Restaurant Chains Invest Millions In Enhanced Drive Thru Lanes
Fast-food and fast-casual chains are expanding their reach, while their overall revenue has still seen a roughly 30% plummet in 2020. While the loss of dine-in service has dampened sales, the drive-thru has proven to be the most lucrative revenue stream for major chains, accounting for 65% or more of a store’s revenue. According to a recent poll, 74% of Americans have gone to a drive-through the same amount or more than usual this year. To capitalize on changing consumer habits, most chains are expediting their expansion plans for drive-thru options. Last year, McDonald’s spent $300 million to obtain the AI company Dynamic Yield, which aims to increase drive-thru sales by giving digital menu boards predictive technologies, such as adapting to the time of day, weather, and even current restaurant traffic. Taco Bell has invested in speeding up wait times with its mobile priority lanes, which incentivize customers to order by phone. The Taco Bell app also uses GPS geofencing to determine when a customer pulls in and to guarantee that the order is ready as soon as the customer arrives at the pick-up window. For its part, Chipotle has been adding drive-thru “Chipotlanes” and opened its 100th lane this month, forgoing menu boards altogether so that customers order via their app to expedite drive-thru transactions.
Chef Dan Barber Departs From Michelin-Starred Blue Hill Restaurant That Made Him Famous
In 2019, Blue Hill at Stone Barns in Pocantico Hills, New York, earned two Michelin stars. But in 2021, its chef, Dan Barber, will no longer be in the kitchen. Barber, who runs the restaurant along with his brother and sister-and-law, is pivoting to a chef-in-residence program focused on diversity. Plans are still developing, but they aim to welcome four chefs next year, one per season, to run the restaurant under the visiting chef’s name. “The kitchen and the cuisine will be theirs,” says Barber. Both Blue Hill at Stone Barns and the Blue Hill location in Greenwich Village will not use the “Blue Hill” name throughout 2021. While the chef-in-residence program had been in works prior to the pandemic, “This came about because we have been reflecting on this moment in time and where a restaurant belongs in our culture,” Barber said. The new program will take effect when the restaurants reopen for full dine-in service in 2021, and the team has not determined who will run the kitchens afterward.
Influential James Beard Chef & Restaurant Awards Canceled Until 2022
Last week, the James Beard Foundation (JBF) announced that it will not issue its prestigious chef and restaurant awards this year due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The foundation has also suspended its awards for 2021 for similar reasons as well as to allow time to restructure the awards by removing “systemic bias” and increasing the diversity in its pool of candidates. The 2020 JBF food media award winners were announced online in May. The chef and restaurants winners were chosen in June and scheduled to be announced this September. Instead, the foundation will broadcast a live Twitter event, celebrating previously announced honorees in categories including America’s Classics, Lifetime Achievement, Humanitarian of the Year, Design Icon, and Leadership. “The uncertainty of this time for our industry is already a hard reality and considering anyone to have won or lost within the current tumultuous hospitality ecosystem does not in fact feel like the right thing to do,” James Beard Foundation CEO Clare Reichenbach said. “In short, an honor which we know is held in high regard, at the moment, feels minor when compared to the dire situation we are in. As we strive to provide an awards program with the highest ethical standards, one that is fair, equitable, and reflective of the industry which we serve, we know that the right move is to step back and take stock of the nominees’ and honorees’ achievements.” .
Seniors Increase Digital Restaurant Ordering By 428%
According to the NPD Group, digital restaurant orders skyrocketed 135% in June compared to a year ago. NPD found that the greatest increases were among adults age 65 and older, who ramped up their digital ordering by 428%. Adults age 55 and older also increased digital ordering by 200%. Older adults often dine out but they are also a demographic at risk of the coronavirus, driving them toward the convenience and safety of digital ordering. Over the past decade, older adults have also increased their e-commerce in other sectors. According to the Pew Research Center, 73% of adults age 65 and older now use the Internet regularly, an increase from 14% in 2000. More than half of that age group also owns a smartphone, and NPD found that since the start of the pandemic, use of third-party services has doubled among buyers who were new to the services six months ago. Like other segments of the population, older adults tend to order from quick-service restaurants, including menu items such as burgers, fries, Mexican foods, sandwiches, and pizza, reports NPD.
Chili’s Parent Company Bets Big On Virtual Restaurants
As Chili’s begins to return sales to pre-pandemic levels, the popular chain’s parent company Brinker International has been investing more in virtual restaurant concepts. Brinker’s first virtual venture, It’s Just Wings, is now generating sales at an annual rate of over $150 million, according to CEO Wyman Roberts. With a whimsical menu and recipes, says Roberts, “we created this business overnight.” Wings, curly fries, fried Oreos and other specialties at It’s Just Wings are currently being offered for delivery-only from more than 1,000 Chili’s units around the country. After analyzing customer data, Brinker discovered that 70% of It’s Just Wings’ customers had never ordered delivery from Chili’s. Although Roberts recognizes the opportunity to drive delivery customers to Chili’s, he stressed that It’s Just Wings should not compete with the core brand. Other concepts are in the works as Brinker plans to build a portfolio of virtual restaurants offering different cuisines.
Meet The Pitmasters In Netflix’s Chef’s Table: BBQ
The upcoming season of Netflix’s popular food documentary series Chef’s Table is dedicated to barbecue and the pitmasters who prep, smoke, and craft it. The new season’s first episode focuses on Tootsie Tomanetz, the 85-year old pitmaster at famed Snow’s BBQ in Lexington, Texas. Next up, Lennox Hastie of Firedoor in Sydney, Australia, shows how they do barbecue down under. The third episode is all about whole hog barbecue with Rodney Scott, pitmaster of Rodney Scott’s BBQ in his hometown of Charleston, South Carolina and in Birmingham, Alabama. The final episode features Rosalie Chay Chuc, a pitmaster in Yaxunah, Mexico, who shows viewers how she keeps the thousand-year-old outdoor cooking traditions of the Mayans alive. .
These 7 Chain Restaurants May Go On The Chopping Block
While chain restaurants are faring better than independent restaurants during the pandemic, massive business interruption has forced the parent companies of Chuck E. Cheese, Souplantation, and California Pizza Kitchen to file for bankruptcy protection. Franchisees of Subway, IHOP, and Pizza Hut, as well as NPC International, which runs more restaurant locations than any other U.S. franchisee, have also filed for bankruptcy. Who’s most at risk of going bankrupt next? S&P Global Market Intelligence issued a report that estimates the odds of publicly traded restaurant companies defaulting on their debts next year based on share price fluctuations and other “industry-related risks.” Sit-down and buffet chains including Denny’s and Outback Steakhouse were found to be most at risk. Eateries that combine food and entertainment such as Dave & Buster’s are also at high risk of defaulting. According to S&P Global, the median one-year probability of default for U.S. restaurants overall did drop to 10% in July, down from its peak of 35% in April.
Michelin Inspectors Return To Evaluate NYC’s and DC’s Starred Restaurants
In the past five months, New York City and Washington D.C. restaurants have suffered enormous economic losses due to the pandemic, indoor dining bans, high food delivery fees, and even thunderstorms that cancel outdoor food service. Under these conditions, Michelin has returned to judge the best restaurants in both cities. “Inspectors have resumed restaurant visits in some areas, including establishments in the New York selection,” said a Michelin North America spokesperson. Many feel the inspections are surprising, given the restaurant industry’s current state of disarray. “We thought maybe this year [the Michelin guide] wouldn’t be released,” says Ellia Park, co-owner of 2-starred Atomix. “I don’t know if it’s going to be fair or not because some restaurants do delivery and some restaurants can’t do anything,” she says. “We are always trying our best here, but now we’ll be worried about [the inspectors] as well,” adds TJ Steele, chef-owner of Claro, a Oaxacan restaurant in Gowanus, Brooklyn. The Michelin organization has publicly acknowledged the unique situation for this year. “Our inspection team is fully committed to support and promote restaurants by being flexible, respectful and realistic as recovery takes shape,” says Michelin’s North American chief inspector.
35 Influential U.S. Restaurants Permanently Closed By The Pandemic
Between mid-June and July 10th, 72,842 restaurants permanently shut their doors, according to the Yelp Average Economic Report for 2020’s second quarter. 24/7 Tempo compiled a list of 35 notable restaurants that closed down across the nation, including Louis’, a classic San Francisco diner that opened in 1937, shutting its doors after 83 years. Blackbird, a Chicago favorite run brilliantly by Paul Kahan for 22 years also hung up its apron. Fat Rice, another beloved Chicago restaurant known for its Portugese-Chinese fusion closed permanently, although reasons were less related to the pandemic. In New Orleans, K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen, Paul Prudomme’s foundational Cajun and Creole restaurant, shuttered permanently after 40 years of nightly lines out the door. Other influential restaurants that closed include Daniel Boulud’s Bar Boulud In Massachusetts; David Chang’s Momofuku Nishi, Charlie Palmer’s Aureole, and Alfred Portale’s Gotham Bar and Grill in NYC; and Andy Ricker’s Pok Pok in Portland, Oregon, though some Pok Pok locations remain open.
Pitmaster Rodney Scott Shares Secret Ingredient In His Famous Smoked Ribs
Rodney Scott, an award-winning South Carolina chef and pitmaster, recently teamed up with Today to share the secret ingredient that makes his famous Carolina-style smoked ribs great. “It may be a controversial ingredient, but I unapologetically use MSG in my seasoning rub. It is a flavor maker!” said Scott. “All the savory and hot spices and seasonings in my famous rub and sauce make these tender ribs unbelievably delicious,” he added. Monosodium glutamate, MSG, is the sodium salt of glutamic acid. Though glutamic acid is found naturally in many common foods such as cheese and tomatoes, the ingredient has been misunderstood and the subject of controversy over the years.
