|
May 14, 2007
|
 |
|
Vol. 12
|
All rights
reserved. Published since 1997.
Comments or suggestions? Contact peter@restaurantu.com |
Issue 11
|
|
|
|
| |
Americans Want Healthier Food
We read about it all the time in the paper and hear about it on the news – more Americans and their children are overweight than ever before. And, more Americans are eating out, taking out, eating on the run than ever before. It’s time we make those meals eaten on the run, or picked up on the way home, or eaten on a Saturday night date healthier, more nutritious, and still satisfying. I’m glad to see so many chain restaurants getting on the healthy bandwagon.
There is an interesting website that has been developed in cooperation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Restaurant Association – www.HealthyDiningFinder.com. This website is a great resource for the consumer to view the nutritional content of menu items at many well known restaurants so that he may make healthy choices when dining out. The website also provides the consumer with guides on how to request modifications in order to eat healthier.
In our booming industry, where sales are expected to exceed $535 billion this year, it’s good to see that restaurants are stepping up to the plate, so to speak, to make sure that the consumer not only enjoys his dining experience, but benefits nutritionally as well.
Arby's Wows Them in Richmond and Nearby Points
Arby's has set the pace for an incredible winning suburban operation in a
Richmond, VA, suburb neatly called Short Pump. It has managed to do some 3.5
million in sales annually. And in fact it has the highest volume annually.
In fact, five of the other 16 top Arby's restaurants operate in the Richmond, VA area. This is enough to rank among the top 10 highest volume restaurants in the chain.
"We've focused for many years on key points," observes company president
Bill Lowe. "The first and probably most important thing is to protect the integrity of the product you are selling. You have to make sure it is right every time, down to the processes you have in place and the people you have preparing the product." Sandwiches are carefully prepared to order and for maximum pride.
Touch Base with Your References
This is a good time to double-check your references. This time of year people are busy looking for new opportunities and of course, employers want to know how you did at you last job. Do not assume anything, but follow up with your last supervisor to be sure you have a good reference. There is no substitute for a good reference, and a bad reference can simply take you out of the contention for a job.
Before supplying a reference’s name and contact information, check with that person to ensure that his or her opinion of your work is positive. Let that person know you would like to use him or her as your reference. And, if you did not leave your last job on the best terms, calling your supervisor prior to an interview may give you an opportunity to clear the air before a prospective employer contacts him or her.
Feedback? Reply to Peter (Langlois) Peter@RestaurantU.com
5 Years Ago / May 14, 2002 - Chains Face Overseas Pitfalls
by Charles Bernstein,
Editor-at-Large, Chain Leader
The two biggies of international expansion, McDonald's international franchising vice president Jim Kramer, and Carlson Restaurants Worldwide president Richard Snead, pinpointed major challenges facing them in worldwide expansion, during a spirited May 20 panel discussion at the NRA Show in Chicago.
Kramer indicated that McD is counting on an astounding 900 overseas openings in the next year, compared with just 300 projected McD domestic openings. He noted that almost 50 percent of McD's operating income is from overseas, of which Europe accounts for the bulk. While leading the future overseas prospects for McD, Kramer conceded that "we've probably put too many restaurants in our "new-world" markets which are most vulnerable.
He acknowledged that "mad cow disease threats have impacted our business" and emphasized that "being international is not for the faint of heart." He called Latin America a mixed bag with "uncertain economies." With 200 units in troubled Argentina and with other "ups and downs," Kramer is nevertheless "glad that we are in Latin America." And he expects the current 400 McD's in China to reach a total of 1,000 in the next few years.
"It certainly is a grind and a challenge overseas," Kramer said, "but we still have a lot of people knocking on our door for overseas franchises."
Meanwhile, Snead's TGI Friday's has lengthened its wide lead in the casual restaurants' overseas battle. He said Friday's has 190 overseas units accounting for 23 percent of total sales. He indicated Friday's could double its overseas units in the next five years.
Read what else was news this week, 2002, by clicking
here. (Opens in new browser window.)
| 
