Domino’s Pizza is crediting its new Handmade Pan Pizza as the lead reason for second-quarter financial results that easily beat the sluggish norm in the QSR business and surpassed analysts’ expectations. It’s a gratifying development for the No. 2 U.S. pizza chain after its move into fresh-dough pan pizzas last fall kicked off a mini-rush in the industry this year. …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at Forbes Latest
Filed under: McDonald’s, Market News
McDonald’s tries to make its service friendlier, and Taco Bell looks for healthier menu options.
The top complaint of McDonald’s (MCD) customers is that employees are rude or unprofessional. According to The Wall Street Journal, company officials recently told franchise operators that “service is broken” – that’s a quote – and they need to fix the problem.
The Journal reports that one in five customer complaints have to do with the friendliness of the people who work at McDonald’s, and the number of complaints about service has increased significantly over the past six months.
QSR Magazine does an annual study of service at fast-food chains, and McDonald’s has consistently ranked near the bottom. Of the seven major chains in last year’s report, only Burger King (BKW) scored lower than Mickey D’s for friendliness of its employees.
During its webcast with franchisees, McDonald’s said customers value good service almost as highly as price.
In addition, McDonald’s is one of the slowest fast-food chains. In an industry where every second counts, QSR found the wait time at McDonald’s drive-through windows was about 189 seconds. That compares to less than 130 seconds at Wendy’s (WEN), the industry leader.
Why does McDonald’s have these problems? There’s no one answer, but the Journal notes that employee turnover is very high, and that 90 percent of its restaurants are not owned by the company, but by individual operators.
Despite these problems, McDonald’s is doing plenty of things well. It continues to remodel its restaurants and roll out new menu items. Also, earnings in the fourth-quarter beat expectations. Its next earnings report is due out next week.
As for Taco Bell, owned by Yum Brands (YUM), the company says it wants to offer “more balanced” nutritional choices on its menu. It plans to launch some new products next year, and it may reformulate some current menu items. And eventually, by 2020, one out of five combo meals will meet federal guidelines for calories and fat content.
That’s part of a growing trend in the industry, even though some critics complain that the new “healthier” offerings are not really all that healthy.
-Produced by Drew Trachtenbeg
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From: http://www.dailyfinance.com/on/mcdonalds-service-taco-bell-menu/
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Cohn & Wolfe Named as New Public Relations Agency of Record for SONIC, America’s Drive-In
Appointment Affirms Commitment to Impactful Communications with All Key Stakeholders
OKLAHOMA CITY–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Sonic Corp. (NAS: SONC) the nation’s largest chain of drive-in restaurants, today announced the selection of Cohn & Wolfe as its new public relations agency of record.
Cohn & Wolfe will work with the SONIC PR team to drive external communications to consumers and franchisees, local store marketing, cause marketing and issues management. The agency will also support social media strategy as part of a cross-functional, multi-agency team. The primary Cohn & Wolfe team is based in Austin, Texas, a core SONIC market, and SONIC has access to the full resources and specialist expertise of the agency network.
“Cohn & Wolfe brings highly relevant QSR and retail experience, fresh thinking, quick-turn agility, and the resources of a large agency – the perfect combination to help propel SONIC‘s momentum,” said Patrick Lenow, vice president of public relations at Sonic Corp. “We have a great story to tell at SONIC, and we’re confident that Cohn & Wolfe is the right partner to help us tell it.”
Cohn & Wolfe is a global communications agency and part of WPP (NAS: WPPGY) , the world’s largest communications services group. In 2012, Advertising Age recognized Cohn & Wolfe’s independent-minded, entrepreneurial culture by naming it one of the “Best Places to Work in Marketing & Media” for the second consecutive year. In 2013, PRWeek awarded Cohn & Wolfe its top honor, “Agency of the Year,” noting the agency’s “exceptional creativity.”
“SONIC offers a menu and experience so unique that it is truly unlike any other brand in the category. Our core team in Austin, having grown up with SONIC, is excited to help bring this story to more consumers around the country,” said Brooke Hovey, executive vice president at Cohn & Wolfe. “Our partnership will leverage what Cohn & Wolfe does best – insight-driven strategy, bold creativity, digital and social media engagement – to fuel the continued growth of SONIC‘s business and brand.”
The appointment is effective immediately. Cohn & Wolfe will join an agency roster that includes Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, creative agency of record; Zenith Optimedia, media …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
CORRECTING and REPLACING Papa John’s Announces Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Varga, Resigns to Take President Position at Zimmerman Advertising
LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Phone number in contact information of release should read: Steve Higdon, 502-261-4710 (sted Steve Higdon, 502-261-4723).
The corrected release reads:
PAPA JOHN’S ANNOUNCES CHIEF MARKETING OFFICER, ANDREW VARGA, RESIGNS TO TAKE PRESIDENT POSITION AT ZIMMERMAN ADVERTISING
Papa John‘s International, Inc. (NAS: PZZA) today announced that Andrew Varga is resigning his position as Chief Marketing Officer of Papa John‘s International, Inc. (“Papa John‘s”), after accepting the role of President of Zimmerman Advertising, Papa John‘s advertising agency of record and one of the leading advertising firms in the United States. Mr. Varga expects to begin his new position following a transition period with Papa John‘s.
“Andrew made many outstanding contributions to the Papa John‘s team, and we are pleased that he now has a wonderful opportunity to become the President at Zimmerman Advertising,” said Papa John‘s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Schnatter. “We are excited not only to continue working with the talented team at Zimmerman, but also that Andrew and his wealth of knowledge about Papa John‘s and the pizza category will continue to be an integral driver of the Papa John‘s brand.”
“When we created the CMO position nearly four years ago, we had the goal of increasing the brand equity of Papa John‘s,” added Papa John‘s Chief Operating Officer Tony Thompson. “Andrew helped to strategically structure our marketing team to grow our digital, branding, and creative capabilities, all of which contribute to the strength of our brand. We’re confident our talented marketing team is well positioned to continue the strategic marketing and partnerships that will drive our results, and we will immediately begin the search for a new leader of the marketing team.”
Varga added, “It has been my privilege to be a part of the great Papa John‘s brand for nearly four years. I am very excited to continue to be involved with the quality leader in the QSR pizza segment in my new role with Zimmerman Advertising, and am grateful for the positive experience and learnings from John Schnatter and the team that have helped make it possible for me to take on this new opportunity. I look forward to working with John and the rest of the management team to ensure a smooth transition, and to helping continue …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Papa John’s Announces Chief Marketing Officer, Andrew Varga, Resigns to Take President Position at Zimmerman Advertising
LOUISVILLE, Ky.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Papa John‘s International, Inc. (NAS: PZZA) today announced that Andrew Varga is resigning his position as Chief Marketing Officer of Papa John‘s International, Inc. (“Papa John‘s”), after accepting the role of President of Zimmerman Advertising, Papa John‘s advertising agency of record and one of the leading advertising firms in the United States. Mr. Varga expects to begin his new position following a transition period with Papa John‘s.
“Andrew made many outstanding contributions to the Papa John‘s team, and we are pleased that he now has a wonderful opportunity to become the President at Zimmerman Advertising,” said Papa John‘s Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Schnatter. “We are excited not only to continue working with the talented team at Zimmerman, but also that Andrew and his wealth of knowledge about Papa John‘s and the pizza category will continue to be an integral driver of the Papa John‘s brand.”
“When we created the CMO position nearly four years ago, we had the goal of increasing the brand equity of Papa John‘s,” added Papa John‘s Chief Operating Officer Tony Thompson. “Andrew helped to strategically structure our marketing team to grow our digital, branding, and creative capabilities, all of which contribute to the strength of our brand. We’re confident our talented marketing team is well positioned to continue the strategic marketing and partnerships that will drive our results, and we will immediately begin the search for a new leader of the marketing team.”
Varga added, “It has been my privilege to be a part of the great Papa John‘s brand for nearly four years. I am very excited to continue to be involved with the quality leader in the QSR pizza segment in my new role with Zimmerman Advertising, and am grateful for the positive experience and learnings from John Schnatter and the team that have helped make it possible for me to take on this new opportunity. I look forward to working with John and the rest of the management team to ensure a smooth transition, and to helping continue to grow the Papa John‘s brand.”
Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, Papa John‘s International, Inc. (PZZA) is the world’s third largest pizza company. For 11 of the past 13 years, consumers have rated Papa John‘s No. 1 in customer satisfaction among all national pizza chains in the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). Papa John‘s also earned the 2012 Harris Poll EquiTrend® Pizza Brand …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
By Business Wirevia The Motley Fool
Filed under: Investing
Barfresh Announces Shipment of Product and Initial Locations for Major Chain’s Smoothie Test Markets
DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)– Barfresh Food Group, Inc. (OTC:BRFH) (“Barfresh Food Group,” “Barfresh” or the “Company”), a manufacturer and distributor of unique ready to blend beverages, today announced that flavors have been approved and test markets have been selected by the premiere Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) chain announced by the Company in November 2012. Initial shipments of Barfresh pre-portioned ready to blend ingredient packs will commence this spring. The announcement was made by the Company at the 25th Annual Roth Conference being held in Laguna Niguel, California.
The chain, which consists of approximately 3,000 franchise locations, has selected San Diego, California; Houston, Texas; and a selected market in Canada as initial markets for the product.
Barfresh CEO Riccardo Delle Coste said, “We are very excited about the rollout into these markets. Large QSR chains are right in the sweet spot for our business model and operations. Once the product has been shipped to these markets, we anticipate that we can identify this customer.”
About Barfresh Food Group, Inc.
Barfresh Food Group, Inc. is a manufacturer and distributor of ready to blend beverages. The Company utilizes a proprietary patent pending system, using controlled pre-packaged portions, to deliver a freshly made smoothie that’s quick, cost efficient and with no waste. Barfresh Food Group, Inc. utilizes contract manufacturing facilities to complete the manufacturing of its sealed pack of ingredients for an individual smoothie.
The Company sells ready to blend all natural beverages primarily to restaurant chains in the QSR and casual dining sectors. In the future it intends to target other segments of the food service industry as well as the retail consumer market, including grocery stores and other retail outlets.
Forward-Looking Statement Notice:
This press release includes “forward-looking statements” as defined by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included in the press release that address activities, events or developments that the Company believes or anticipates will or may occur in the future are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on certain assumptions made based on experience, expected future developments and other factors the Company believes are appropriate under the circumstances. Such statements are subject to a …read more
Source: FULL ARTICLE at DailyFinance
