Spruced-up stores drive sales increase for Perkins chain
Perkins Restaurant & Bakery reported a same-store sales increase of 4.5% in 2015, led by remodeled stores. Perkins has renovated 132 company-owned locations and improved another 40 franchisee sites, and the chain plans to upgrade all its stores by 2018. A new menu with a focus on fresher ingredients also helped drive sales, CEO Jeff Warne said. Nation's Restaurant News (free registration) (2/18)

Restaurant News

Michael Mina hands over reigns of restaurant group

Mina (Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

Michael Mina, founder and CEO of the Mina Group, will step down as chief executive to focus more on culinary creativity. Bill Freeman, who previously worked for Bertucci's and McCormick & Schmick's, will take over as CEO. "This is a good step for me personally, and I hope other chefs do it. And this is not like, oh I’m losing my CEO position ... it's more how do we continue to drive the food and (the growth) of the company," Mina said. American City Business Journals/San Francisco (2/16)

McDonald's takes a bite out of competitors' breakfast sales
Quickserve chains including Jack in the Box, Bojangles and Dunkin' Donuts have reported dips in sales that can be attributed to McDonald's successful launch of all-day breakfast, analyst Howard Penney said. The breakfast expansion helped McDonald's log its first same-store sales increase in two years. Business Insider (2/19)

Other News

Leading Voices

Cooked-to-order meals are the future of dining, expert says
Rising demand for cooked-to-order food is the next logical step now that responsibly sourced food and ingredient transparency have become the expectation, restaurant design expert Steve Starr writes. Restaurants should use design and layout to emphasize their dedication to fresh ingredients and made-to-order meals, he writes. PizzaMarketplace.com (2/19)

How to recalibrate your corporate culture
Corporate cultures are complex things and inherently hard to change, write Jon Katzenbach, Carolin Oelschlegel and James Thomas. Focus on behavioral change rather than ordering people to change, and leverage informal influencers without letting formal, titled leaders shirk their duties. "If you cannot simply replace the entire machine, work on realigning some of the more useful cogs," they advise. Strategy+Business magazine (free registration) (Spring 2016)

SmartBrief Exclusives

Menu labeling rule, Kroger's Fresh Market bid top most-clicked stories
The story of Kroger moving into the second round of bidding for the Fresh Market chain was the most-clicked story this week among SmartBrief's food and beverage readers. The announcement of the House of Representatives vote in favor of revised menu labeling rules was also popular, as was a story about the growing trend toward single-item Mexican restaurant concepts. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Food & Beverage (2/19)

Happy Hour

Culinary Spotlight

Sonic chef plans to add healthier menu items
Sonic's new chef is planning to add healthier fare to the menu. "We will do healthier food, but in a Sonic way," said Scott Uehlein, vice president of product innovation and development. "Something that is not unfamiliar to Sonic customers. We will always lead with flavor." The Oklahoman (Oklahoma City) (2/17)

Chef Daniel Boulud says a meal isn't complete without dessert
James Beard Award-winning chef Boulud believes dessert offers chefs a chance to exercise their creativity and make a lasting impression on diners. "Dessert is very artistic. Dessert is sort of an expression of art in a very natural way and in a very sort of decadent way as well. In cooking, yes, it's a little bit more like jazz, I mean, where you can jam a little bit," he said. PBS (2/16)

News from the NRA

Line 'em up: NRA to hold Star of the Bar Awards
The Association announced it will hold the second annual Star of the Bar Awards May 22 at NRA Show 2016 in Chicago. Read release.

Movers & Shakers

Food for Thought