Trend information about consumer dining behavior at commercial fast-food, quick-service, limited-service and full-service chain and independent restaurants.
Special Report: Top 100 Independents By Staff, 4/15/2008
The 100 highest-grossing independent (non-chain) restaurants in the United States had combined 2007 food-and-beverage sales of $1.53 billion, a solid if not spectacular 4.8% increase from the $1.46 billion total for last year’s Top 100 Independents. More
Perennial Inspiration By Kate Leahy, Senior Associate Editor - 08/05/2008
Too many cooks can spoil the stew, but at one Chicago restaurant, two executive-level chefs co-develop the menu.
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The Art of the Possible Scott Hume, Editor-in-Chief - 07/15/2008
Traditionally, R&I’s July 15 issue focuses on the culinary side of the Top 400 chains, the ranking of which appears in the July 1 issue. Several of this issue’s articles—including The Ten-Minute Manager and the “Setting the Table” food feature—address chains’ delicate and difficult menu-planning challenge when food costs are spiraling (never downwar...
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Top 400 Food & Beverage: Smoothie Moves By Christine LaFave, Associate Editor - 07/15/2008
Behold the smoothie, the Little Beverage That Could. Born in the late 1960s out of an at-home effort to find a meal solution for a guy who suffered from numerous allergies and hypoglycemia, the smoothie has been reinterpreted to become a midafternoon pick-me-up, an on-the-go breakfast or an anytime inexpensive treat.
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Top 400 Food & Beverage: By Popular Demand By Kate Leahy, Senior Associate Editor - 07/15/2008
The limited-time offer (LTO) long has been a staple of restaurant marketing. The “hurry or you'll miss it” pitch provides marketplace news and, ideally, pulls in the occasional customer and the curious. But with consumers less willing to part with their dollars, LTOs have become a more-important means of addressing what consumers are willing to spend as well as what they are interes...
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Top 400 Food & Beverage: Four Stars-Slider Pitch By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor - 07/15/2008
Buffalo Chicken Minis Bennigan's Grill & Tavern, Plano, Texas. The casual-dining chain's Burger Bites quickly became the menu's second-best seller when they were introduced two years ago, so Bennigan's new core menu devotes one section to Mini Bites noshes. In this latest entry, cool blue-cheese dressing accents crisp-fried chicken breasts coated in zesty Buffalo sauce.
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Top 400 Food & Beverage: Setting the Table By Allison Perlik, Senior Editor - 07/15/2008
Chain-menu development is a complex calculation, and knowing what consumers want to eat is just part of the equation. Don’t forget to factor in when they want to dine (anytime), how much food they’d like (sometimes a little, sometimes a lot) and what they’re willing to spend (less and less).
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The 3rd Annual R&I Top 400 Quiz 07/15/2008
Admit it: You’ve been eagerly awaiting R&I’s 3rd Annual Top 400 Quiz. Perhaps you were caught off-guard and stumped in 2006 but were sharper last year. Now you’re ready to score better than you did on your SATs way back when. Answers at the end of the story.
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Starters Chris Muller, Professor, University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management July 27, 2008 The "Value Chain" is Broken
Let's face it, business stinks.
The "Value Chain" forged by our cust... More
Tramonto's Table Rick Tramonto, Executive Chef-Partner, Cenitare Restaurants July 11, 2008 Foie Gras and Friends
This week I inked the deal on my next cookbook. I love writing cookbooks, because the... More
Starters Chris Muller, Professor, University of Central Florida's Rosen College of Hospitality Management June 30, 2008 Authenticity and Wellness
Why, in a time of economic downturn, with the housing collapse and high gasoline pric... More
Paul Prudhomme-The View from New Orleans
Legendary chef Paul Prudhomme takes a nostalgic look back at Crescent City dining before Hurricane Katrina. This proud ambassador for New Orleans also predicts the future of the city’s restaurants and how they will help rebuild the city’s stature and culture
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