Dunkin’ Donuts Opens Outlets In Home Depot Stores
Dunkin’ Donuts has opened Dunkin’ Donuts stores within Home Depot test locations, marking a unique, first-time partnership for the Dunkin’ Donuts chain.
Dunkin’ Donuts is leasing space in the "Pro" section of Home Depot, an area dedicated to professional builders and contractors. Shoppers are able to enjoy the 220-square foot, full service Dunkin’ Donuts, complete with seating and an Internet hook-up. The location serves the full range of Dunkin’ Donuts products.
Dunkin’ Donuts worked with Design Forum on the concept and design for the store-within-a-store. The Dayton, OH-based retail design firm recently created the new store prototype and corporate identity for Dunkin’ Donuts and translated the elements of that design to work in this latest extension of the Dunkin' Donuts brand.
Blockbuster & Wendy’s Run Movie Mania Promotion
Wendy’s and Blockbuster with The Coca-Cola Company, have teamed up to create “Movie Mania,” a national marketing promotion that will award one grand prize winner free video rentals for life.
The promotion features an instant win game on all packages of 5-piece Wendy’s Crispy Chicken Nuggets. Each specially marked game piece is guaranteed to be a winner of a prize or offer.
Wendy’s is supporting the promotion with national television ads and radio spots as well as in-store POP materials. In-store monitors at Blockbuster locations will also feature the commercials.
Noble Roman’s Introduces Café-To-Go Kiosk
Noble Roman’s, Inc., the Indianapolis based franchisor of pizza focused foodservice operations, has introduced a new foodservice concept, “Café-To-Go.” The concept was developed to provide pizza-focused foodservice for locations that require something even simpler than the Company’s standard system.
The Café-To-Go requires no additional labor during operations; simply someone to keep the shelves stocked and to collect the money from the sale of the products. Innovative “Pizza Bake Ovens” produce fresh baked, personal pizzas in minutes. The Company has launched an aggressive marketing campaign nationwide in support of the new Café-To-Go Kiosk program.
Largest McDonald’s Debuts In NYC
The largest metropolitan McDonald’s in America has opened in New York’s tourism and entertainment district, Broadway and 42nd Street. The new 17,500-sq. ft. McDonald’s features a full length theatre marquee with 7,500 light bulbs, 18 42-inch plasma screens and 27 15-inch monitors to entertain customers. Interior designer Charles Morris Mount created a “backstage” ambiance for the restaurant’s décor by exposing the building’s original brickwork and using theatrical lighting fixtures.
Irwin Kruger, owner/operator of the restaurant, said, “The restaurant is designed to be a natural fit with our famous Broadway neighbors, both in its architectural design and in the fun and excitement we’ll provide.”
Special features of the new Broadway-style McDonald’s restaurant include: Nostalgic McDonald’s and Coca-Cola commercials and footage from various Disney Broadway productions and upcoming movies shown on the plasma screens and monitors throughout the restaurant; a Belshaw mini-donut machine in the front window that makes 2,500 mini donuts per hour; and specialty coffee and frozen drinks served at a separate McDonald’s café counter located inside the restaurant.
Survey Shows Home Cooked Meals Could Become A Thing Of The Past
Most parents with small children are replacing home cooked meals with takeout and prepared foods. According to a survey conducted by Madison Direct Marketing, 82% of parents with kids under five report their families eat takeout or delivered meals at home at least a few times per month. Two-fifths of them, or 33% of all parents with kids under 5, say they serve takeout or delivered food at least a few times per week.
These households are also big fans of semi-prepared meals from supermarkets and specialty food stores. 75% of parents with kids under five are serving these easier-to-prepare meals at least a few times per month. Half of those, or 37% of parents with small children, do so at least a few times per week. With 92% feeling they have less free time than before they had kids, it’s no wonder these parents are turning to takeout, delivered food, and semi-prepared meals.
Coca-Cola To Launch Digital Menu Boards
Coca-Cola Fountain and Allure Fusion Media, Atlanta, GA, have formed an alliance to bring Digital Marketing Communications solutions to fast food and hospitality restaurant customers. The Allure technology replaces static menu boards with wireless, Web-enabled solutions.
These new digital boards allow restaurateurs to display and instantly update DVD-quality graphics. Eric McCarthey, Sr. V.P., Coca-Cola Fountain, said, “Allure’s technology enables customized messages by time of day and by location.”
Content is displayed on 42-inch flat-panel, plasma video screens, 15" and 17" LCD screens or 29" CRT screens.
Merchandising Inventives, Inc. has introduced the Ceiling Tract Banner Hanger, a new patent pending banner hanger specifically designed for thicker substrates like sintra and foam boards. With the large amount of inkjet printers that can print digital graphics, there is a greater need for banner hangers to hang these thicker materials from the ceiling, wall or shelf fixtures. The countered shaped banner hanger accepts signage sized from. 010" to .375" in thickness. It is made out of rigid PVC in two standard colors, white and metallic gray. The Ceiling Track banner hanger is available with two clips that attaches the banner hanger flush to the ceiling grid; or a hanging clip which allows the hanger to hang down from the ceiling with the use of ceiling hardware and signage connectors. For more information, contact Merchandising Inventives, Inc., 1665 South Waukegan Road, Waukegan, IL 60085.
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