The Food Scout

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 ...

In many ways, 2008 was the coming out party for tea - both iced and hot - and now the question is how much hotter the tea trend can get.  Tea has long been the "alternative" beverage: It was just the right compromise when you didn't want just water or a sweet beverage with your restaurant meal. And if you weren't a coffee lover, but wanted to partake in the coffee culture, tea was there to provide a cup of status that was more drinkable than a stout cup of java.  But thanks to the time-honored tradition of pre-sweetened iced tea in the South, which was institutionalized and spread by McAlister's Deli chain ...

Orlando and Tampa are shaping up to be the new playground for innovative food retailing. If you live in the Southeast, you know Publix supermarkets. And if you live in north Florida, you know that Publix is leveraging several sub-brands into new retail units and merchandising opportunities. Its Aprons brand, originally a cooking school, is now a meal-assembly concept, cooking demo kiosk, and a catering business. Greenwise is a brand Publix is using on its new tony Whole Foods-style units, BUT it's also a brand merchandised in most of its stores around natural foods including meats, cereals, and juices. And Sabor ...

I was impressed with Ruby Tuesday’s makeover when I ate dinner at one of its recently rehabbed units a few months ago. But I had lunch at another one for lunch this week, and I’ve decided it’s my new favorite (chain) restaurant. So much so, that I’m revising my prejudice that casual dine restaurant chains require compromise when it comes to freshness, healthiness, contemporary flavors, and other quality cues.