Most Clicked National Restaurant Association SmartBrief Stories
1. Outback sees success with social-media promotion
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Outback Steakhouse now has more than 300,000 Facebook fans as the result of a promotion offering free Bloomin' Onion coupons. The coupon is good with the purchase of one entree, and the company didn't say whether traffic or sales were up as a result. But its social-media efforts earned the company a spot on a top 10 Facebook fan gainers list kept by a California blog that tracks activity. Tampa Tribune (Fla.), The (11/18)
2. Bar business may be recession-proof
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
Boston-area bartender Max Toste employs skills learned as a musician to keep customers coming back. As co-owner of Deep Ellum in Allston, Mass., Toste is bullish on prospects for the bar industry, which is expected to increase jobs by 13% between 2006 and 2016. "People aren't going to stop drinking when things go bad," says Toste. "In fact, they go out and drink more." Boston Globe, The (11/15)
3. More than half in U.S. will do takeout Thanksgiving
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
Restaurants still feeling the pain of the recession are looking to time-strapped consumers to kick off the holidays on a high note. Takeout is a popular option for many consumers who may turn to restaurants to provide their Thanksgiving meals. "We're cautiously optimistic that restaurant business will pick up a little bit," said National Restaurant Association spokeswoman Annika Stensson. Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Miss.), The (11/17)
4. Facebook provides word-of-mouth marketing venue
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
One of the advantages of marketing a business on Facebook is that it doesn't cost anything to create a page. Businesses can use their Facebook page to collect "fans" and grow by word of mouth. New York Times, The (11/11)
5. Wendy's hopes to win with Twitter-savvy bacon fans
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 13, 2009
Wendy's is increasing its efforts to reach consumers through social media. The latest effort, to promote the new Applewood Smoked Bacon Burger, includes a Twitter contest called "Bacon Hunt" that has Twitter users following @UrBaconMeCrazy and winning points for performing tasks. Contestants can check scores and join additional conversations at the Wendy's Facebook page. Adweek (11/12)
6. U.S. consumers eating more Chick-fil-A
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 17, 2009
During tough times for many quickservice restaurant chains, Chick-fil-A is poised to report a record year. Executives at the Atlanta-based company say they expect to end the year with sales up 9% over last year, and may break the $3 billion mark in sales for the first time in 2009. Plans for 2010 call for 70 new stores, including the first in Chicago. Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The (free registration) (11/13)
7. While concerned about costs, NRA Show has no current plans to leave Chicago
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
Two large conventions have announced plans to leave Chicago due to high costs at McCormick Place and the city's hospitality establishments, but the National Restaurant Association says it has no plans to move its annual trade show out of the city at this time. The NRA Show has been a Chicago fixture for 50 years, but there are concerns that the city is too expensive. "We constantly hear from our exhibitors that they continue to be concerned about the steep price of doing business in Chicago," said spokesman Derrek Hull. "This is not a new issue." Chicago Sun-Times (11/19)
8. Starbucks getting back to "core purpose," says Schultz
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 18, 2009
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz said the company is returning "to the core purpose of what we stand for: a people-based business." He said he would not accept predictions that the company would fail, adding, "not that I'm a healer, but I felt I had an unusual understanding of the issues and an understanding of what created the problems." Desert Sun (Palm Springs, Calif.), The (11/14)
9. Redesigned McDonald's mimics European cafe
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 19, 2009
A McDonald's in New York's Chelsea neighborhood is the first U.S. location to boast a sleeker look made popular at thousands of the company's stores in France and the U.K. Modern furniture, comfy chairs and free Wi-Fi are all designed to make quickservice customers linger longer over lunch. "People are using our restaurants differently today than they did five, 10, 20 years ago," said spokeswoman Danya Proud. "People are multi-tasking, doing more on a given day. ... You want to be able to open your laptop, log on and get some work done while you're eating." MSNBC (11/18)
10. Restaurant recovery proves rocky
National Restaurant Association SmartBrief | Nov 16, 2009
Restaurants hoping for a quick post-recession recovery are instead seeing a much slower rebound. August optimism for the second half of 2009 has waned, as consumers continue to pinch their dining-out pennies. "While there were signs in recent months that the short-term outlook may be improving, the latest figures indicate that the restaurant industry's recovery has yet to fully gain traction," said Hudson Riehle, senior vice president of National Restaurant Association's Research and Knowledge Group. The Packer (11/13)
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