Trends

Keeping the foodservice equipment marketplace up to date with the latest menu and concept trends.

Advertisement

Chain Restaurant Report for Feb. 2

CPK, LongHorn Steakhouse, P.F. Chang's, Pizza Inn and Wendy's/Arby's all reported operating updates this past week.

California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (CPK) (Nasdaq:CPKI) expanded upon its kiosk location in the Fresno Yosemite International Airport (FYI) in Fresno, Calif., turning it into a quick-serve operation. As part of this development this location will serve an expanded menu that includes CPK's signature pizzas, in addition to the sandwiches and salads that were previously available. HMSHost Corporation operates this CPK location.

LongHorn Steakhouse, part of the Darden portfolio of restaurant concepts, opened locations in the following cities: Bayonne, N.J.; Manhattan, Kan.; and New Braunfels, Texas. This marks the first LongHorn location in each of these cities.

P.F Chang's China Bistro has introduced a Happy Hour menu that includes dim sum and street fare items as well as special drinks. The menu is available from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. daily in all P.F. Chang's locations, except where prohibited by law.

Pizza Inn (Nasdaq:PZZI - News) opened a location in El Paso, Texas. The restaurant is part of a three-store deal with International Sunland Restaurants, LLC, an international franchisee for Pizza Inn. The store includes a pizza and salad buffet, as well as carryout options for customers. This represents a re-entry for Pizza Inn in the El Paso market, which last had a presence in the city in 1995.

According to published reports, Wendy's plans to roll out breakfast to a number of its locations, in an effort to emulate the morning success of McDonald's.  In addition, Wendy's/Arby's International Inc. signed an agreement with Desarrollos Gastronomicos S.A. (DEGASA) to develop 50 Wendy's restaurants in Argentina during the next 10 years, with the first location to open this year in Buenos Aires.

Advertisement