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Peter Romeo

Editor at Large

Articles by
Peter Romeo

Page 382
Food

Food trucks roll into RLC

Food trucks fill the streets and parking lots of New York, San Francisco, Chicago, Austin and Portland, Ore. Los Angeles alone counts 9,000 food trucks and carts, including branded vehicles from California Pizza Kitchen and Carl’s Jr. Yet when Ray Villaman, moderator of a trucks panel at the Restaurant Leadership Conference, asked who in the audience has or plans to launch a food truck, only a few hands were raised.

Marketing

The Social Media 50

In research conducted from late January to mid-February, our staff monitored the two leading social-media channels for restaurants right now, Twitter and Facebook, counting followers and fans, how often consumers discussed the brand and the efforts of operators to foster that give-and-take.

How to build a do-it-yourself resource for franchisees

Restaurant franchisors know the internet can be an effective local-store marketing tool. But how do they extend the capabilities to franchisees without surrendering a dangerous degree of control?

A global brand talks about growing the right way

How do you build a global restaurant chain? Robbie Brozin, the founder of $1-billion-a-year Nando’s Chicken, ended the educational component of the Restaurant Leadership Conference with some specific tips for attendees.

Marketing

Some dos and don’ts of social media

A restaurateur-turned-media-consultant advised Restaurant Leadership Conference attendees to avoid some of the common pratfalls of mobile and social media.

Financing

Lending is coming back. What should you do?

It’s not like restaurants haven’t wanted to grow over the last year. It’s just nobody wants to lend the money for it.

RLC Idea: How El Pollo Loco leverages its A players

Every chain has A, B and C units. A key to growth—without actually building new stores—can be in turning C’s into B’s and B’s into A’s.

Financing

RLC attendees look for answers about the recovery’s direction

Voicing agreement that the worst is over for restaurants, attendees of the Restaurant Leadership Conference said they came to the Scottsdale, Ariz., event with an ear cocked for insights into chains’ near-term prospects.

Honey Baked Ham hatches a full-service restaurant

The venerable Honey Baked Ham retail chain is branching into full-service restaurants with a concept promising no shortcuts in the preparation of its breakfast and lunch specialties.

Burger going backwards

A wholesaler of oversized burger patties is reversing the usual restaurant-to-retail route by launching a fast-casual chain based on a familiar grocery-store brand.

Aussie chain set to throw some chicken on the barbie

An Australian fast-casual chain that specializes in grilled chicken “burgers” is set to open its first U.S. restaurant on Feb. 25 in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.

BJ’s founders launch new category-bending concept

The management of BJ’s Restaurants often uses descriptors like “premium” and “polished” to peg the casual-dining echelon it’s claimed as a niche. Now the co-founders of the high-flying brand are giving a similar upscale nudge to their new entrant in the fast-casual market, a spec-your-own concept called Stacked.

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