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Tag: Restaurants

  • Yelp Buys Eat24 For $134 Million

    Yelp Buys Eat24 For $134 Million

    Yelp just announced that it has acquired Eat24, the web and app-based online food ordering service that made headlines last year when it “broke up” with Facebook. The deal is valued at $134 million, consisting of stock and cash. The cash part is $75 million.

    Yelp says it will use the acquisition to drive daily engagement in the restaurant vertical. It will also expand Eat24’s services to a million U.S. restaurants on the Yelp platform. Eat24 currently provides online delivery and takeout ordering services to 20,000 restaurants in over 1,500 cities. It has a website and app that feature 24/7 live chat, email, and phone support.

    “As more food ordering transactions move online, further integrating Eat24 will enhance our user experience with an easy-to-use product and service that allows our large consumer audience to transact directly with businesses,” said Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. “Eat24 has developed a great solution and unique service that has already added great value to the Yelp Platform. With this acquisition, we gain more tools and expertise to help engage our users from discovery through transaction in a key vertical for Yelp.”

    “We’re excited to join the Yelp team to deliver an even better consumer experience inside this top destination for finding local businesses,” said Eat24 co-founder and CEO Nadav Sharon. “Yelp has an impressive ability to connect its users directly with businesses. This is an incredible opportunity to further connect with Yelp’s highly engaged users and to expand our reach to even more local businesses on its platform.”

    As mentioned, Eat24 made quite a few headlines nearly a year ago, even drawing mainstream news coverage from outlets like CNN. It wrote a very public “break-up” letter to Facebook in response to the decline in organic reach it saw for its Page posts (as many others have seen). The brand had previously had over 70,000 Facebook fans.

    The story came at a time when businesses were growing very frustrated with the Facebook issue, and Eat24 became something of a cult hero for small period of time there, but it’s not clear that too many other brands followed suit. Either way, a couple of months later, Eat24 provided an update to say that things were going splendidly without a Facebook Page, and it would seem that it has never looked back. As of today, the Facebook link on Eat24’s website still points to the break-up letter. It will be interesting to see if Yelp requires the brand to embrace the social network again.

    Yelp released its quarterly earnings last week, reporting net revenue of $109.9 million. In light of the acquisition, Yelp has increased its revenue outlook for Q1, expecting it to be in the range of $118.5 million to $120.5 million.

    Yelp is also beefing up its sales staff.

    Image via Eat24

  • 46% Of Yelp’s Top 100 Places To Eat In The U.S. Are In California

    Apparently you really need to live in California to have a great selection of places to eat. That’s what Yelp’s Top 100 Places to Eat in the U.S. would have you believe anyway. 46 out of 100 of them are located in the state.

    Of course this is simply based on user data from Yelp, so that would seem to indicate that Yelp is a whole lot more popular in California (where it’s based) than anywhere else in the country. Either that or California really just does completely blow away every other state when it comes to great food. Yelp says in a blog post:

    Yelp is a hotbed of user-generated information. From lengthy reviews to photos and searches, there’s a lot that our data can tell us about small businesses and consumer preferences. From this data we know that one of the main questions people across the world come to Yelp to answer is, “Where should I eat?”

    Well have no fear, Yelp’s Top 100 List for 2015 is here, revealing the hottest 100 places to eat in the United States based on Yelp data. How did we compile a list so thorough? To determine Yelp’s top places to eat for 2015, our data science team analyzed which places were the most popular and well reviewed over the course of 2014. Unlike our inaugural list from last year, which unearthed the best places to eat on Yelp based on almost 10 years of reviews, this time Yelp’s data science team gave more weight to recent reviews, so that Yelpers’ opinions in 2014 mattered most, while older reviews had less influence on the list. While we still see some of the great places from the 2014 Top 100 that were as good as ever last year, we’ve also made room for some up and comers that were off the charts in 2014. Businesses were compared on a nationwide basis.

    Last year’s list included 48 California restaurants.

    For comparison, this list from DailyMeal of the 101 best restaurants in the country has less than half of the number of California restaurants Yelp’s list has. This list of the top 100 from OpenTable only has 10 California establishments.

    Here’s Yelp’s top 100 for 2015:

    1. Copper Top BBQ – Big Pine, CA
    2. Art of Flavors – Las Vegas, NV
    3. Soho Japanese Restaurant – Las Vegas, NV
    4. TKB Bakery and Deli – Indio, CA
    5. Ono Seafood – Kona, HI
    6. Shark Pit Maui – Lahaina, HI
    7. Gaucho Parilla Argentina – Pittsburgh, PA
    8. Bobboi Natural Gelato – La Jolla, CA
    9. Golden Bear Trading Company – San Francisco, CA
    10. Little Miss BBQ – Phoenix, AZ
    11. Dat Cajun Guy – Haleiwa, HI
    12. Sweet Dogs – Miami, FL
    13. Aviva by Kameel – Atlanta, GA
    14. Sweet Spice – Savannah, GA
    15. Royal Taj – Columbia, MD
    16. Arun’s Indian Kichen – Coral Spring, FL
    17. Hall’s Chophouse – Charleston, SC
    18. Bronze Cafe – Las Vegas, NV
    19. Saffron and Rose Ice Cream – Los Angeles, CA
    20. Buddha Thai Bistro – Vacaville, CA
    21. Yoshino Japanese Deli – Carlsbad, CA
    22. Big Al’s Pizzeria – Maywood, CA
    23. Andytown Coffee Roasters – San Francisco, CA
    24. Kech Cafe – Fountain Valley, CA
    25. Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que – Kansas City, KS
    26. Los Andes Restaurant – Providence, RI
    27. Lahaina Luna Cafe – Lahaina, HI
    28. Bell Street Farm – Los Alamos, CA
    29. Tacos El Gordo De Tijuana BC – Chula Vista, CA
    30. Detroit Coney Grill – Tempe, AZ
    31. Sessions West Coast Deli – Newport Beach, CA
    32. Baguette Cafe – Las Vegas, NV
    33. Carrara Pastries – Moorpark, CA
    34. Bogart’s Smokehouse – Saint Louis, MO
    35. Reading Terminal Market – Philadelphia, PA
    36. Piperi Mediterranean Grill – Boston, MA
    37. Kitchen Table Cafe – Denver, CO
    38. Mood Cafe – Philadelphia, PA
    39. Santos Lucha Libre – Phoenix, AZ
    40. Porto’s Bakery – Burbank, CA
    41. El Dorado Cantina – Las Vegas, NV
    42. Jougert Bar – Burlingame, CA
    43. Araya’s Place Thai Vegan Restaurant – Los Angeles, CA
    44. Joe’s Falafel – Los Angeles, CA
    45. Persimmon Cafe – Charleston, SC
    46. Beiler’s Bakery – Philadelphia, PA
    47. Starbread – Sacramento, CA
    48. Kersmon Caribbean Restaurant – Greenacres, FL
    49. Vitality Tap – San Diego, CA
    50. Ono Seafood – Honolulu, HI
    51. Chama Gaucha Brazilian Steakhouse – Downers Grove, IL
    52. Da Poke Shack – Kailua Kona, HI
    53. Poke Express – Las Vegas, NV
    54. Murakame Udon – Honolulu, HI
    55. Bronzed Aussie – Los Angeles, CA
    56. Bite Into Maine – Cape Elizabeth, ME
    57. Franklin Barbecue – Austin, TX
    58. Eddie V’s Prime Seafood – San Diego, CA
    59. Hey!… You Gonna Eat or What? – Austin, TX
    60. Mama D’s Italian Kitchen – Newport Beach, CA
    61. Outlaws Cafe – Van Nuys, CA
    62. Subculture Extraordinary Sandwiches – Huntington Beach, CA
    63. Go Greek Yogurt – Beverly Hills, CA
    64. Ninja Sushi and Teriyaki – Roseville, CA
    65. Los Agaves – Santa Barbara, CA
    66. Sal, Kris, & Charlie’s Deli – Astoria, NY
    67. Genie Den – Garden Grove, CA
    68. Garbo’s Grill – Key West, FL
    69. T-Deli – San Diego, CA
    70. Rose’s Luxury – Washington, DC
    71. Embargo Grill – San Diego, CA
    72. Your Kitchen – Honolulu, HI
    73. LouEddie’s Pizza – Skyforest, CA
    74. Blues City Deli – Saint Louis, MO
    75. Dametra Cafe – Carmel, CA
    76. Nick’s Next Door – Los Gatos, CA
    77. Don Julio’s Rincon Latin Grill and Pupusas – Ronnert Park, CA
    78. Mr. Mama’s – Las Vegas, NV
    79. Los Tacos No. 1 – New York, NY
    80. Beyer Deli – San Diego, CA
    81. Mojo Donuts – Pembroke Pines, FL
    82. Peter’s Kettle Corn – Oakland, CA
    83. The Pocket Burger Shack – Sunset Beach, CA
    84. Mouthful Eatery – Thousand Oaks, CA
    85. Playground 2.0 – Santa Ana, CA
    86. Monell’s Dining & Catering – Nashville, TN
    87. Zenwich – Elmhurst, IL
    88. Commonwealth Restaurant – Burbank, CA
    89. Istanbul Grill California – Fountain Valley, CA
    90. Mister Falafel – San Diego, CA
    91. Vietnam Poblano – Houston, TX
    92. Tanioka’s Seafoods & Catering – Waipahu, HI
    93. Yak’s On The 5 – Dunsmuir, CA
    94. Titas Taco House – Humble, TX
    95. Pomo Pizzeria Napoletana – Phoenix, AZ
    96. Eli’s BBQ – Cincinnati, OH
    97. Johnny Pacific – Winnetka, CA
    98. The Cinnamon Snail – New York, NY
    99. Cafe la Maude – Philadelphia, PA
    100. Cream Pan – Tustin, CA

    We’ve reached out to Yelp for information on what percentage of Yelp’s U.S. reviews and/or users are from California. We’ll update if we get that information.

    Update: Yelp tells me it doesn’t break out reviews or visitors by state, but that the list “represents opinions of the Yelp community, which is strongest in some of our oldest communities and may contribute to why you see many California businesses represented.”

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Yelp Gets A Lot Of Critical Data On Restaurants

    This was announced last week, but it kind of flew under the radar. Yelp has formed an open data partnership with Socrata to distribute restaurant inspection information. The companies are calling it a strategic partnership aimed at helping improve public health conditions around the world.

    Yelp becomes a new member of the Open Data Network, and teams up with Socrata’s government customers, which will get tools for connecting their restaurant inspection data to Yelp. According to Socrata, most cities throughout the U.S. aren’t publishing such data in a format that can be consumed by B2C services like Yelp, and this will supposedly change that.

    “We’re thrilled to be working with Socrata and its network of partners to make this valuable information more accessible to the millions of people that turn to Yelp every month,” said Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman. “This was a joint effort as part of Yelp’s Local Inspector Value Entry Specification (LIVES) open data standard, which enables local municipalities to accurately upload restaurant health inspection scores for display on Yelp business pages.”

    “We are very excited to launch this partnership with Yelp, the global leader in crowd-sourced reviews for local businesses,” said Socrata CEO Kevin Merritt. “With this behind-the-scenes data integration, millions of people will be able to benefit from better health information, which will ultimately improve their lives.”

    Two years ago, Yelp started showing health scores on listings in San Francisco and New York City. In the meantime it has begun doing so in other areas as various municipalities have adopted LIVES.

    Last May, Yelp was actually able to help health officials in New York find hundreds of cases of food borne illness. Fox News reported at the time:

    Researchers involved in a pilot project between the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Columbia University and Yelp trawled the site for reviews that included words like “sick,” “vomit,” “diarrhea” and “food poisoning,” between July 2012 and March 2013.

    Roughly 294,000 Yelp reviews were analyzed, and researchers found 468 posts that were consistent with cases of recent food borne illnesses. Only 15 of those cases had been independently reported to the health department.

    Yelp is always under fire from small businesses claiming that the quality of reviews being displayed about their business doesn’t represent popular opinion. Yelp’s small business evangelist Darnell Holloway reportedly told Fortune that they “tend to be ‘perfectionists’ who expect nothing less than the elusive five-star rating.”

    Health inspection data, however, is something that consumers can look at without having to take the word of random Yelp users. Now Yelp will have a great deal more of that data.

    “Love it or hate it, Yelp is becoming more and more part of civic digital infrastructure across the nation,” says Michael Grass at Government Executive.

    As he notes, the New York City Department of Transportation has also been experimenting with using Yelp data in its iRideNYC app.

    Last week, Yelp announced that it hit a major milestone with over 100,000 developers using its API to integrate its data into their products. This is something of a wake-up call to businesses that regardless of whether or not potential customers are going to Yelp’s website or app, there’s a good chance they’ll run into listings in some other way.

    More on LIVES here.

    Image via Thinkstock

  • Infographic: The Launchpad To Career Growth

    Infographic: The Launchpad To Career Growth

    This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation . The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

    The restaurant industry has some amazing career statistics to show for itself, and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation recently conducted a study that highlights some of them, including stats that illustrate competitive pay and pay increases throughout the industry.

    Take a look at the latest infographic, which is the seventh in a series from the foundation. This one specifically deals with career growth as attained in the restaurant industry, looking at how employees can make advancements and climb the ladder.

    For example, 9 in 10 restaurant workers 35 or older have moved to higher-paying jobs in the industry after their first job, the study finds. It happens all the time. While workers may not necessarily stay at the same restaurant, they find that there are even better opportunities elsewhere in the field. This only becomes more the case as they gain experience.

    Even those new to the game can enjoy the restaurant industry’s upward mobility. 71% of employees 18-24 land a more lucrative gig in the business after their first job. So you don’t have to have been around the block for too many years before moving up becomes a real possibility. It happens more quickly than you think.

    The good news is that this isn’t really limited at all by geography either. The abundance of restaurants in nearly every community presents opportunities and experience to land other positions all over the map.

    Restaurants: The Launchpad to Career Growth:

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    Be sure and check out the previous five infographics looking at various findings from the study: 1,2, 3, 4, 5, and 6.

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  • Amazon Launches Restaurant Delivery Service

    Amazon Launches Restaurant Delivery Service

    Back in June, while I was on vacation, there were reports about Amazon readying the launch of a food takeout service. This followed earlier reports that the company was working on a new local services offering, and was said to be a smaller part of that larger endeavor.

    Today, TechCrunch is reporting that the takeout service has gone live within the Amazon Local app, but only for about 20 restaurants in the Seattle area. While Amazon hasn’t made any formal announcements that we’ve seen, you can actually find the service on the web with a simple Google search here.

    The offering lets you choose between takeout and delivery options. You can browse restaurants, and place orders right from the site/app.

    “From Pizza to Sushi, find a variety of your favorite neighborhood restaurants,” Amazon says. “Get your food delivered or order takeout by paying with your secure Amazon account. Enjoy the food and our service. If you ever need us, we’re available 24/7.”

    As others like TechCrunch have pointed out, this gives Amazon a way to compete with services like Seamless, Grubhub, and DeliveryHero. Uber recently entered the food delivery space as well, just as it got into grocery delivery, which Amazon is also experimenting with.

    Image via Amazon

  • Infographic: Dedication Pays Off

    This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation . The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

    For many people, restaurants are simply places we go to get a bite to eat, and little mind is paid to their role in our economy. After reading some of these stats, however, that may change for you.

    It turns out, the restaurant industry is an incredible driving force in jobs and pay for people of all ages on different rungs of the corporate ladder.

    The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation recently conducted a study that highlights the restaurant industry’s competitive pay and pay increases.

    Lifelong careers in the restaurant industry are not uncommon. Did you know that 70% of restaurant employees actually plan to stay in industry until they retire? As a matter of fact, the median tenure of restaurant management and business operations employees is 20 years in the industry.

    Ultimately, a job in the restaurant industry pays off. 71% of salaried restaurant managers, 50% of salaried shift/crew supervisors and 47% of salaried chefs/cooks earned a bonus in the past year.

    Following is the fifth infographic in a series from the foundation, which illustrates the benefits and rewards that come with a long-term commitment to a career in the restaurant industry.

    Dedication Pays Off

    Numbers never lie, they say, and the infographics associated with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s study have some pretty impressive numbers. Be sure and take a look at the previous ones here, here, here, and here.

    There are plenty of legitimate reasons to work in the restaurant industry and certainly many to support it at the very least.

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  • You’ll Soon Be Able To Pay With PayPal At Burger King

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Pay With PayPal At Burger King

    PayPal announced that Burger King customers will soon be able to pay for their meals using PayPal thanks to a collaboration between PayPal and Tillster and one between Tillster and Burger King. This is in the U.S.

    “Tillster worked with Burger King Corporation to develop the Burger King app (available for iOS and Android), which offers customers increased convenience and savings,” PayPal chief product officer Hill Ferguson says. “With the Burger King App, guests can receive exclusive offers and discounts at BK restaurants, find their closest BK restaurant, and browse the menu and nutritional information.”

    “We will be rolling [it] out later this quarter across the United States to all locations,” Ferguson adds. “BK restaurant guests will be able to securely pay with PayPal by simply launching the app and when they select to pay with PayPal they will be prompted with a four digit pin to pay.”

    We seem to be officially entering the era of paying for fast food with non-traditional means. Taco Bell launched a new mobile app last week to much fanfare, enabling users to order and pay using their smartphones.

    PayPal also announced that it’s been working with GoDaddy on its new Online Store to offer businesses ways to build e-commerce websites.

    Image via PayPal

  • Infographic: Do The Math

    This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

    The restaurant business might not be the first thing you think of when it comes to great jobs, but it should be. You won’t believe some of the numbers that prove how great it really can be for people of all ages.

    The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has conducted a study that highlights the restaurant industry’s competitive pay and pay increases.The following infographic is the fourth in a series from the foundation, and illustrates the competitive salaries and consistent pay raises the restaurant industry provides.

    The industry boasts impressive numbers for entry level jobs as well as for positions for folks who have been in the workforce for years.

    The numbers are clear – there are very competitive wages available to employees of the restaurant industry. Chefs and cooks make a median base salary of $50,000, while restaurant managers make a median base salary or $47,000.

    Salaries in the industry are not stagnant. Entry-level employees receive a pay raise, on average, within six months of hire. About 70% of managers and shift/crew supervisors have received a raise within the past year.

    The industry goes beyond hourly pay. By mid-career, 57% of restaurant employees are salaried.

    If the following infographic doesn’t convince you that the restaurant industry is a major driver of jobs and of our economy, you should probably look at this one, this one, and this one too.

    Infographic:

    photo NRAEFINFORGRAPHIC4copy_zps6cc67976.jpg

    Image via National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

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  • This Way To The American Dream

    This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

    The restaurant business is the business to be in for young people looking to get ahead, it would seem. Luckily, it’s an incredibly common first job for teenagers all across the country.

    With the economy in the shape it’s been in for the past several years, it’s as important as ever that people, especially young folks, are able to find a job that can stick. A career in the restaurant industry just may be that job.

    It’s not just young people who will benefit from a career in the industry, however. People of all ages are getting a lot out of the field that brings so much joy to so many hungry people every single day.

    The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has conducted a study that highlights job and career opportunities in the restaurant industry and debunks stereotypes.This infographic is the third in a series for the foundation. It shows the many paths to career success that the restaurant industry provides.

    Your first job in the restaurant industry is only the beginning. The industry offers mobility, as more than 9 out of 10 restaurant employees 35 or older have advanced to a higher-paying job in the industry. 71% of those between 18 and 24 have also advanced to higher paying positions in the restaurant industry.

    Restaurant owners and operators climb the ladder to success as well. 55% of owners and operators worked in the industry as waitstaff, 59% as a chef or cook and 84% as a restaurant manager.

    Most staff in the industry also see it as an industry of opportunity. A majority of waitstaff, bartenders, bus persons, chefs/cooks, shift/crew supervisors, managers and operations employees believe the restaurant industry offers opportunity for advancement.

    This Way to the American Dream:

    Infographic-3_zpse900b110

    Image via National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

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  • An Industry Of Opportunity

    An Industry Of Opportunity

    This post brought to you by National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. The content and opinions expressed below are that of WebProNews.

    The U.S. labor market is getting stronger, and the restaurant industry is leading the way. It’s providing jobs, upward mobility, and long-term career opportunities and security to employees.

    The National Restaurant Association of America Educational Foundation has compiled some interesting statistics in the following infographic, which show not only how important the restaurant industry is to the U.S. economy, but also how the industry is a place where lasting, rewarding careers can be built.

    The restaurant industry has outpaced the overall U.S. economy in job growth for the past 14 years, and it’s on target to do it again in 2014. It’s clear that people never get tired of eating out. You can take comfort in the fact that by doing so, you’re supporting jobs and a healthy economy.

    The projected size of the restaurant industry workforce in 2014 is 13.5 million people, which is about one in ten working Americans. The median tenure of employees in restaurant manager and business operation positions is 20 years.

    More than nine out of ten restaurant employees (from supervisors and chefs to servers and dishwashers) say the restaurant industry is a good place to get a first job. It’s certainly one of the easiest industries to break into at a young age.

    An Industry of Opportunity:

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    Image via National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation

  • Denny’s Mocks Apple’s Livestream Incompetence

    As you probably know, Apple held a big press event today to unveil the iPhone 6, the iPhone 6 Plus, and the Apple Watch (as well as Apple Pay and a new U2 album).

    The company made a huge deal about the event, complete with a big countdown to the livestream of the event (which of course could only be viewed using Apple products). Then, as countless people tried to tune in for the big unveil, the stream simply didn’t work. People were presented with a screen that looked like this:

    In what might be the best real-time brand marketing since Oreo’s Super Bowl blackout play, Denny’s tweeted this:

    Bravo.

    Meanwhile people are seriously annoyed with Apple’s lackluster performance.


    Image via Twitter

  • Groupon Launches New Appointment Option

    Groupon announced that it is giving local businesses a new time-based deals option that enables them to accept reservations or take appointments so they have more control over when customers actually show up.

    The complaint about a lack of control is almost as old as Groupon itself. If too many people take advantage of a good deal at the same time, it can make for a chaotic period for a business ill prepared to handle the influx.

    A Groupon spokesperson tells WebProNews, “Many business tell us that they’re interested in running a deal, but they don’t need us to bring them customers at certain times. This is why we’re launching a new time-based deals option for all local businesses that accept reservations or take appointments––enabling them to control exactly when customers come into their business.

    Groupon’s Time-Based Deals for All Local Businesses from Groupon on Vimeo.

    “In addition to providing our merchants with predictability and certainty by bringing them customers exactly when they want them, we’re streamlining the experience for our customers by letting them know when they can use a deal before they buy it,” the spokesperson adds.

    “Groupon is making it easier for people to buy and book what they want, when they want it and also providing local businesses with an important yield management tool that drives additional revenue,” said Julie Szudarek, senior vice president, Local Deals for Groupon. “Our new booking technology provides merchants even greater control over their deals to match the needs of their business and offers a tremendous customer experience. And as more and more businesses list their reservation and appointment inventory with us, it gives our customers another reason to always check Groupon first.”

    Customers can make a reservation or appointment from the Groupon mobile app or Groupon.com when they purchase the deal or afterwards. With the appointment or reservation booked ahead of time, they won’t have to present a voucher when they show up to the business.

    The feature is starting in the restaurant category, but will be expanded to others, including spas, classes, and activities, soon.

    Image via BusinessWire

  • Sbarro Out of Bankruptcy, Moving its Headquarters

    Pizza restaurant chain Sbarro this week announced that it has officially exited bankruptcy. According to a New York Times report, the company’s reorganization plan was approved all the way back on May 19. That plan took effect for the company starting Monday, July 2.

    In addition to the bankruptcy update, Sbarro also this week announced that it will be moving its national headquarters. The company’s current New York City-based headquarters will soon be relocated to Columbus, Ohio. The company estimates that the move should be complete by sometime in October.

    Sbarro stated that it expects the move to reduce operation expenses. Around 40 employees who work in the company’s New York headquarters will be laid off, but the company emphasized that its other employees across the U.S. shouldn’t be affected. According to the Times, Sbarro currently has around 2,700 employees in U.S. restaurants.

    Sbarro’s Columbus move also puts company leadership closer to its new Pizza Cucinova restaurant business. With two locations in Columbus and one soon to open in Cincinnati, Pizza Cucinova serves pizza with more of a specialty flair than Sbarro’s pizza. Pizza Cucinova is also being expanded through stand alone locations, rather than mall locations.

    Sbarro filed for bankruptcy earlier this year, the company’s second bankruptcy filing in just three years. This latest bankruptcy filing came just as the restaurant announced plans to close 155 of its restaurants in North America – nearly 40% of the company’s total number of restaurants, not including franchise locations.

    At the time of the filing, Sbarro’s CFO commented that reduced mall traffic could be to blame for the company’s falling revenue, along with an inflated budget. As with many businesses that use malls as primary retail locations, Sbarro has been hit by Americans’ quickly-waning interest in mall shopping. As internet retailers have begun competing with physical retailers, smaller malls across the country built during the mall boom of the 80s and 90s have begun to shut down.

    Image via Facebook/Sbarro

  • Facebook Gives Restaurants New Menu Feature

    The web is getting better for restaurants this year. Facebook just announced a new feature that will help restaurants show off their menus to users.

    “When looking for a great meal, people often turn to Facebook to find a restaurant’s location, hours of operation and menu,” the company says on its business blog. “That’s why, beginning today, we’re making it easier for restaurants worldwide to display one of their most important assets directly on their Facebook Page — their menus.”

    Restaurant pages in the U.S. and Canada upload menus through SinglePlatform from Constant Contact. Businesses who already work with SinglePlatform for menus will see their menus automatically added to their Pages.

    Those outside the U.S. and Canada, and those that don’t work with SinglePlatform can upload a PDF of their menu. You can do this by going to settings, and then Page Info and Menus.

    Earlier this year, Google released a new menu feature, showing card-style menu results on results pages for restaurants. Earlier this month, the company acquired Appetas, a service that lets restaurants showcase their menus across devices.

    Also this month, Yelp launched a new reservation tool for restaurants.

    Facebook provides more information about adding your menu to your page here. If you simply need to edit your menu, check out this link.

    Image via Facebook

  • Mike Ditka is Now the Spokesperson For Al’s Beef

    Football legend Mike Ditka is best known as the longtime coach of the Chicago Bears, but younger NFL fans may soon know him for more for Italian beef and pizza.

    Two Chicago restaurants this week announced that Mike Ditka will now be their spokesperson. Ditka will be the face of Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza in the Second City and beyond. Both reseaurants are owned by Chicago Franchise Systems.

    “Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza are Chicago legends in a city so close to my heart after being here for many years, and I couldn’t be more excited to support their growth and expansion,” said Ditka. “There is nothing quite like Al’s original authentic dipped Italian Beef sandwich or the original stuffed pizza filled with cheese and every topping imaginable from Nancy’s. Are you hungry yet?”

    As the new spokesperson, Ditka will be integrated heavily into marketing for the restaurants. This includes PR campaigns, branding, and store-level advertising.

    Along with the announcement of Ditka as spokesperson, Al’s Beef and Nacy’s Pizza have also announced plans to expand their operations well beyond Chicago. The restaurants will both soon increase their franchise expansions and revamp their existing locations. Chicago Franchise Systems is now searching for potential expansion locations across the U.S.

    Al’s Beef, which began in Chicago in 1938, currently has 17 locations in the U.S. including restaurants in California and Nevada. New franchise locations are already planned for Dallas and Chicago. Expansion locations for Nancy’s Pizza have also been announced for Texas, California, and Georgia.

    “We are thrilled to bring Mike Ditka into the Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza family as he truly embodies Chicago where our brands were born,” said Dave Howey, president of Chicago Franchise Systems. “This partnership marks the beginning of some very exciting changes and initiatives that we’ll be rolling out over the coming months to support the continued growth of Al’s Beef and Nancy’s Pizza.”

    Image via Facebook

  • Google Acquires Restaurant Info Service Appetas

    Google Acquires Restaurant Info Service Appetas

    Google has acquired Appetas, a service that lets restaurants showcase their menus across devices. Restaurant owners can keep their info up to date on their own. Or at least they could. Google is shutting the service down as it takes the team behind to work on its own offerings.

    A message on the Appetas site says:

    We started Appetas to drastically simplify life for merchants by giving them a beautiful, easy-to-use online presence in seconds. We now have an opportunity to help merchants on an even bigger scale.

    We are excited to announce that the Appetas team is joining Google. Google shares Appetas’ vision for bringing incredibly simple experiences to merchants that strengthen their business. We’re very excited to use what we’ve learned with Appetas to create something even better at Google.

    To focus on our new endeavors, we’ll be shutting down the Appetas service and working with our customers to transition their websites over to alternative platforms. We’ll be reaching out to each customer individually to ensure a smooth transition.

    Thanks to all of our customers and partners who used the service, gave us feedback, and helped make Appetas what it is today. In addition, we wouldn’t be here without the guidance and support we received from our families, friends, mentors, and investors. This has been an incredible experience and we can’t wait to discover what the future holds!

    The company is based in Seattle. It’s unclear if the team will be moving. Terms were not disclosed.

    Via TechCrunch

    Image via Appetas

  • Ronald McDonald Gets New Look For Social Media

    Ronald McDonald Gets New Look For Social Media

    The image of Ronald McDonald is iconic throughout the world. The McDonald’s mascot has been selling happy meals in nearly every country in the world for decades. Now, with the internet bringing companies closer than ever to consumers, Ronald McDonald is receiving a significant makeover and hopping into social media.

    McDonald’s this week officially unveiled the new image of Ronald McDonald, showing off the clown’s new look. The company’s “brand ambassador” had shed his baggy jumpsuit for a more modern-looking red blazer over a red-and-white striped rugby shirt. The clown also now wears a (normal-sized) bowtie. His pants have remained yellow and big red shoes are still a part of the costume.

    A video released this week by McDonald’s shows off Ronald’s transformation over the course of one photo shoot:

    “It’s wonderful to see what Ronald means to people around the world,” said Marlena Peleo-Lazar, chief creative officer at McDonald’s USA. “We couldn’t be more excited to give him a new look and send him off to visit his fans everywhere.”

    In addition to the makeover, Ronald will become part of McDonald’s social media marketing. McDonald’s is touting the clown’s transformation through the Twitter hashtag #RonaldMcDonald. Unsurprisingly, people have been using Twitter instead to make fun of the announcement and project their fear of clowns:

    The Ronald makeover comes just weeks after Taco Bell launched a new ad campaign aimed directly at McDonald’s. The ad has several real men (that aren’t clowns) named Ronald McDonald praising Taco Bell’s new breakfast menu.

    Image via McDonald’s

  • Kevin Reddy Has a ‘No Tip’ Policy at Noodles & Co.

    Kevin Reddy Has a ‘No Tip’ Policy at Noodles & Co.

    Are you tired of going to fast food or casual dining restaurants (or other businesses that don’t have waiters who only get paid around $2 per hour) and being expected to leave something in the tip jar next to the register? We often hear of people complaining about being expected to tip in such situations, and sometimes these people say they’re treated rudely if they don’t fork over part of the change they get back. If you find seeing a tip jar next to every register annoying, you’re not alone, and at least one restaurant CEO is listening.

    While some establishments such as Starbucks are trying to make it easier for you to tip by offering the option to tip digitally, Noodles & Company CEO Kevin Reddy has decided to take tipping out of the equation. Reddy expects his employees to treat customers respectfully because they came to Noodles & Co., not because they want a tip.

    “Respect doesn’t cost you anything,” Reddy said. “Being nice doesn’t cost you anything, and we don’t really feel that folks should have to pay something additional for us to appreciate that they’re choosing us over another restaurant.” Reddy further says, “Either you enjoy people, and you treat them right, or you don’t.”

    The workers at Noodles and Co., a chain based out of Colorado that has more than 300 locations, probably do more than your average fast food/casual dining restaurant worker. While you’re responsible for filling your own drinks and taking your food to your table at other establishments (and are expected to leave a tip after merely handing over cash at the register), the workers at Noodles and Co. do bring the food out to you. Despite this, Reddy doesn’t believe these workers should expect tips and also thinks that taking away the tip jar from the register will make customers feel like Noodles & Co. outdoes similar restaurants.

    “We don’t want our guests to feel we’re trying to upsell them,” Reddy added. “We’d rather have them feel we’d rather upserve them than upsell them.”

    Does this mean that the workers at Noodles & Co. will suffer since they aren’t allowed to take tips anymore? Not according to Reddy. While Reddy didn’t divulge what his employees make per hour on average, he does say they make over minimum wage and that he believes in paying them what they’re worth.

    Now you’re probably wondering what will happen if you do go to a Noodles & Co. and feel like an employee has gone above and beyond with their service and want to tip. While Reddy’s interview with CNBC says employees would be allowed to keep the tip, he says the employee would have to give it back in an interview he gave to Market Watch. “We would probably talk to them, and say, “This is what we heard. Did it happen? This is why we’d like you to give it back.’”

    Regardless of what would happen in a situation where you insisted that an employee take a tip, many consumers will probably be relieved that there is one less fast food/casual restaurant that doesn’t have a tip jar on the counter.

    Image via Twitter

  • Most Customers Ignore New Food Menu Items

    Most Customers Ignore New Food Menu Items

    With the constant variety of new foods to try in fast food restaurants across the country and the major ad campaigns touting the quality of inventive new sandwiches, it would be easy to conclude that new menu items attract customers to restaurants. Based on other data, though, it seems that most restaurant customers are scared of or simply don’t want the new stuff.

    According to a report from market research firm NPD, almost 70% of restaurant customers will not try new menu items. Only 17% of consumers surveyed by NPD said they would try a new menu item and 10% said they would try one of those limited-time-only food offerings.

    For restaurants introducing new products, then, the odds are already stacked against them. There are some things, however, that restauranteurs can do to increase the likelihood of customers trying their new menu items.

    According to the NPD report customers largely use their eyes and imagination when ordering new items, imagining how different foods will taste. Other considerations include item pricing and how healthy a new food choice is. Also, the report found that consumers tend to replace their regular orders only with something that is the same type of food.

    “Insight into the reasons why consumers try a food or beverage menu item that they have not purchased before provides restaurant operators with the knowledge required for successful product innovation, introduction, and marketing,” said Bonnie Riggs, restaurant analyst at NPD. “In addition, stimulating menu-item trial and delivering a satisfying experience should lead to repeat visits and sustained customer loyalty.”

    These concepts are generally more important for diners and fast food businesses, where customers are less likely to try a new menu item. For casual dining restaurants the report found that around 40% of customers are willing to try out a new food on the menu.

    Image via McDonalds

  • Chipotle: Guacamole Production Not At Risk

    Many enjoy crunching into tortilla chips with a large bowl of guacamole in hand. Recent concerns have been voiced that unusual weather conditions may influence the abundance of this popular food item. According to an annual report generated by Chipotle Mexican Grill, global warming may be a culprit in either decreasing the production of guacamole, or causing an increase in prices for the tasty food. The report read as follows:

    “Increasing weather volatility or other long-term changes in global weather patterns, including any changes associated with global climate change, could have a significant impact on the price or availability of some of our ingredients. Alternatively, in the event of cost increases with respect to one or more of our raw ingredients, we may choose to temporarily suspend serving menu items, such as guacamole or one or more of our salsas, rather than paying the increased cost for the ingredients.”

    Those who like to dine on the delicious dish should not fret just yet. According to Chipotle spokesman Chris Arnold, “This is nothing more than routine risk factor disclosure. The sky is not falling. I wouldn’t read too much into this.”

    Arnold went on to explain that similar circumstances have occurred previously. “We saw similar issues in 2011 and incurred higher prices for the avocados we used, but never stopped serving guacamole,” he said.

    Arnold insists that the recent annual report served as nothing more than the company’s required disclosure. Fans of the popular restaurant chain should not worry about guacamole being removed from the menu at this time. Now, where are those tortilla chips?

    Image Via Wikimedia Commons

  • Google Officially Announces Restaurant Menu Results

    Earlier this month, Google was spotted showing new card-style menu results for restaurant searches for some users.

    One tweeted a screenshot:

    Google has now announced the feature:


    Google doesn’t go into specifics about where these menu results come from.

    As others have pointed suggested, Google may draw menu info from Allmenus.com, given that this is the source for the Menu feature on the restaurant in the first example’s local result.

    Either way, this is just the latest example of Google supplying more of the information on its own properties rather than sending traffic to other sites.