Global Foodservice News
GLOBAL FOODSERVICE NEWS DECEMBER 1, 2020 EDITION
COVID Complicates the Tipping Debate Even Further for Restaurants The topic of tipping and its impact on server wages is hardly a new one, but the coronavirus presented full-service restaurants and the industry at large with an opportunity to dismantle—or at least change—the default model. Greg Ryan, co-owner of Bell’s Restaurant in Los Alamos, California,…
Read MoreThompson Hospitality Acquires Matchbox in Bankruptcy Deal
Thompson Hospitality, a retail and facilities and management company, has acquired Matchbox Food Group LLC as the casual-dining chain emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the company said. Reston, Va.-based Thompson Hospitality in 2018 had made an $11 million investment in the Washington, D.C.-based Matchbox, a deal that had included an unexercised purchase option. In…
Read MoreLeaders Emphasize Importance of Empathy, Flexibility and Safety During COVID
My team spends most of their days designing and deploying next-gen leadership-development tools for multiunit franchisees and above restaurant leaders. Naturally, we pay a lot of attention to the unique challenges facing multiunit leaders and the innovative ways they overcome them, especially in a global pandemic. Since COVID-19 hit, the foodservice industry’s area directors, district…
Read MoreJack in the Box Reports 12.2% Same-Store Sales Jump and Prepares to Expan
With a two-year-old dispute with franchisees resolved and restaurant profitability up, Jack in the Box is poised to start growing again, CEO Darin Harris told investors Thursday while discussing the San Diego-based quick-service chain’s performance in the fourth quarter, ended Sept. 27. It was a good quarter. Same-store sales were up by 12.2%, the best…
Read MoreFreddy’s Plans Florida Push with new Franchise Partner
Freddy’s Frozen Custard & Steakburgers has signed a franchise agreement with shopping center developer RSolution Holdings to develop 50 new restaurants over the next several years across the Southeast. The Wichita, Kan.-based fast-casual brand said that, as part of this 50-unit development agreement, Freddy’s will grow its footprint on Florida’s west coast and Panhandle. Locations…
Read MoreMcDonald’s Corp. Names Tiffanie Boyd U.S. Chief People Officer
McDonald’s Corp. named Tiffanie Boyd to the role of U.S. Chief People Officer, the company announced Monday. Boyd, who comes to the chain from General Mills, starts Jan. 4. She is among several new executive hires made under Chris Kempczinski, who was named president and CEO last year when Steve Easterbrook was abruptly fired. Kempczinski…
Read MoreIs The Restaurant of the Future Already Here?
We’re all scrambling to materialize the so-called “restaurant of the future.” What COVID-19 trends are fleeting? Which aren’t? Will customers clamor for the same safety essentials months from now? Have protocols and tech dehumanized the experience? Does it even matter? Picture this environment, outlined by consulting giant Deloitte. A customer strolls into a restaurant with…
Read MorePapa John’s Reveals its new Atlanta Headquarters
Papa John’s on Tuesday revealed its new Atlanta facility, a 60,000-square-foot space in a shopping and entertainment area in the Northwest part of the city that is also home to an increasing number of corporate headquarters. The pizza chain, which will maintain its offices in Louisville, Ky., as well as London, U.K., plans to employ…
Read MoreDozens of Buyers are Eyeing Bankrupt NPC International Restaurants
More than 50 potential buyers are eyeing at least a piece of the massive number of restaurants operated by the bankrupt Wendy’s and Pizza Hut franchisee NPC International, setting a stage for a remarkably competitive set of auctions that start later this month. One of those bidders is the biggest restaurant franchisee in the U.S.,…
Read MoreKFC to Sell Chicken in Replica ‘Holiday Buckets’ from the 60’s/70’s
Fried chicken in an old bucket from the ‘60s? Where do we sign up? In what would seem to be an ongoing global quest to conflate Colonel Sanders with Santa Claus, KFC has announced that restaurants in the U.S. will be serving up fried chicken in replicas of its “iconic” holiday-themed buckets from 1966 and…
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