en-us http://www.chainleader.com/blog/%blog_id.html?nid=4386 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use November 11, 2009 http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/330050433.html?nid=4386 The New York Times published a profile on Saturday of the unusually tight-lipped Ruby Tuesday chain--which had never invited a reporter to its Mayville, Tenn., headquarters. What makes this article worth reading isn't that the 37-year-old restaurant company is doing thi… Mon, 09 Nov 2009 07:36:25 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/1020050302.html?nid=4386 Since spring of 2007 restaurant analyst Nicole Miller of Piper Jaffray has been asking high school students (54 percent male, 44 percent female) to list their favorite chain restaurants in order of preference. Some 1,200 students, age 16 on average, are t… Tue, 03 Nov 2009 12:53:08 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/890050289.html?nid=4386 SBUX management met with numerous investors in recent months in both the U.S. and Europe and the feedback is pointing to continued improvement in [same-store sales] and significant progress on the cost cutting front.Trading at 9X 2010 EBITDA… Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:06:01 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/630050263.html?nid=4386 I would have posted this note as soon as I spotted Bruce Buschel's "dont's" list on his blog "The Art of Running a Small Business," but I didn't take my computer to Denver last week, where a bunch of editors, operators and… Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:58:56 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/760050076.html?nid=4386 Shall we start with a 50 percent tax on the retail value of beef? That's the suggestion of Princeton University professor and author Peter Singer in today's New York Daily News. Why tax red meat? ...Read More Mon, 26 Oct 2009 08:09:05 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/200050020.html?nid=4386 The NRA Marketing Executives Group (MEG) Conference in Las Vegas was a great place to learn, to network and to be inspired. Here is part two of the Top Ten Things I Really Learned in Vegas. #5 Intuition Trumps Information Blake Mycoskie's inspiring story of how he created TOMS Shoes to… Fri, 23 Oct 2009 09:45:34 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/1790049979.html?nid=4386 Conventional holds that now is not the time for restaurants to raise prices. See my last blog post. But, in fact, menu prices have been climbing, if stealthily, according to Boston-based Intellaprice. Particularly drink prices, which have risen 2 percent in 2009. … Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:08:50 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/1400049940.html?nid=4386 I just got back from the NRA Marketing Executives Group (MEG) Conference at The Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas. (For those of you who don't know, the MEG conference is a National Restaurant Association study group where marketers, presidents and CEOs come together to learn the latest in restaurant … Tue, 20 Oct 2009 16:13:33 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1470000747/post/430049843.html?nid=4386 World-famous singer Celine Dion stars in this commercial for St-Hubert, a Canadian restaurant chain that specializes in rotisserie chicken. I don't know French. I took Spanish in high school. But I think the closing screen is telling us the spot is supporting cystic fibrosis research. I… Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:53:57 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/250049825.html?nid=4386 "Both restaurant and food companies are pointing to stable commodity prices in 2010 as production capacity cuts are offset by still soft consumer demand." &n… Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:18:41 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/1540049754.html?nid=4386 Have you heard of "Udorse," the newly launched endeavor where everyday people can earn sponsor dollars for the brands they feature in their blogs and Facebook pages? (www.udorse.com) You get the picture: "Click on my bracelet and you'll find out more about the brand of jewelry I'm we… Wed, 14 Oct 2009 09:51:49 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/1470049747.html?nid=4386 Like watching car wrecks? Then you'll love Adweek columnist Barbara Lippert's brutal dissection of Friendly's new television commerical. But before linking to it view the spot more than once--otherwise you'll find yourself replaying it to grasp the mis… Wed, 14 Oct 2009 07:09:52 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1470000747/post/1060049706.html?nid=4386 Wendy's "you know when it's real" commercials are on the air, and I am relieved. Really. I never liked the "better than fast food" tag. Wendy's is fast food. And those crazy red wigs? Don't get me started. What I like most about the new spots isn't the fact that they're cl… Tue, 13 Oct 2009 09:30:19 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/260049626.html?nid=4386 I've been feeling a "Top Ten List" coming on, so, just for fun...here goes. My Top Ten "Quick Tips" for Restaurateurs 10. The more signage you have...the less advertising you need 9. The more formal the service...the less comfortable the guests 8. The more choices your custom… Fri, 09 Oct 2009 09:35:58 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1470000747/post/1790049579.html?nid=4386 This is not a restaurant chain commercial. It's kind of a restaurant industry commercial. In a departure from our typical post, enjoy this look at some special restaurant operators, the winners of the National Restaurant Association's 2009 Restaurant Neighbor Awards. … Wed, 07 Oct 2009 14:16:27 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/1750049575.html?nid=4386 There were a few good moments during last night's Rachel Maddow Show. The best came during an interview with Rick Berman, a former Brinker International executive-turned-public affairs specialist (see videos below). The Washington, D.C.-based Berman opposes many liberal causes … Wed, 07 Oct 2009 10:33:10 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/170000417/post/1040049504.html?nid=4386 Does putting the kibosh on the development of fast-food restaurants reduce obesity or spur development of restaurants offering better-for-you fare? A year ago Los Angeles City Council decided to find out, enacting a year-long ban on new QSRs in South Los An… Tue, 06 Oct 2009 03:50:50 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/1090049509.html?nid=4386 I had lunch the other day with my friend Marsha, whose teenage daughter got a job this summer as a hostess at a casual theme restaurant. Marsha, having worked her way through college tending bar, knows the business well. I love her story because it's a reality check. Marsha's daughter may rep… Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:20:50 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1470000747/post/120049412.html?nid=4386 Starting tomorrow and through this weekend, Starbucks is offering a taste test of their instant Via product against a regular coffee. The commercial is funny, and choosing Nancy Giles, who you might know from CBS News Sunday Morning, was a brilliant choice for a smart but slightly sarcastic… Thu, 01 Oct 2009 09:59:04 PST http://www.chainleader.com/blog/1570000757/post/1680049368.html?nid=4386 As someone who has been watching Saturday Night Live since the '70s, I know something about brand fatigue. You know, after thirty years, I keep hoping that they will show me something new...and occasionally they do. Last fall, Tina Fey's take on Sarah Palin was just the "new product development… Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:22:25 PST