Nation's Restaurant News On the Go Newsletter #14
Nation's Restaurant News
The #1 source of news and business intelligence for restaurant and foodservice industry professionals
Capitalizing on demand for restaurants
Restaurant news never takes a holiday, and this week proved it.
I’m Ron Ruggless, senior editor at Nation’s Restaurant News, and among the news on earnings calls this week was that new catering and private party programs were increasingly being rolled out to build sales as we move further out from the pandemic.
Our upcoming Drinkedin Live with the very informative Kent Bearden, club manager for the Invited Clubs-operated Tower Club in Dallas (as well as a new under-wraps project that we’ll discuss), will discuss how restaurant operators can expand their sales reach with add-ons, special education programs and cause-related events. We’ll also be mixing a mezcal-based “Sorry, Papi” specialty cocktail and talk about adult beverage trends as well. Please join us at 3 p.m. ET on Thursday, Feb. 23, on NRN’s LinkedIn page.
Meanwhile, U.S. consumers were giving indications they were more resilient to economic pressures than expected, with Commerce Department data on Wednesday showing retail sales in January rose a seasonally adjusted 3% versus December. Spending was particularly robust at restaurants, up 7.2% versus December and up more than 25% versus the same period last year, when consumers were grappling with anxiety about the COVID-19 Omicron variant.
Operators are unveiling innovations to ensure they capitalize on that restaurant spending. Chipotle launched a new restaurant concept, called Farmesa, in Santa Monica, Calif. The concept will open officially in March at the Third Street Promenade, offering a bowl-centric menu curated by James Beard Award-winning chef Nate Appleman, who is also serving as director of culinary innovation at Farmesa.
Other multi-unit operators were not standing by. Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International said on a fourth-quarter earnings call that will be accelerating part of its planned “Reclaim the Flame” $400 million investment in the U.S. business and is rolling out new point-of-sale terminals, kitchen display screens and indoor digital menuboards. RBI also announced that Joshua Kobza, the chief operating officer, will be succeeding José Cil as CEO on March 1.
Indeed, this industry doesn’t take a break; there’s plenty more to dig into from this week. Just scroll down and discover the other top headlines from NRN’s big week.
Chipotle is testing a new bowl concept
Chipotle announced this week it is opening a new restaurant concept, called Farmesa, at the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica, California – a little over an hour from the chain’s Newport Beach headquarters.
According to a press release, the concept will soft open with a limited menu and hours before its official open in March. The bowl-centric menu was curated by James Beard Award-winning chef Nate Appleman, who is also serving as director of culinary innovation at Farmesa.
Inflation doesn’t seem to be dampening consumers’ restaurant spending
Data released by the U.S. Commerce Department on Wednesday shows that consumers are more resilient than perhaps anyone would have predicted in such a pressured environment.
The department’s January report showed that retail sales rose a seasonally adjusted 3% in January versus a month earlier – remarkable considering holiday shopping patterns in December. January’s increase comes on the heels of two months of declines and was registered across most retail categories. It also marks the highest one-month increase since March 2021, when stimulus checks hit mailboxes.
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Burger King parent RBI accelerates ‘Refresh’ investment
Burger King parent Restaurant Brands International Inc. will be accelerating part of its planned “Reclaim the Flame” $400 million investment in the U.S. business, executives said Tuesday.
The Toronto-based RBI, which released its fourth quarter earnings Tuesday, said the Royal Reset program has spent about $17 million, including $15 million for new point-of-sale terminals, kitchen display screens and indoor digital menu boards. Those are being deployed this month, said Joshua Kobza, the chief operating officer who will be succeeding José Cil as CEO on March 1.
Tech Tracker: What would the Spotify of food delivery look like?
Imagine chefs being able to upload the exact preparation for a popular dish at their restaurant to the cloud. Then, using smart technology, chefs in ghost kitchens can prepare that dish to perfection to be able to send off to hungry food delivery customers. And every time someone places an order, you get a royalty.
If it sounds a little bit like the relationship between a music streaming service and artists, then you’d be on the right path: Nikhil Abraham, cofounder and CEO behind this concept, CloudChef, has made the comparison to Spotify or Apple Music. We spoke with him about how CloudChef works and the implications the technology could have for culinary brands.
New Craveworthy Restaurant Group founder Gregg Majewski on how he wants to boost emerging brands
Being an emerging restaurant operator is a challenge just to even get your foot in the door, but Gregg Majewski — former Jimmy John’s CEO and current CEO of Mongolian Concepts — wants to support a select portfolio of small restaurant brands both financially and operationally with the newly formed Craveworthy Restaurant Group.
We spoke with Majewski at the recent NAFEM conference in Orlando, Fla. about his goals for Craveworthy’s brands.
PODCAST: How Chick-fil-A is treating drivers like customers
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