McDonald's revamps McPick 2 menu, raises price | Popeyes pushes ahead with aggressive growth plan | Basketball's Ray Allen to open an organic eatery
 
 
February 24, 2016
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McDonald's revamps McPick 2 menu, raises price
McDonald's
(Scott Olson/Getty Images)
McDonald's has put the Big Mac, Quarter Pounder with Cheese, Filet-O-Fish and 10-piece Chicken McNuggets on a value menu for the first time with the revamp of its limited-time McPick 2 promotion. Customers can pick two of the newly added items for $5, up from the $2 price set when the menu launched in January. Chicago Tribune (tiered subscription model) (2/23)
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Restaurant NewsSponsored By
Popeyes pushes ahead with aggressive growth plan
Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen opened 219 new units last year, growing past 2,500 and commanding about 25.5% of the quickservice chicken market in the US, the company said. Popeyes' latest strategic plan calls for the chain to grow to 4,000 US restaurants over the next seven to 10 years, the company said. MarketWatch (2/23), Nation's Restaurant News (free registration) (2/23)
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Basketball's Ray Allen to open an organic eatery
Former Miami Heat player Ray Allen and his cooking show host wife, Shannon Allen, will open a quickserve concept with a healthy organic menu in Miami next month. The menu at the new eatery, called Grown, was inspired by the pair's son who has type-1 diabetes. The Miami Herald (tiered subscription model) (2/18)
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Leading VoicesSponsored By
Leaders should take charge of talent retention
Employees are quitting at a rate not seen since before the recession, writes S. Chris Edmonds. Start taking retention seriously, as replacing employees is expensive and has repercussions in terms of morale and institutional knowledge, he argues. "Don't leave your talent retention strategy to others. Embrace it, and create a safe, inspiring, productive workplace where people thrive," he advises. SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Leadership (2/23)
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Vegas casino restaurants cater to changing tastes
Las Vegas
(Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
Las Vegas casinos are increasingly expanding their restaurant options beyond the traditional steakhouse, Italian and Mexican eateries, as competition grows and tastes change. "You could say that back in the day, restaurants were a loss leader. Food and beverage is really a star of our entertainment options," said Lori Nelson, vice president of corporate communications for Station Casinos. Las Vegas Review-Journal (2/23)
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Second Fry, First Choice
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SmartBrief Exclusives
On the Plate: An original look at trends in restaurants and foodservice from SmartBrief
Q&A: Modern Mexican cuisine is rooted in tradition
Roberto Santibanez
Santibanez (Lisa Lake/Getty Images)
When designing dishes for his Fonda restaurants in New York, Roberto Santibanez starts with a platform of traditional Mexican flavors and techniques to create food that is innovative and "unequivocally Mexican," the chef says. "The way I see this is that there is no tradition without innovation and there is no innovation without tradition. We base it on knowledge from our past, and we keep evolving things to the times, to the epoch we're living in. So I think that basically is what is contemporary to me, is a continuous upgrading or a different way to visualize the past or the traditions." SmartBrief/SmartBlog on Food & Beverage (2/23)
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Culinary Spotlight
Calif. eateries reinvent the most important meal of the day
The lifestyles of Los Angeles' creative types lends itself to leisurely breakfasts, a trend increasingly fed by a new generation of eateries dedicated to creating sweet and savory options for the morning meal. "Chefs all over town are having fun with brunch -- the borders have truly come down," said restaurateur Brad Johnson of Willie Jane and Post & Beam. The New York Times (free-article access for SmartBrief readers) (2/23)
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Chefs embrace the line between blackened and burnt
Charred food is emerging as a new fashion in kitchens across the country as it gives a savory note to dishes. Charring brings depth of flavor and texture to vegetable dishes, but chefs are also experimenting with burnt desserts, sauces and more. The Washington Post (tiered subscription model) (2/22)
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Food for Thought
How easy it is to judge rightly after one sees what evil comes from judging wrongly."
-- Elizabeth Gaskell,
writer
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