Sonic is now part of the Roark Capital portfolio of restaurant companies with Inspire Brands finalizing its acquisition of the $2.3B deal for the quick-service drive-in chain. Inspire Brands is led by Paul Brown and Sonic will be led by Claudia San Pedro, serving as Sonic president, announced post-acquisition agreement. Cliff Hudson will be a senior advisor to Sonic until next March for transition purchases.
The Cheesecake Factory announced opening two new restaurants, one in Chattanooga, Tenn. and the other in Lubbock, Texas. The new stores will benefit from a wide selection of menu offerings […]
While some of these trends are continuations of factors that are already playing a large role in the contemporary hospitality market and others are more speculative, Baum and Whiteman’s 2019 trend report highlights 13 trends...automated pizza and burger production machines, as well as a robotic barista, upscale fast casual, cannabis and synthetic meat are trends to watch in 2019.
According to a study by Technomic, Inc., a Chicago-based foodservice consultancy, Amazon was recognized as a leading source for online purchases from foodservice operators. The 2018 E-Sourcing Impact Study indicates that over 40 percent of foodservice operators indicated using e-sourcing at least once per month. E-sourcing will not become the primary source of purchases for operators… Labor shortages will continue to impact foodservice distributors, in addition to their restaurant operator customers.
Restaurant data is helping chains grow. There are several high-impact uses: to analyze data to customize the guest experience, to create offers and marketing campaigns with a higher value proposition, to understand social sentiment and to learn from such feedback using text data analysis, and to create predictive analysis to create better food delivery experiences for customers. Predictive analysis, social sentiment... tools in restaurant data.
Sonic Drive-in has added new selections to its menu to feature the taste of Fritos Chili Cheese.There are at least three ways Sonic’s guests will be able to enjoy the innovative Fritos flavor, including The Fritos Chili Pie, made with crunchy Fritos, savory chili, topped with melty cheddar cheese, the Fritos Cheese Jr. Wrap and the Fritos Chili Cheese Jr. Burger.
Krispy Kreme announced limited-time holiday doughnuts, expected to boost the chain’s December sales. New to the Holiday Treat collection this year is the Ugly Sweater Doughnut. The Holiday Treat collection now includes the Santa Belly Doughnut, Ugly Sweater Doughnut, Holiday Plaid Doughnut, and Chocolate Iced with Sprinkles Doughnut. Krispy Kreme customers… Holiday Peppermint Mocha.
