Retail News CRM

Tag: diner

  • McDonald’s logo temporary changed to promote social distancing

    McDonald’s logo temporary changed to promote social distancing

    International fast-food chain McDonald’s logo has been altered in some global markets to emphasize the importance of social distancing during the coronavirus crisis.

    The popular restaurant chain is largely closed for dine-in business in certain hard-hit areas globally but remains open for delivery or takeout. Venues have been closed completely in the UK and Ireland, while only 5 percent of outlets in the US are now closing dining spaces.

    The new McDonald’s logo campaign was unveiled in Brazil, with the golden arches represented in the brand logo separated to remind patrons of the need to keep a distance from each other during the course of the pandemic. The campaign was soon taken up in India.

    “Our customers, employees and communities are counting on us now more than ever to provide them the meaningful support, delicious food and good-paying jobs,” said McDonald’s US president Joe Erlinger.

    A statement from the firm read: “Guidelines have been shared with franchisees and restaurant general managers to support crew in adhering to social distancing best practices while on the job. This includes, among other items, updating configuration of crew on shift and following contactless operations procedures, etc”.

    https://youtu.be/BFgW4S6zOQU

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  • Yum! Brands to take over The Habit Burger Grill chain

    Yum! Brands to take over The Habit Burger Grill chain

    Yum! Brands has bought California-based The Habit Burger Grill, adding its first fast-casual burger chain to its portfolio which already includes KFC, Pizza Hut and Taco Bell

    The company says it has bought all of The Habit Burger Grill’s issued and outstanding common shares in a deal worth US$375 million.

    “The Habit Burger Grill is a sweet spot within fast-casual because of its delicious California-inspired menu with premium ingredients at a QSR-like value, strong unit economics and tremendous untapped growth potential in the US and internationally,” said David Gibbs, CEO of Yum! Brands.

    As a subsidiary of Yum! Brands, The Habit Burger Grill will continue to be run as an independent brand, the company said in a statement.

    President and CEO of The Habit Burger Grill, Russell Bendel, said, being part of Yum! will take The Habit Burger Grill to the next level by leveraging Yum!’s global scale, resources, and franchising capabilities to strengthen and significantly grow our beloved brand for many years to come.”

    Founded in California in 1969, fast-casual restaurant concept The Habit Burger Grill operates about 300 restaurants across 13 states in the US.

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  • Fruitas to launch grilled chicken, fresh foods concepts

    Fruitas to launch grilled chicken, fresh foods concepts

    Philippine food-and-beverage kiosk operator Fruitas Holdings will soon launch two new concepts in addition to their popular fresh-fruit shakes concept.

    The first is a store concept under Babot’s Farm brand, while the second represents Fruitas Holdings’ new forway into the fast-growing grilled chicken market segment.

    “Babot’s Farm is a collection of fresh products which Fruitas is excited to serve to Filipino consumers. Our mission is to make fresh products easily accessible to Filipinos, thus bringing the farm closer to them,” said FHI president and CEO Lester Yu.

    Babot’s Farm will initially have three verticals of fresh products in its own portfolio,

    including the company’s buko beverage line, a new soy range under Soy & Bean, featuring products from its recent acquisition, The Tofu Store, and fresh dairy.

    Soy & Bean’s soy-based products will initially include fresh soy milk, tofu, taho, and soy-based ice cream.

    Meanwhile, Fruitas’ grilled-chicken business will be offered through its existing kiosk network along with new solus stores to be opened in strategic locations. The firm will leverage off its recently acquired Heat Stroke Grill and Kuxina Ihaw na.

    Yu said the company is excited about its impending entry into the chicken business and confident it can do so in a cost-effective manner and develop a “well-loved product”.

    Fruitas Holdings started in 2002 from a single Fruitas stall. The company ended last year with 1068 stores across the country.

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  • McDonald’s scented candles top new merchandise range

    McDonald’s scented candles top new merchandise range

    McDonald’s scented candles are among a range of new merchandise items released by the fast-food giant in the US.

    According to the firm’s website, the merchandise is now on sale for a limited time to celebrate the brand’s Quarter Pounder burger – which will soon turn 50 – and coincide with the opening of a fan club dedicated to the menu item.

    The items, including a fan club t-shirt, a 2020 calendar and a collection of McDonald’s scented candles which share the same beef-and-burger smell of a Quarter Pounder.  The items are being sold on a dedicated website goldenarchesunlimited.com.

    Another new product is Couples Quarter Pounder Mittens “to hold hands and hold a hot and deliciously juicy Quarter Pounder cooked just for you right when you order”

    The firm says it will unveil a “sizable bronze monument” of the Quarter Pounder on Wednesday, in a US city yet to be revealed.

  • Singapore Liang Sandwich Bars close amidst dispute

    Four Singapore Liang Sandwich Bars have closed suddenly, angering the master franchisee for Southeast Asia, Liang Group.

    The company said the closures were unauthorized.

    Liang Group CEO Jarvin Leow said the company had not authorized the stores’ shuttering and that it had taken measures to resolve the situation.

    While the reason for the closures remains unclear, the stores are currently in the midst of a rebranding effort across the region later this year, when the Singapore Liang Sandwich Bars will be renamed “Liang Crispy Roll”. The closures have proved a hindrance to the rebranding efforts.

    Stores in other territories have already gone through the rebranding exercise.

    Leow offered a formal apology to customers for any confusion caused and for the stores having been cast in a bad light.

    The franchise is due to launch in new outlets in several major international cities shortly.

    Described as an “Asian-style sandwich” chain, the first Singapore Liang Sandwich Bar opened at VivoCity mall in July 2018. A second store followed in Raffles City.

    The Taiwanese brand has more than 12,000 outlets worldwide throughout Asia and North America. It is endorsed by a prominent Mandopop rap artist Jay Chou.

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  • Jollibee profit slides despite strong last quarter

    Jollibee profit slides despite strong last quarter

    Philippine restaurant brand Jollibee Foods suffered a 14.4-per-cent drop in earnings last year after operating income fell by 25.1 percent.

    However, a strong fourth quarter prevented a worse annual result, with operating income up 11.6 per cent on a 23.2-per-cent boost on systemwide sales.

    “Practically all brands in the Philippines improved their same-store sales growth quarter on quarter, led by Jollibee, Red Ribbon, Greenwich and Burger King,” said a spokesperson from the firm.

    “Same-store sales growth in the Philippines was driven by the continued growth in the volume of customer visits in the stores compared to a year ago and strong growth in the delivery business for all brands.”

    Jollibee Foods president and CEO Ernesto Tanmantiong said that despite a tough year, the current turnaround is being brought on by an increase in customers’ in-store and growing demand for its delivery business.

    Favorable returns on the firm’s investments – including a notable expansion of Jollibee’s newly acquired The Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf chain – have helped improve the pace of earnings.

    Jollibee Foods is targeting opening 600 more outlets this year, a little more than half of those abroad.

    “We look forward to a much stronger sales and profit performance in 2020 and the years ahead even as we consolidate the financial performance of CBTL into our financial results,” said Tanmantiong.

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  • Seafood exports plummet

    Seafood exports plummet

    Seafood exports in January fell 25 percent year-on-year and are set to continue falling due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.

    They fell to $556 million, with exports of pangasius fish falling by 64 percent, octopus by 50 percent and tuna by 30 percent, the Vietnam Association of Seafood Exporters and Producers said in a report.

    It attributed the drop to the seven-day Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday in January, adding exports would continue to fall in February and March since the epidemic has limited exports to China.

    In the worst case, seafood exports to China will fall 30 percent in the first half to $400 million. But if there is limited border trade, the impact could be mitigated somewhat.

    China was Vietnam’s fourth-largest market last year, with exports being worth $1.23 billion after rising 22 percent.

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  • Deliveroo to offer support for Hong Kong restaurant partners

    Deliveroo to offer support for Hong Kong restaurant partners

    Deliveroo has offered support for its Hong Kong restaurant partners as many of them are suffering from falling dine-in sales due to the coronavirus crisis.

    The company will reduce its commission rate for restaurant partners by 5 percent for a month, starting February 16, equivalent to a 15-20 percent discount in fees.

    In addition, the company will also offer a four-week payment delay strategy for its exclusive restaurant partners to ease their cash flow, the company said in a statement.

    “In our most recent survey and conversations with leaders of the F&B industry, we estimate in-store F&B retail sales to be down 30-50 percent year on year, with signs of further deterioration,” said Brian Lo, GM at Deliveroo Hong Kong.

    The company has urged its rivals in the food-delivery sector to provide support where they can.

    With approximately 6000 restaurant partners, Deliveroo has witnessed a significant escalation in the number of restaurants aiming to suspend trading or shut down. Its research suggests as many as one in 20 restaurants is considering closure.

    “As a stakeholder in the F&B industry and the leading food-delivery platform in the market, we want to play a part, however small, in supporting our restaurant partners and lend a helping hand to the industry in this time of need,” said Lo.

  • Shake Shack Singapore opens second store

    Shake Shack Singapore opens second store

    Burger chain Shake Shack has opened its second store in Singapore, in the city’s CBD.

    Taking over the Tiger Balm factory on Neil Road, the new Shake Shack Singapore store design was inspired by its vibrant Chinatown neighborhood and colorful Peranakan architecture.

    Designed by Singaporean artist Sam Lo, the store’s interior features a tiger mural inspired by the history of Tiger Balm factory.

    To mark the opening, Shake Shack has launched The Chick’n Shack, an antibiotic-free slow-cooked chicken breast crisp fried.

    “The Chick’n Shack embodies our modern approach to fine-casual American cooking,” said Mark Rosati, culinary director at Shake Shack. “It’s about providing a simple, pleasurable, uncomplicated experience, but with high-quality, responsibly sourced ingredients.”

    The burger chain also introduces two new local dishes, Eye of the Tiger and Open Sesame, based on local flavors.

    To support the local art community, 5 percent from sales of the local products will be contributed to Very Special Arts Singapore (VSA), a non-profit organization providing opportunities for the disabled through arts.

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  • Yum China launches contactless delivery services

    Yum China launches contactless delivery services

    Yum China, which operates Chinese KFC and Pizza Hut networks, has launched a contactless food-delivery service.

    The move is a response to concerns about transmission of coronavirus between customers and delivery staff – but will also give confidence to consumers who are increasingly buying from food-delivery services to avoid public contact in supermarkets, shopping centers, and restaurants.

    “The health and wellbeing of our employees and customers is our top priority,” said the firm in a written statement to Business Insider, “and the innovative new services will help reduce the risk of person-to-person transmission of the coronavirus and protect our employees and customers”.

    Customers who elect for the contactless service will be instructed to remain at least 10 feet from the masked delivery personnel, who will remove the boxed food from its thermal pouch and place it on an agreed pick-up surface only after visually confirming the receiving party.

    Delivery staff is expected to disinfect their hands before and after every transaction.

    Food may also be picked up in-store in hygienically sealed packages.

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  • Japanese restaurant group Skylark to end 24-hour trading

    Japanese restaurant group Skylark to end 24-hour trading

    Japanese corporate restaurateur Skylark Holdings says it will discontinue 24-hour trading of 150 stores by April.

    Skylark, one of Japan’s largest family-owned restaurant operators, owns the Jonathan’s and Gusto chains, among other brands. It launched 24-hour trading in 1972 and according to the company about 10 percent of its daily revenue comes in between midnight and 6am.

    The company says while round-the-clock trading appeals to customers, the increasing costs of labour makes it less viable to trade all night. Instead, it will focus on peak meal times.

    In total, Skylark owns 560 eateries across the country. Many of the other stores will have trading hours trimmed by a couple of hours a day to reduce labour costs.

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  • Hong Kong restaurants bounce back in final quarter of 2019

    Hong Kong restaurants bounce back in final quarter of 2019

    Hong Kong restaurants appear to have shrugged off the worst of the impact from the city’s social unrest in the final quarter of last year,

    According to food-delivery service Deliveroo’s second Restaurant Confidence Index, a quarterly survey of restaurant partners that details F&B trends in Hong Kong, eateries in the territory are seeing increased revenue turnover and profits, even as they continue to face a challenging business environment.

    During the final financial quarter of last year, 37 percent of restaurants saw an increase in revenue turnover quarter on quarter, when more than 71 percent of restaurants faced decreasing or unchanged turnover rates.

    However, only 20 percent of restaurant partners surveyed in the latest index saw an increase in profits due to the fact that many restaurant partners surveyed saw an increase in operations, ingredient and labor costs. One in three reported rising order-out revenue.

    On average, restaurants rank their satisfaction in overall business performance at 6.6 out of 10 for the fourth quarter of last year, a one-point jump from the average rating of 5.6 the previous three months.

    Many restaurants experienced year-on-year revenue decreases during the Christmas and New Year period, with 55 percent experiencing a holiday-period revenue fall from the previous year. The decrease in revenue was much more significant for dining in as compared to ordering out, with 61 percent of restaurants witnessing a decrease in dining in revenue as compared to 41 percent who said the same of delivery.

    Consumers appear to have spent less during the festive season this year as just 17 percent of restaurants increased their total turnover, however, 16 percent of restaurants did note an increase in delivery revenue during the period.

    “Last year was unique for Hong Kong‘s F&B industry, with restaurants facing a number of challenges in terms of operating costs, customer turnover and overall business environment,” said Deliveroo Hong Kong GM Brian Lo. “Still, it’s a positive sign that restaurants are more satisfied with their business performance as compared to the previous quarter.”

  • Yum China prepares to list in Hong Kong

    Yum China prepares to list in Hong Kong

    Pizza Hut and KFC restaurant operator Yum China is preparing for a second listing in Hong Kong.

    The US-listed firm is currently working on proceedings with China International Capital and Goldman Sachs to establish a footing closer to its base territory. The listing could take place as early as this year.

    Bloomberg revealed that the Hong Kong Stock Exchange is seeing a spike in inquiries about second listings from Chinese companies since Alibaba’s US$13 billion share sale two months ago.

    Yum China operates more than 8900 restaurants across the Chinese market and recently agreed to purchase a majority shareholding in simmer pot restaurant operator Huang Ji Huang.

    Meanwhile, shares in Chinese restaurant chain Jiumaojiu International soared by than 40 per cent when they debuted on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange yesterday. Jiumaojiu has 328 outlets trading under five brands in Mainland China, where it plans to focus its business for now, before expanding into Hong Kong, other Asian markets and North America in the longer term.

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  • Hong Kong’s Pirata Group to open new concept The Pizza Project

    Hong Kong’s Pirata Group to open new concept The Pizza Project

    Pirata Group has launched a new concept in Central, called The Pizza Project.

    Located on Peel Street, The Pizza Project will mirror the simple one-page menu format of its popular Pici chain, but with a focus on only pizzas. The Pizza Project will be helmed by chefs Andrea Viglione and Davide Borin and Pici operations manager Nacho Lopez.

    “We believe in engaging and connecting with people in meaningful ways to enrich experiences and make them available to everyone,” says Pici team. “We envision bringing excellent pizza at a fair price, so that everyone can enjoy pizza the same way we did back home,”

  • Jollibee Expedites North American expansion

    Jollibee Expedites North American expansion

    Filipino fast-food chain Jollibee plans to expand its store network in North America to 250 by 2023.

    Its parent company Jollibee Foods Corporation (JFC) said it is committing to further expand the brand in North America, having identified the region as a key growth market.

    There are currently 46 Jollibee outlets in North America, with the first store opened in 1998 in California.

    The expansion plan was announced at the inauguration of its new North American headquarters in West Covina, California on Friday. It says the new 28,000sqft headquarters will serve as a center of operations for Jollibee and its sister brands Chowking and Red Ribbon.

    “The new Jollibee headquarters will ably support operations around North America in its quest to become a major fast-food player in the region,” says the company.

    Jollibee has a restaurant network of more than 1400 at home and more than 230 elsewhere abroad.

    Parent company JFC has more than 5800 restaurants in 35 countries globally, with recent investments including a joint venture to open Tim Wan Ho restaurants in China.

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