tropical brand, said all the closures were of stores that had posted significant losses. As of Sept. 29, Fiesta had 173 Taco Cabana units, with 165 company-owned and eight franchised. The closures represent more…

The presence of co-branded food product offerings exploded in 2019 across a wide variety of categories. These items from legacy food brands allow companies to enter new food and beverage categories without the need to establish an entirely new brand or product. The 2019 National Association of Convenience Stores Show previewed upcoming consumer packaged goods releases,…

“For us, this year, we’re finishing up a pilot of tests that are showing very encouraging results to relaunch the T.G.I. Fridays bar,” CEO Ray Blanchette said at the ICR Conference in Orlando, Florida. About 30% of Fridays’ $2.1 billion in systemwide sales come from its bar. But like many in the casual dining industry,…

Smoothie King doesn’t need a big menu to keep growing. This week’s episode of the Restaurant Business podcast “A Deeper Dive” features Wan Kim, the 1,000-unit smoothie chain’s CEO. Kim discusses the chain’s strong growth—it has more than doubled in size since he took over in 2012—as well as its responses to technology and innovation. Kim…

Customers will be able to order the chain’s first fully vegan meal by pairing Veggie Dippers with vegan accredited french fries and any soft drink or sauce. The Veggie Dippers also will be available as a fully vegan Happy Meal. “In the last 12 months we’ve seen an 80% uplift in customers ordering vegetarian options…

The facility will produce fresh pizza dough for more than 300 Domino’s stores located throughout the region. It will feature automated technology, including ingredient batching, mixing and portioning, weight adjustment, tray stacking and spiral coolers, which will produce 20,000 trays of dough balls per day. Set to open in late 2020, the facility will create…

The temporary castle in San Antonio will serve the Midwestern chain’s famous sliders along with sides and dessert. White Castle, a popular Midwestern burger chain, is coming to San Antonio with a Valentine’s Day-themed pop-up restaurant. The temporary castle in San Antonio will serve the Columbus, Ohio, chain’s famous sliders along with sides and dessert…