Noodles & Co. Launches Good Balance Campaign
Noodles & Company, the Broomfield, CO-headquartered, globally inspired restaurant serving Asian, Mediterranean and American noodle bowls, soups and salads, has launched its Good Balance educational program.
Ross Kamens, Noodles & Company’s Executive Chef, said, “With the launch of the Good Balance program, we’re teaching guests about our dishes and how to easily satisfy their palate while achieving personal balance in all categories of our menu. Two-thirds of Noodles & Company's menu can be enjoyed for less than 500 calories.
Supportive point-of-sale signage throughout the restaurant will provide nutritional information and give tips on how to manage calories, fat and sodium, and achieve good nutritional balance.
‘Family Guy’ & Subway Run National Promotion
More than 22,000 SUBWAY Restaurants are hosting “Family Guy,” in a variety of fun in-store promotional materials as part of a promotion with 20th Century Fox Licensing & Merchandising.
“Tying in with Family Guy is a great way to be current and connect with young men,” said Tony Pace, Sr. V.P., Chief Marketing Officer, Subway. “We were looking for a way to drive trial and awareness of our new sandwich, The Feast. Leveraging one of the top rated programs on television and using Peter Griffin seemed like a natural fit.”
As part of the Family Guy promotion, SUBWAY Restaurants will feature point-of-sale signage and provide diners with the option of receiving a collector’s cup.
Dunkin' Donuts Partners with Hess & Sara Lee To Fuel Expansion
Dunkin' Donuts is partnering with Hess Corp. and Sara Lee Corp.’s Foodservice Div., to make it more convenient for Americans to enjoy select Dunkin' Donuts menu items. Dunkin' Donuts will offer its coffee and donuts in a new self-service station in many of Hess’ gas-convenience locations throughout the country. Dunkin' Donuts and Sara Lee Foodservice have partnered to offer self-service coffee stations at office building break rooms, cafeterias and other venues with large foodservice operations.
Robert Rodriguez, Dunkin' Donuts Brand President, said, “This will allow us to engage new customers, reinforce our relationship with existing customers and create more opportunities for busy, on-the-go people to keep themselves running with our coffee and baked goods.
Bennigan’s Opens Bennigan’s SPORT
Bennigan’s SPORT, the first sports bar concept from Metromedia Restaurant Group (MRG), opened its second U.S. location in Merriville, Ind. The restaurant features free WiFi, 28 Plasma TVs, a lounge area, 20 beers on tap, signature beer blends, 25 bottle label beers and 12 classic canned labels. The interior has been updated with stonework and steel touches.
Flynn Dekker, Sr. V.P., Marketing for MRG, said, “We wanted this restaurant to reflect the feel of the area, so we chose décor and photography that pays homage to local sports favorites like the Chicago Bears, Bulls and Cubs.”
Boston’s Grill Zone Is Nation’s First Green Certified Fast-Casual Restaurant
Boston's Grille Zone is the first fast-casual restaurant in the nation to be certified green by the Green Restaurant Association.
Grille Zone’s eco-focused business model based on a goal of zero-waste and 100% sustainability. To reduce its carbon footprint, Grille Zone utilizes 100% compostable cups, plates, and cutlery, sources food items locally, and utilizes the most energy efficient restaurant equipment available. As a result, Grille Zone’s Boston location currently produces an average of less than 15 lbs of waste per day, which fills about one half of a standard 55 gallon trashbag. According to the Green Restaurant Association, the average restaurant produces around 275 lbs of waste each day.
“There are no trashcans in our eating area,” said Ben Prentice, Grill Zone founder. “We have a compost receptacle and a recycling receptacle; everything a customer needs to ‘throw away’ fits into one or the other.”
HMSHost Launches Sammy’s Beach Bar & Grill
HMSHost Corp., a world leader in travel dining and shopping, plans to open Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill, a new island style café developed in partnership with local Maui resident Sammy Hagar at the Kahului Airport in Hawaii. Steve Johnson, HMSHost Sr. V.P., Business Development, said, “HMSHost’s food and beverage offerings at Kahului Airport will be expanded while maintaining the nature and character of the Hawaiian Islands.”
Sammy's Beach Bar & Grill, developed with Sammy Hagar of Van Halen fame, will offer classic American fare with an island twist in a casual, beach-inspired atmosphere. The restaurant will feature signed memorabilia from Hagar’s own personal collection amidst Sammy Hagar, Van Halen and other rock and surf inspired music.
Diageo & Zagat Launch drinkwell
In an innovative industry collaboration, Diageo, whose hallmark brands include Smirnoff, Guinness, Johnnie Walker, Baileys, J&B, Cuervo, Captain Morgan and Tanqueray, has joined with Zagat Survey, the world’s leading provider of consumer survey-based content, to launch drinkwell. (www.idrinkwell.com), the first online resource guide to restaurants that are dedicated to serving the highest quality drinks and drink service. Steve Wallet, V.P., Channel Marketing for Diageo,.said, “drinkwell combines Diageo’s expertise with Zagat’s to create a one-of-a-kind online resource for consumers seeking a complete quality dining and drinks experience.”
drinkwell-accredited establishments will be identified with a special black and brushed metal plaque, in the same way the burgundy Zagat Survey decal denotes a Zagat-rated restaurant.
Technomic Reports On Wine, Taking Back Seat To Beer & Mixed Drinks
A recent survey by foodservice consultants Technomic found that consumers were more than twice as likely to order beer or mixed drinks than wine when drinking away from home. In examining all dining- and/or drinking-out occasions, 48% involved spirits/mixed drinks, 46% included beer, but only 18% included wine.
But the picture changes considerably when examining alcohol consumption by type of occasion. For example, wine consumption jumps to 37% when the occasion is a business meal. Special events, such as a romantic meal or other planned special occasions, are also much more likely to include wine. The survey found that a quarter of all on-premise adult beverage occasions were informal family meals, representing the largest share of all on-premise occasions.
Echo Boomers Influence To Grow
As Baby Boomers inch closer to retirement, their spending power will be eclipsed by the nation’s second largest demographic, young consumers known as Echo Boomers. According to a new Visa USA study, Echo Boomers' spending influence will generate growth in retail categories that help relieve feeling time-stretched, such as restaurants, travel and entertainment. As Baby Boomers leave the workforce, they will focus their financial resources on medical expenses, gifts for their children and grandchildren and vacations.
Visa USA estimates that by the year 2015, the Echo Boomer generation will account for approximately $2.45 trillion in annual spending. “We are witnessing a watershed moment in our economy's history as one uber-generation transfers its economic influence to another,” said Wayne Best, Visa's chief economist.
Susanne Lyons, CMO, Visa US, said, “For marketers trying to capture the hearts and wallets of Echo Boomers, they need to put a greater emphasis on reaching this generation’s parents who ultimately influence their purchases.”
Back to Top
To See previous issues of Creative Restaurant Marketing click here
To See Previous Issues of Online Weekly in Creative's Archives, click here.
To See other Creative Online Newsletters click here
