Glassdoor’s List of the 100 Best Places to Work in 2019

Only three restaurant companies were included in Glassdoor’s list of the 100 best places to work in 2019: In-N-Out Burger, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants and Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. In-N-Out was the standout, finishing No. 3 in the ranking of companies with at least 1,000 employers, behind Bain & Co., the former owner of Domino’s…

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Packaging: A Control Point for Food Safety

While product recalls in the bakery and snack industries are most often due to undeclared allergens or the detection of pathogens like Salmonella or E. coli, there have been food safety issues related to packaging. For example, a package that is not secure in some way can lead to food safety hazards ranging from spoilage to sabotage. Dan…

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Casual-Dining Restaurant Targets Women who Instagram

Chicago-based Parker Restaurant Group is planning a national expansion of its female-focused concept The Hampton Social, a move designed to quadruple the group in size to 21 restaurants within the next three years. Currently with five units in Chicago — though one restaurant is closed temporarily for a relocation — Parker Restaurant Group operates three…

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Pizza Hut May be Taking its Pie-Making Show on the Road

A new automated pizza-making robot prototype that cooks pizzas on the way to customers’ homes is set to be unveiled Tuesday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s annual automotive specialty products show in Las Vegas. The mobile pizza factory, residing in the bed of a zero-emission Toyota Tundra pickup, will get its debut during Toyota’s presentation at…

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California Restaurant Association Ready to Help Displaced Workers

Fires in California raged on Monday leaving devastated communities in their path, as they destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses including locations of several quick-service chains in Northern California. As of Monday, the Woolsey fire near the posh community of Malibu, Calif., had scorched 91,572 acres and was only 20 percent contained, according to state…

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Chick-fil-A Opening Stores without Dining Rooms

Chick-fil-A’s new test locations won’t have a drive thru or dining room. Chick-fil-A has no issue driving customers into its restaurants and through its drive thru. In fact, QSR’s 2018 Drive-through Study showed six or more cars crowding the lane 40 percent of the time. And the 2,200-plus-unit brand’s average-unit volumes of $4.1 million are tops…

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Smucker Embracing ‘New Model’ for Brand Building

Changes in how consumers search for and acquire consumer packaged goods are forcing companies like the J.M. Smucker Co., Orrville, Ohio, to rethink how they develop and market new products. Smucker, in particular, is investing in its brand building model in an effort to become more granular and agile. “…We enjoy strong positions in great…

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Breaking Down Language Barriers in Foodservice

Offering training materials in multiple languages can help break down language barriers in foodservice, and language learning opportunities can assist with employee retention and promote cultural awareness that can strengthen a restaurant’s entire team. To bridge the gap between languages, a glossary of 50 or so common words and their translations can offer a strong…

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Grooming the Next Generation of Restaurant Managers

If the National Restaurant Association’s apprentice program is any indication, in the future, restaurant managers will defy the industry’s high turnover rate. The program, run by the NRA’s Educational Foundation (NRAEF), boasts a 94 percent retention rate. As it turns out, plenty of restaurant workers see themselves on the managerial track. While most apprentice programs…

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