Foodservice Perspectives
Opinion pieces on the foodservice equipment and supplies industry from leaders and laymen from all aspects of the business, including dealers, distributors, design consultants and multi-unit operators.
This Week in Foodservice: McDonald's Weak Quarterly Results Not Their Only Challenge
- Published on Tuesday, October 23, 2012
While many restaurant chains struggled during the economic slump of the past five years or so, McDonald's proved to be quite resilient. Unfortunately, during its fiscal third quarter, McDonald's showed that it is no longer immune to the operating pressures so many other restaurants face. As a result, the coming months could continue to be challenging ones for McDonald's.
This Week in Foodservice: The CIT Group Inc. Is Largely Positive on U.S. Restaurant Industry
- Published on Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Financial giant CIT turned its spotlight on restaurants and forecast steady improvement despite the slow recovery. The head of CIT's Restaurant Industry Practice says that lenders that had stepped away from restaurants during the downturn are returning to finance acquisitions, expansion or re-models but noted that smaller companies and franchisees of smaller chains continue to have difficulty getting financing.
This Week in Foodservice: Restaurant Performance Index Shows a Nice Improvement
- Published on Tuesday, October 02, 2012
While the National Restaurant Association offered some good news in the form of its monthly RPI, other foodservice-related economic indicators were not as positive.
Making Your Voice Count
- Published on Monday, October 01, 2012
Wow! We owe a huge thank you to the record number of FE&S subscribers who participated in our 2012 Best in Class study. Completing a comprehensive study of this this type is no small task. So please know that we truly appreciate all of you who took the time and made the effort to ensure your voices are heard.
Lessons from the Great Pumpkin
- Published on Monday, October 01, 2012
It's October and that means my three daughters are about to temporarily trade their princess videos for the Halloween classic: "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown." After rewatching it, I realized that today's foodservice industry could learn a few things from this Peanuts tale.
Building a Committed Workforce
- Published on Monday, October 01, 2012
Despite the high national unemployment rate, it's still a challenge to find talented people who will mesh well with your corporate culture.
This Week in Foodservice: What Darden Restaurants Can Tell Us about the Economy
- Published on Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Job creation is the key to jump-starting the U.S. economy, so by closely examining the performance of one multi-concept restaurant operator we can get an idea of what's to come, writes Jerry Stiegler in his latest blog post.
Industrial Engineering Optimizes Food Safety Practices
- Published on Monday, September 24, 2012
While the goal for most foodservice design is to enhance operational efficiency and guest experience, industry engineering processes can also enhance food safety when done right.
This Week in Foodservice: Census Bureau Reports Restaurant Sales Increase Again in August
- Published on Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Foodservice-related economic indicators continue their roller coaster ride while a series of chains continue to navigate the choppy waters of today's business climate.
This Week in Foodservice: The Employment Picture
- Published on Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Amid the confusing and bleak U.S. employment figures emerges one positive note: the foodservice industry continues to add jobs.
NRA's Restaurant Performance Index Retreats
- Published on Tuesday, September 04, 2012
The Restaurant Performance Index managed to stay in positive territory at 100.2 even though both major components of the Index fell. The Current Situation Index dropped 1.7 in July leaving it below 100 for the first time in nine months at 99.8. While 53 percent of the operators surveyed reported their same store sales increased the biggest block of operators (46 percent) said traffic declined.
