en-us http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418.html?nid=3974 Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information. Subject to its Terms of Use http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/530045453.html?nid=3974 I hope that you will indulge me this one last blog to honor the greatest restaurateur and human that I have ever known. Dear Norman, ...Read More http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1160045116.html?nid=3974 This is goodbye. On Monday morning I show up for work in Denver as the new CEO of Boston Market. My new bosses, the private equity firm Sun Capital Partners, would prefer that I focus on the things that they are paying me for. As a result I am resi… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/730045073.html?nid=3974 In cycling this shout means that you need to keep your bike in as straight a line as possible to keep from hitting other cyclers near you. Ignore it at your peril. Unfortunately, in the restaurant industry we don’t have a similar cry to keep other concepts from encroaching on our traditional s… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/690045069.html?nid=3974 Ever since the first ticket was sold at a baseball game, foodservice was there. I don’t know what was sold. It could have been a hot dog or a beer since some things never change, but fans have been buying high priced, questionable quality far… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1170044917.html?nid=3974 I saw Ron Paul of Technomic at the Marketing Executives Group conference in Chicago the week before last. Seeing him reminded me of a white paper that they published for attendees of the Restaurant Leadership Conference recently. It was titled “Satisfying the Changing Consumer: The Winning Res… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1700044770.html?nid=3974 The Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers is asking Congress for $30 million annually to develop passive ignition interlock technology that would be standard equipment on all cars. This is a device that would detect and measure the level of alcohol in your body when you grab the steering wheel, and w… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1950044595.html?nid=3974 Every year at this time, one week before the Restaurant Show, restaurant marketers migrate to Chicago for the Marketing Executives Group (MEG) meeting. 200+ restaurant marketers, presidents, CEOs and assorted students of the industry gather to learn the latest in marketing tactics, techniques, strat… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1920044392.html?nid=3974 Published at the end of 2007, Eat This, Not That! by David Zinczenko has sold over one million books and has been followed by two other books that are focused on helping the consumer make dietary sense of the choices...Read More http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1070044307.html?nid=3974 I was talking with a casual dining CEO recently about his plans to develop a new concept. I asked him if it would be a fast casual concept. “No,” he replied, “I don’t believe in fast casual. I see very few fast casual concepts that make money. This one will be full-service so… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/890044089.html?nid=3974 I finally had the opportunity to visit one of Bobby Flay’s burger restaurants yesterday during a trip to New York City. Bobby’s Burger Palace gives the public a chance to enjoy the food and flavors of this celebrity chef in a quick casual format. Fine dining for $12. One year after… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1340043934.html?nid=3974 The battle between the casual dining super powers just went nuclear. It was only a matter of time before this happened. The escalation of arms happens in most wars, but seldom do you see the response to a large bomb be the launching of a thermonuclear weapon. Most countries big enough and smart enou… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1800043780.html?nid=3974 A few years ago I pulled up behind a brand new Mercedes convertible at the traffic light. I couldn’t help but notice the personalized license plate of the older woman driving the car: PO NO MO. I also couldn’t help but notice the waves and thumbs up she was getting from other drivers who… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1900043590.html?nid=3974 In English, Kentucky Grilled Chicken is a Bodacious Food Direction for the company formerly known as KFC. Well, they will probably be known as KFC for a little while longer, but they are giving customers a chance to try the results of their five-year development efforts with a 5,000 restaurant rollo… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1080043508.html?nid=3974 It is Friday night and I am on a flight to Dallas after having spent some time in South Florida looking at restaurants and talking restaurants all day. As has become the norm anymore when traveling the flight will be arriving at least an hour and a half late. For those of you who travel frequently t… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/860043286.html?nid=3974 I have spent my entire restaurant career on the chain side of the business. I have always enjoyed the challenges of trying to leverage a brand idea into multiple locations. But once a year I find myself enamored with the thought that there is a lot going on with the independent restaurants in our in… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/170043217.html?nid=3974 About this time every year you can see birds checking out the warming ground for signs of worms to eat. The worms are in the ground during the cold months of winter, but the earth is just too hard to get at them. At the same time there are a lot of people checking for signs of a restaurant sal… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1860042986.html?nid=3974 12 million children in the U.S. have to worry about getting enough food to eat. That is one in six. And the trends on childhood hunger are getting worse, not better. You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know that during periods of high unemployment food can be scarce on the tables of som… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/110042811.html?nid=3974 I spent yesterday driving around Dallas looking at restaurants with a chain CEO and a restaurant research analyst. The perfect combination for surfacing some industry issues, talking about trends, sharing views on current and emerging concepts, and speculating on the future. We mainly focused on the… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/600042660.html?nid=3974 “Variety's the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.” William Cowper, English Poet, 1731-1800 ...Read More http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/1420042342.html?nid=3974 I have always thought of myself as the kind of person who can figure things out. Give me a problem or a situation, a couple of clues, and maybe a few hints along the way and I can usually find the answer. I don't think of myself as any better or worse than other people in my ability to do this. It s… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/250042225.html?nid=3974 I have been sucked into a burger vortex. It wasn't intentional, but I am going with the flow. I was in Austin, TX yesterday and went to eat at Mighty Fine Burgers. They have been around since December 2007, but it was my first visit. I had heard nothing but rave reviews and was looking forward to se… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/40042004.html?nid=3974 The fuse was lit a week ago. I was in a cab going from a Lake Tahoe conference to the airport in Reno. A beautiful drive of snowy mountains, tall trees and the occasional deer. Once out of the mountains you enter the valley and civilization. Strip centers and office complexes line the highway lead… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/70041807.html?nid=3974 The great thing about the restaurant industry is that the operators and concept creators don't wait for times to get better to get their business back. They follow the customer. If you have an existing concept you are limited in the short term with how you can react to the demands for more val… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/510041651.html?nid=3974 The second annual San Diego State University Restaurant Leadership Conference was held this week. I find it hard to believe that a year has passed since I attended the last one. Time really flies in this industry when you are gasping for air. There were two conference highlights this year. The first… http://www.chainleader.com/blog/180000418/post/40041404.html?nid=3974 Everyone thinks that the person that calls the shots in any company is the president or the CEO. Usually that is correct. But when times are tough and every penny matters, the true power behind the throne is revealed--the accountants. The accountants are usually fronted by a spokesperson, the CFO.…