When Chain Leader was gearing up for its debut, the founding editor, publisher and sales team walked around the 1996 National Restaurant Association Show wearing red and white buttons proclaiming, “Meet the New Chain Leader: Winning the Chain Restaurant Game.” It was an introduction to something new and unique.

Today I get the honor. Meet the new Chain Leader. In this issue we debut our new position: trend-forward insights to build brands.

In the last issue, I told you about the changing role of chains within the industry and our research and efforts to stay ahead of these changes. This month I'd like to walk you through some of the specifics.

You've already seen the cover, sans restaurant executive. As it does here, it will show people, product, movement and environment. The “menu bar” in the upper left corner evokes a Web page, and allows us to highlight more stories than we could in the past. There's an ongoing argument in magazines as to whether you should put page numbers on the cover or lead readers to the Table of Contents. We think busy chain leaders would rather not take the extra step.

You also might have noticed a new Consumer Pulse article. This occasional article will look at a piece of consumer research—this time R&I's 2008 New American Diner Study—through a chain lens.

If you turn to Page 22, you'll find our new pillar food feature, New Product Pipeline, a look at what's new and coming up from chain kitchens. This month, we examine “health conscious” menus in a trend-forward way: expanding the definition to include healthy for the earth and animals as well.

Our Cover Story, “Sales Force,” discusses how restaurant chains turn servers into salespeople. Each month, the Cover Story will give readers concrete ways to improve in specific areas or benchmark themselves against other companies.

Flip to Page 42, and you'll find Management Reference, a look at some resources for following immigration law. This recurring department will always look at a human-resource topic and will be focused for readers who aren't necessarily HR experts. And it will always have a list of resources and links to turn to for more information.

Finally, on our last page, is VIP Radio. A spinoff of our successful Cover Society interview series, VIP Radio is a quick Q&A with an industry leader. The extended interview is available as a podcast online; a transcript is also available.

There were some familiar sights along the way as well. Several of our departments and features have been refocused to adhere to our “trend-forward insights to build brands” position. Some topics had to be left behind. They simply weren't offering enough value.

As always, please let me know what you think of the new content and design, in print and online. And enjoy getting to know the new Chain Leader.