The Food Scout

One of the great things I love about being a freelance columnist for QSR Magazine is that it gives me an excuse to talk to a lot of very interesting and experienced marketers at America's leading quickservice chains. The downside is that column space and topic matter rarely give me room for more than a couple of quick soundbites. So I'm planning to start sharing all that other great interview information that doesn't make the cut, but can be very insightful and revealing about what's going on in the marketing minds at big burger chains. For example, last week I spoke with Brad Haley, EVP of marketing for Hardee's and Carl's Jr. restaurants. Here are some of the more interesting Q&A part ...

I just had the unique experiences of dining 115 stories and 35 stories in the sky in Canada. One meal was in Toronto and the other was at Niagara Falls. Now, I'm sure that it cost a lot of money to build these upscale restaurants in the sky, but it was amazing to me what you paid for a room with a view. Prices for the kids meals (no, they wouldn't let me order one) were $15 or more for a bowl of standard mac & cheese or cheese pizza, which cost like $3 or $4 at a casual dine or family style restaurant. But these were just baseline prices to prepare you for the adults entrees. No entree was ...

Admittedly, the above claim is completely subjective and not scientifically based. But I have been traveling extensively across the U.S. for the past 6 months, checking into dozens of hotels, checking out at hundreds of grocery stores and restaurants, and from what I can see, the recession has improved customer service across the board (well, except maybe in Charleston, S.C.). Not surprisingly, I have a lot of theories about this, and they aren't necessarily politically correct. Basically, I think that when the economy was humming and everyone was dreaming of being in a better job (and believed they could find one at the drop of a hat), there wasn't a lot ...

Flip, sip, enjoy, says IHOP Cafe.  I love surprises when it comes to new restaurant concepts. Last week I was buzzing around suburban San Antonio looking for what's new in supermarket delis when BAM! I caught a bright royal blue awning hanging over a brightly lit strip mall-based store with a strange sign called "IHOP Cafe."  While IHOP has been making news of late with funny-faces and free pancakes across the country to compete with Denny's Grand Slam it hit two days after the SuperBowl, IHOP has also apparently been quietly taking the brand in potentially another direction.  Judging by the fact that there are just a few ...

Given that prime-grade beef, usually only found at steakhouses, is piling up in Sam's Clubs, it shouldn't be surprising that burger innovations are taking center stage these days. Hardee's shrank its Thickburger several months ago but Burger King recently introduced miniaturized Burger "shots," more in line with the mini burgers now common at casual dine restaurants like Ruby Tuesday's, TGIFriday's, and Chili's. Then, just this week, BK opened its first of many Whopper Bars at Universal Studios Theme Park in Orlando, where burger lovers can custom-build their burgers with a choice of 22 toppings. Recent months have also seen the opening of chef-run burger joints. TV personality (oh yes, and chef) Bobby Flay opened ...