April 15, 2005

FOOD & BEVERAGE

Playing Chicken
Chicken flaunts its casual side, with sandwiches, salads, tenders, nuggets and pizzas leading the pack in sales. R&I explores new menu ideas that strike a balance between comfortably familiar and appealingly innovative.

Four Stars: In the Fold
Tacos have much going for them: They’re portable, handheld packages that deliver bold ethnic dining experiences. If they once stayed true to their street-food roots, tacos now embrace upscale ingredients, including duck and lobster.

SPECIAL REPORT

With some chains reporting upward of 70% of sales coming via drive-thru windows, their importance to bottom-line results is clear and compelling. Also apparent is consumer desire for speedy service and accurate orders.

Meals on Wheels
Understanding what motivates patrons to use drive-thru windows instead of coming into the store and what factors play into their assessments—positive or negative—can help operators build traffic in this all-important arena. R&I’s exclusive consumer research offers important data and insights.

Techno Tactics
Unit-level employees are among the most important success factors in drive-thru service, but technology can be their closest ally in the high-stakes game. Find out what technologies chains are counting on for future growth.

BUSINESS

Filling Up
Convenience stores are emerging as stealth foodservice players, quietly but effectively appealing to the quick-service sector’s customers. The Sheetz chain has made the boldest move yet, opening two Convenience Restaurants. Wawa, White Hen and 7-Eleven aren’t ignoring the opportunities either, as they roll out enhanced food selections.

OPERATIONS

Shelf-ish Ways
In tight quarters, operators look up, down and all around to find ample storage space.

Conflicting Fish-Safety Signals
Reports of mercury in seafood may alarm consumers, but a new study suggests that concerns are largely unfounded.

DEPARTMENTS

R&I Insider
Brit bad-boy chef Jamie Oliver stirs up spirited public dialogue with his “Jamie’s School Dinners” TV show and in-your-face posters; small plates—all the rage at the front end of meals—make inroads as desserts; Cal Poly’s dining services gets straight A’s for food safety; a new system for teaching English, in use by Brinker and Sodexho USA, helps Hispanic kitchen staff bridge the language gap; and Menu Focus explores how operators ham it up in the most creative ways.

EDITORIAL

Viewpoint
Enormous Choice