More Articles By David Farkas, Senior Editor
- Landry's Ends Ferttita's Buyout Offer, Industry Pundits Respond
Tilman Fertitta won’t be buying Landry’s Restaurants, the company he founded in the late 1980s. Today, the Houston based restaurant and casino operator announced it ended its $214.7 million go-private deal, citing “unusual circumstances.” More - Restaurant Expansion: Profit Motives
Restaurant chains are still adding units--albeit at a slower rate--amid the wreckage of the economy. However, they are taking measures to ensure that unit-level economics still provide a decent return. More - Podcast: In the Meantime, Practice Service
If business is slower, Debbie Fox believes you need to get busy. Listen in as the vice president of training for the Washington, D.C.-based Palm Restaurant Group tells how managers use the downturn to drill service staff on basics at the 30-unit steakhouse chain. More - Casual-Dining Chains: Survival of the Fittest
Bryan Elliott of Raymond James has been following chain restaurants for 25 years. Chain Leader recently asked the Atlanta-based senior research analyst, who covers casual-dining stocks, to peer into his crystal ball and reveal the carnage in store for sit-down eateries. More - Checklist for a More Productive Kitchen
To help offset the significant de-leveraging brought about by the consumer pullback in spending, chain restaurant operators are combing through restaurants looking for ways to trim costs and boost sales. More - Mixed Reviews for Benihana's Revitalization Program
Benihana's prototype, launched in 2005, was designed to improve unit-level economics at 24 of the 60 teppanyaki restaurants. Although the Miami-based restaurant chain initially saw sales go up with the new prototype, it could not sustain the momentum over time. More - Restaurant Chains Spend Less But Give More to the Guest
Careful cost control behind the scenes enables restaurant companies Golden Corral and BJ's Restaurants to offer better variety and service in new stores. More - Employee Free Choice Act Would Boost Economy, Supporters Claim
AFL-CIO leaders in Cleveland hosted a forum to inform community leaders about the Employee Free Choice Act, which President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to back. They wanted to "dispel myths," and argued the act's passage would help the economy. More - What Lay Ahead for Restaurant Chains
Chain Leader 's guide to 2009 presents the people, places and trends that will shape the chain-restaurant industry in the coming year, from the economy to organic food. You'll find plenty to worry about. But you’ll also find ideas for taking the lead. More - Tax Tactics for Restaurant Chains
Few restaurant owners find it easy to navigate Internal Revenue Service rules as they apply to their business. Yet an understanding of changes in the tax code may save them money and avoid audits. We asked Lisa Haffer, a lawyer and CPA who works as a tax partner at SS&G Financial Services, for an overview of several new IRS provisions. More - Emerging Chain Burger Lounge Plans Expansion
Veteran restaurant operator Dean Loring trades on sustainable products and grass-fed beef to compete in the growing "better burger" category, planning to expand the fast-casual chain in Southern California. More - Red Lobster Fuels Its Menu with Wood-Grilling
Orlando, Fla.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster is now counting on wood-fired grills in its 680-unit system to boost traffic and sales. Chain Leader recently grilled Senior Executive Chef Michael LaDuke about how he got the massive project off the ground. More - Success Stories from Chain Leader LIVE
Restaurant chain operators and experts shared their best practices and strategies for operating during the economic downturn at the 5th annual Chain Leader LIVE conference. More - Restaurant Chains Face Political Challenges in 2009
Rick Berman, CEO of Washington, D.C.-based Berman and Company, plans to take on several nail-biting issues on behalf of restaurants that the lobbyist says may plague operators as a new administration takes shape. More - Restaurant Chains Sing Borrowing Blues
With credit markets tightening as a result of the current financial crisis, franchisors and franchisees of emerging restaurant concepts will likely have trouble meeting their development agreements. Those who can find willing lenders will be required to put up more equity--and more information--to get their hands on a loan. More - Board Selections: Choose Wisely
The effects of Sarbanes-Oxley legislation, which addressed corporate governance, has both swelled board compensation and trimmed the number of boards individuals can join. Still, says board specialist Jeremy Banoff, managing director for management advisers FPL Associates, “What is interesting about recruiting board members these days is that the pool is limitless." More - Social-Networking Skills
Restaurant chain Krystal's interactive strategy involves using its Web sites, micro-sites and social-networking sites to get customers talking more about its food than the brand itself. More - New FDIC Rules Apply to Risky Sweep Accounts
All the talk about bank failures is prompting attorney Gary Schildhorn to send out a warning to treasury departments: Review your sweep contracts with your banker. He says restaurant companies that rely on banks for this service--and many do--should carefully review where their deposits are going. More - Loan Covenants: Breaking the Rules
As operating performance declines and prime costs rise, a growing number of chains are breaking lender covenants. Chain Leader recently asked Allan Hickok, managing director for investment bank Houlihan Lokey in Minneapolis, to explain this worrying trend. More - Popeyes Is Starting Over in Panama
Given the thriving Panamanian economy, franchisee Landmark International Holdings believes the time is right to expand Popeyes Chicken & Biscuits in Panama. To prepare the company has expanded the menu, implemented motorcycle delivery and launched an image-building campaign. More
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