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Eliminating the Excess

The holidays have become synonymous with excess but this year, you can spoon into something just as sweet but without the guilt.

Chain Leader reported that Tasti D-Lite has announced several new menu offerings for the months of November and December. In November, Tasti D-Lite will feature a combination of historically popular and new fall flavors - Apple Pie, Caramel Apple, Pumpkin Pie and new Pumpkin Cheesecake - as a complement to its daily rotation of more than 100 flavors. Adhering to Tasti D-Lite's mission of offering lower-calorie, guilt-free treats, each of these featured flavors has between 70 and 90 calories, 1.5 grams of fat and 14 grams or less of carbs, plus 5 grams of protein, per 4-fluid-ounce serving. These flavors will also be available in the chain's ever-expanding line of cakes and pies, which will be promoted at 20 percent off at participating locations during the month of November to create an extra incentive to pick up these delicious, healthier holiday desserts for family gatherings, office parties and other special occasions. In December, Tasti D-Lite will be focusing on two additional holiday flavors: Eggnog and Peppermint. At just 70 calories, 1.5 grams of fat, 10 grams of carbs and 5 grams of protein per 4-fluid-ounce serving for both flavors, guests won't feel guilty about ordering up these refreshing, healthier holiday treats.

"Tasti is known for its flavor variety and our customers love that we bring out an array of popular holiday flavors at this time of year," said Jim Amos, Tasti D-Lite's chairman and CEO.  "Since the launch of our new line of cakes and pies last year, we have even more potential to deliver the kinds of holiday flavors and treats that people look for during this period.   But with Tasti, they can get all the creamy, delicious indulgence they want to make an occasion special, but without the fat, calories or guilt that they have with other options."

A Fresh New Look

What does a brand like Tossed need to complement its fresher than fresh ingredients? An equally fresh appearance, of course.

Fast Casual reported that the Fort Lauderdale-based upscale salad chain recently unveiled a new logo and look designed by Good Studio and JBI Interiors, respectively. The goal of the overall look and feel of the restaurant is to display a more urban design, accomplished though the use of modern colors, furniture and construction materials. For example, embossed plywood is used in one of the seating areas that can be easily painted and installed. The wooden tables are all laminated with a stainless steel base. The tables also can be attached to the wall to give the impression of it all being one piece. The new elements will be incorporated in phases into the company’s Boston restaurant, located in Prudential Tower, but will not be completed by the end of the year.

“The old look was comfortable and nondescript,” said Tossed chief operating officer Eric Clark. “We wanted a clean, crisp and healthy type of design to go along with the food, and we really wanted to tie the two together." Lead designer Katie Riffkin agreed, stating the idea was to create three different seating areas based on lighting and furniture elements. “We wanted to give people different areas where they could gather,” she said. “We have areas where there could be families or a group of friends, or business associates. More restaurants are asking for different zones."

The new design also reflects a smaller footprint — taking the units down from about 2,400 square feet to 1,600 square feet — giving operators the ability to open in difficult locations. Additionally, executives are reviewing a Tossed Express freestanding kiosk for airport, college campus and similar locations, which is slated to be completed by January 2010. “We are negotiating leases for them right now and are looking in New York, which is why the kiosk is so important for us. We have shifted probably from 50/50 to 90 percent in the urban-style real estate,” said Clark. Cities ideal for the concept include Manhattan, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Seattle. And in addition to a new store design, Clark said the company is expanding its menu to include gluten-free and lower-calories options.

Happy Holidays…Grab a Gift Card!

Instead of braving the crowds the week before, snatch up that perfect holiday gift for yourself early courtesy of First Watch: According to Chain Leader, all 80 First Watch daytime cafe locations will offer patrons $20 in Bonus Bucks for every $100 gift card purchase from November 16th through December 24th.

"Everyone likes to treat themselves and that can be difficult around the holidays. By receiving an extra $20 to First Watch, customers can enjoy coming to our restaurants without spending any more money,” said Chris Tomasso, First Watch’s chief marketing officer. “The gift card program is a great way to boost traffic in the first quarter as a result of the bounce back element inherent in the promotion. Our customers really like the fact that they actually get money 'back' to use at their favorite breakfast, brunch and lunch spot -- it's like a little gift for themselves."

First Watch is the largest and fastest-growing, privately owned, daytime-only restaurant chain in the United States. First Watch specializes in unique breakfast, brunch and lunch creations, all freshly prepared to order. Of its 80 restaurants in 11 states, three are franchised and four are licensed and future growth is expected to come from key multi-unit, regional franchises to experienced restaurateurs in new markets in 35 states throughout the continental U.S. Three additional company-owned restaurants are expected to open in 2009 and by the end of 2012; First Watch expects to grow to 110 restaurants, with about a dozen franchised locations open and more than 30 in various stages of development.

Dry Cleaning Station Gets Martinized

Martinizing has been the gold standard in dry cleaning since its inception in 1949 and is expanding its presence further with the recent acquisition of Minneapolis-based Dry Cleaning Station.

American Drycleaner reported that according to Jerry Laesser, Martinizing’s vice president of marketing and development, it’s anticipated that a combination of 10 Dry Cleaning Station full-service plants will initially convert to the Martinizing brand in four markets, including Denver; Southern California; Tulsa, Okla.; and Minneapolis, with other markets to follow. Martinizing will expand its brand into new markets and rebrand existing Dry Cleaning Station locations as Martinizing centers; stores in markets with existing Martinizing locations will retain the Dry Cleaning Station name.

“People may be cutting back on luxuries, but they will never give up their dry cleaning,” said Laesser. “By joining forces with Dry Cleaning Station, Martinizing is giving its customers the confidence that they will receive the best service possible at all times.”

Photo: Martinizing's Jerry Laesser.

Catering Continues to Create a Buzz

Ladies and gentlemen, the holiday season is officially upon us and with it, an interesting statistic from foodservice consultants Technomic: More than 40 percent of consumers are buying platters or prepared food for holidays and celebrations. QSR reported that while the recession has continued to take its toll on the restaurant industry, Technomic’s study revealed a potentially vibrant market that has gone largely untapped in the quick-service sector – catering – a promising growth opportunity for quick-service outlets both large and small in the coming years. The study suggests there is a shift in consumer behavior, as the home is replacing the restaurant as the central meeting place for social gatherings. And it appears quick-service owners and operators are already beginning to adjust to the trend including Wingstop, Bruegger’s Bakery Café, Jersey Mike’s Subs, Panchero’s Mexican Grill and Cousins Subs.

Panchero’s launched its first catering program in April and has resulted in shifting the responsibilities of workers in an effort to minimize the added stress of taking large, bulk orders. “The biggest challenge for us was that we wanted to keep things the same. We didn’t want managers running around all day trying to deliver catering orders,” says Jay Hochenedel, Panchero’s director of operations. “This meant being a little more organized and shifting responsibilities. That way we didn’t have to bring on more labor to support the concept.”

Larry Weissman, vice president of marketing for Cousins Subs, which offers a full, on-site catering menu, says timing is catering’s most important element. “The big thing is really in the area of delivery,” Weismann says. “When a customer tells you, ‘I need it delivered at 12:30,’ that’s not a joke. They want it there at 12:30. In the end you have to make sure you can execute.” If these various needs can be met, quick-service operators that have experience with catering all say the same thing: The marketing benefits are significant. A catering order means a larger group of people will be snacking on the product, and the likelihood of reaching a new customer in that setting is pretty good.

An Easier Way to Save

Trying to save money? There’s now an app for that!

WOWT-TV (NBC Omaha) reported Valpak, the direct mail marketing company best known for its blue envelopes stuffed with money-saving offers, has debuted an iPhone application.

“The color pops up to offer you different categories.” Scott Farkas, president of Valpak in Omaha, showed off the new coupon iPhone application. You pick a category, it pops up deals at businesses closest to you. It shows how many miles you are away, it even gives you a map to get there. Best of all, you don't have to carry around all the paper coupons. "If you forgot the coupon at home, you can pull it up on your phone, show it to the person at the register, it has a unique code so the business can actually track it and you're good to go.”

Valpak says the jump in local consumers using coupons has been dramatic. The company's Web site traffic saw its numbers jump from 190,000 visitors to 280,000 visitors per month.

Catering Counts

While many think adding a catering program is a simple add-on service to boost sales and gain new customers, it takes a significant amount of time, effort and ingenuity for one to become successful. Thankfully, there are experts in place to lead the way.

Nation’s Restaurant News reported that since sales of off-site meals have to be integrated into the whole business plan and not just tacked on as an extra service, several restaurant companies are implementing operations software designed specifically for catering. Many nationally franchised brands turn to Altametrics, a California-based firm whose eRestaurant software suite has a module for catering and event management. Mitesh Gala, co-founder and chief executive of Altametrics, says catering is a natural extension of serving food, but the tactic requires planning. “You have to remember to look at the business holistically,” he said. “If you think catering is this silo that doesn’t impact other parts of the business, it’ll hamper your success. Make sure whatever you’re going to do is going to integrate, otherwise the left hand isn’t going to know what the right is doing.” As operators take orders using Altametrics’ system, the food and labor requirements for those meals flow into those metrics measured for the whole location, automatically coordinating scheduling and purchasing. About 44,000 locations of brands like California Pizza Kitchen, Wendy’s and Rock Bottom Restaurants use the eRestaurant suite, Gala said.

McAlister’s Deli, the fast-casual chain of nearly 300 locations, does healthy catering sales without dedicated software—about 8 percent systemwide—but it plans to test a Web-based catering module in units near its Ridgeland, Miss., headquarters starting in January, said vice president of training Vickie Frisbie. Currently, the brand manages catering orders with a blend of its point-of-sale system and pen and paper, Frisbie said. Catering software would allow McAlister’s to track customer data better and build reliability within those relationships. “By knowing the group you’re delivering to, you can tap further into the broader audience you have,” she said. “That leads you to the sports complex, then the coaches, then the [athletes’] moms, who end up being your social-catering clients.…This lets you segment out your database and market with things that will drive more sales in that area.” McAlister’s already sells lots of sandwich platters and gallons of sweet tea, Frisbie said, but it also will push its side dishes and holiday cookie platters to get more people thinking of the brand as a go-to catering option. “The relationship of catering and the economy today is important,” she said, “and we’re making sure we have reliability and great relationships with our customers. To perform detailed sales and profit analysis is going to be critical to us in 2010 to continue to grasp that market share.”

Photos from top right: Mitesh Gala reviewing eRestaurant results with Applebee's area director Vilma Tawil; a McAlister's Deli location.

Hooray for Heroes!

Good deeds seldom go unnoticed and select Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill and Bar restaurants in California are doing their part to celebrate a job well done: The Clovis Independent reported that from this point forward, 19 restaurants will be offering a 25-percent discount on all entrees to any uniformed police, fire, paramedic and military personnel who dine in at the restaurant.

“This is our way of saying thanks to the people that help make our community special and keep it safe,” said Anand Gala, president and CEO of Gala Corp, the management company behind the participating Applebee’s locations. “These individuals work far beyond the normal 9-to-5 work day and oftentimes their jobs never really stop; this selfless commitment to others will be reflected in our promotion because it, too, will never end.” The heroes discount will be available whenever the restaurant is open but is limited to one entrée per customer.

Photo: Gala Corp's Anand Gala.

Hungry Howie's Goes Pink

During a time when many businesses are cutting back, it’s always nice to hear about one that’s GIVING back instead.

The Spectrum reported that Hungry Howie’s Pizza will join the fight against breast cancer this month by donating a portion of its proceeds to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. All pizzas will be served in bright pink boxes emblazoned with breast cancer awareness ribbons instead of the original classic Howie yellow boxes the brand usually features.

According to the American Cancer Society, an estimated 192,370 new cases of invasive breast cancer are expected to be diagnosed among U.S. women in 2009. Jeff Rinke, Hungry Howie’s vice president of marketing and product development, said, “We know many people are affected by this disease so we are proud to lend a helping hand and do everything we can to make a difference.”

Job Interview? Get Your Suit Cleaned for Free at Martinizing

Standing out from the competition is imperative if you want to land the job of your dreams. Warrendale, Pa.-based non-profit Priority Two has been doing just that for over two decades by helping prepare individuals for employment transition and its programs are even more relevant today given the current state of the job market. Now, in addition to providing job search skills, interview coaching and support services, Priority Two has partnered with Martinizing Dry Cleaning to offer a one-time free dry cleaning of professional attire (a roughly $20 value) prior to an interview.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that brothers Todd and Scott Fennell, of Natrona Heights in Harrison, have operated their Martinizing Dry Cleaning franchise in Pine Tree Shops on Route 19 in Pine since last May, but they have already joined with Priority Two. "A friend of mine had lost his job and I told him if he needed his suit cleaned, I'd do it for free," explained Scott Fennell. This led Fennell and his brother, Todd, to consider helping others in the same situation. They heard about Priority Two through customers who belong to North Way, where the group meets. They offered their services to those attending the job search skills classes. "It seemed a great opportunity for us to stay grounded by helping those in our community," Scott Fennell said.

Says Priority Two executive director Don Priestley, “Job searching isn’t meant to be an independent process but the average person doesn’t seek assistance. This is why we consider those who contact Priority Two as above-average individuals that deserve all the help they can get. We are thrilled that Scott and Todd have presented this wonderful opportunity and hope more business owners like them will do the same.”