Restaurant Trends - Growing And Emerging Concepts - Data Reflects Change and Activity from November 1, 2009 to March 1, 2010

Update from Restaurantchains.net on growing and emerging restaurant concepts ...more

Brewers Association Announces 2009 Craft Brewer Sales Numbers

Craft Brewer Sales Grow 7 Percent in a Year of Decreased Beer Sales for Other Brewers ...more

Brands on the Brink: Marketing in a Down Economy

Among other victims of the recession, brands have taken a beating. Private labels have gained market share. Consumers are cutting back. Retailers are turning up the heat. According to panelists who gathered to discuss brand strategy at a recent Wharton Marketing Conference titled, "Connecting with the Evolving Consumer," marketers need to be especially innovative when it comes to making sense of the shifting economy -- and profiting from it. ...more

Caruso Affiliated Announces Hiring of John Cugasi to Lead New Airport Retail Venture

Caruso Affiliated CEO and Founder Rick J. Caruso today announced the creation of a new business venture to pursue airport retail opportunities and the appointment of John Cugasi as the company’s first Vice President for Airports to lead the effort. Cugasi served most recently as the Director of Concessions at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport overseeing the lease management and development of the airport’s concessions program. ...more

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. Extends Tender Offer to Acquire Diedrich Coffee

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc. (NASDAQ: GMCR) today announced that Pebbles Acquisition Sub, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of GMCR, has extended its previously announced $35.00 per share cash tender offer to purchase all outstanding shares of common stock of Diedrich Coffee, Inc. (NASDAQ: DDRX). ...more

Western Sizzlin Corporation Mails Definitive Proxy Statement/Prospectus and Announces Notification to NASDAQ of Intent to Delist in Connection with the Merger

Western Sizzlin Corporation (Nasdaq: WEST) announced today that it has commenced the mailing of a definitive proxy statement/prospectus in connection with the proposed acquisition of Western by The Steak n Shake Company ( SNS). ...more

Ruby Tuesday, Inc. Reports Continued Sales Improvement

Ruby Tuesday, Inc. (NYSE: RT) today announced that same-restaurant sales for Company-owned restaurants were -0.8% to -1.0% in the third quarter ended March 2, 2010, compared to the same quarter of the prior year. ...more

Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. Reports Record $7.65 Million Nightclub Sales in February; Same Club Comps Rise 28.2%

Rick’s Cabaret International, Inc. (NASDAQ: RICK), the nation’s premier operator of upscale gentlemen’s clubs, said sales at its nightclubs in February were $7.65 million, a 34.7 percent increase over sales of $5.58 million in February 2009. ...more

Jack in the Box Rolls Out New French Fries

French fry connoisseurs are a most discerning sort, perhaps even more so than their wine-tasting counterparts. Whereas wine aficionados practice five basic evaluations – color, swirl, smell, taste and savor – a true fries connoisseur also considers things like crispness, temperature, even freshness. ...more

Benihana Inc. Announces Summary Judgment Related to Pending Litigation By Former Haru Minority Shareholders Has Been Granted in All Material Aspects

Benihana Inc. (NASDAQ: BNHNA; BNHN) today announced that its motion for summary judgment in the pending litigation against it brought by the former minority shareholders of the Company’s Haru operating segment has been granted in all material respects. ...more

2010 Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival Presented by Food & Wine Raises Approximately $2 Million for Florida International University School of Hospitality and Tourism Management

The ninth annual Food Network South Beach Wine & Food Festival, February 25–28, 2010, was once again a successful and unforgettable extravaganza. More than 50,000 guests attended the four-day event, and over $2 million was raised for the Florida International University (FIU) School of Hospitality and Tourism Management and the Southern Wine & Spirits Beverage Management Center. ...more

L.A. Area Dining Establishments Informed of Possible Data Security Breach

Officials of The Westin Bonaventure Hotel & Suites which is independently owned by Today's IV, Inc. and operated by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, Inc. under a license issued by Westin Hotel Management, L.P. announced that the hotel's four restaurants—Lake View Bistro, Lobby Court Bar, Bonavista Lounge, L.A. Prime and its valet parking operations may have suffered a data security breach between April 2009 and December 2009. ...more