Chain Leader

More Articles By Christine Zimmerman, Contributing Editor

• Kitchen Equipment: Energy Boost
  Pizza Fusion saves on utility bills by channeling the heat from its stoves. More
  
• Kitchen Equipment: Multitasking Skills
  Burger King’s new energy-efficient broilers allow it to cook at different settings for different products. More
  
• Community Efforts: WindMill Has Something for Everyone
  The quick-service restaurant chain has a policy of never saying no to requests from the community. More
  
• Technology: Prep Time
  Historical data and smart cameras tell Zaxby’s chain restaurant staff when and how much to cook. More
  
• Technology: Hot off the Presses
  IHOP units customize marketing with an online print-management tool. More
  
• Special Delivery
  The customer is always right, or so the saying goes. So Breadsmith lets its customers dictate—at least to some extent—what the chain’s monthly specials are going to be. Then it promotes the specials via a permission-based e-mail club. More
  
• Something New
  Fazoli’s highlights new and proven limited-time offers to drive customer traffic. More
  
• Technology: Remote Control at the Drive-Thru
  Hardee's and McDonald's take orders miles away from the drive-thrus they serve. More
  
• Technology: Consumer Reports
  Web-based results from customer surveys give McAlister’s solutions for satisfaction. More
  
• Technology: Wendy's E-conomy
  With food margins tightening, a new Web service helps Wendy’s franchisees manage food costs. More
  
• Technology: Leaps and Bounds
  Tech-based training lets Spanish-speaking employees learn English at their own pace. More
  
• Food Safety: Custom Fit
  Wendy’s supplements ServSafe with its own take on food safety. More
  
• Food Safety: Checking it Twice
  B.R. Guest checklists outline each employee’s food-safety responsibilities. More
  
• Franchise Management: Taco Del Mar's Master Plan
  Surfer-themed Taco Del Mar grows quickly via master franchising. More
  
• California Pizza Kitchen: Come Join Us
  California Pizza Kitchen's hiring incentives help get good workers in the door and keep them inside. More
  
• Growth Strategy: Plane and Simple
  Wingstop plans to excel on very few menu items and grow with existing franchisees. More
  
• Food Safety: Damage Control
  Pat & Oscar’s wins back customers after E. coli outbreak. More
  
• Food Safety: A New Breed
  VeriPrime aims to let restaurateurs influence beef quality right on the range. More
  
• Hot Concept: Keepin' It Fresh at Fresh City
  Fresh City is forging ahead with aggressive growth plans and systems to keep freshness a constant. More
  
• Technology: Why WiFi?
  Schlotzsky's uses wireless Internet access to bring in new customers, gain favor with families and become an industry trailblazer. Why not? More