Over the past three years, Boston Market^®, leader in the fast-casual restaurant segment popular for its juicy, slow-roasted rotisserie chicken and home style favorite side dishes, has experienced an exceptional turnaround. The consistent positive growth has led to the first new restaurant opening in seven years. On location in Hialeah, Florida, Boston Market’s Chief Brand Officer, Sara Bittorf, discusses how the brand’s 35 consecutive months of positive sales and the implementation of an elevated guest experience have led to this exciting point in the brand’s history. The Hialeah location is hosting a grand opening event on Friday, October 11 to celebrate its arrival in the South Florida market. Continue

Media.prnewswire.com - California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su issued citations totaling $481,813 to the owners of Toomie's Thai Cuisine restaurant in Alameda. The citations consisted of civil penalties and wages owed to 13 employees for violation of minimum wage, overtime and rest period laws.

The Labor Commissioner's joint inspection with the Employment Development Department (EDD) was based on complaints filed in August. The investigation revealed that the cooks, dishwashers, kitchen helpers and servers employed by Toomie's Thai Cuisine routinely worked at least 10.5 hours each day, up to seven days a week. Workers were not paid the State-mandated minimum wage for hours worked or the one-and-a-half regular rate of pay for overtime hours. Rather, the owners paid in cash: $45 per day for servers and between $75 and $120 for kitchen staff.   Continue

The republic.com - Smoking barbecue apparently is a stench in the nostrils of Uptown condo residents next door to a recently opened New Orleans restaurant.

Residents of the Carriage House Condominiums have sued McClure's Barbecue, alleging that the city never approved an outdoor smoker before the restaurant opened in late July. Continue

An Oregon bartender just got the tip of a lifetime.

One of Aurora Kephart's regulars at Conway's Restaurant and Lounge in Springfield often tips her with Keno tickets from the Oregon Lottery. On Tuesday evening, the man who wishes to remain anonymous asked Kephart to choose two.

When she checked the numbers, Kephart's first ticket won $5. The second turned into a $17,500 gratuity.

"The look on his face was incredible," Kephart, 25, told The Register-Guard newspaper (http://is.gd/I9P2nA ). "I automatically handed it back to him; it was his ticket." Continue

Q: A Whole Foods just opened a block down the street. Should I be worried?

A: Yes! While a nearby Whole Foods is likely to draw traffic and attract higher-income customers to your area, it's also likely to steal sales from your restaurant. People now perceive grocery stores, including Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, and even standard chains like Kroger and Safeway, as more convenient, more affordable, and higher quality than quick-serve restaurants. Continue

The i.Menu Forum - Join us on December 2 in Naples, Florida. Are you a restaurant/hotel owner/manager or looking to open a new restaurant or upgrade existing? 

Want the latest restaurant technology solutions in your investment ? Wanted to purchase the new Tablet Point of Sale Menu system but want to try it out first ? Come join us at the i.Menu Forum, the Forum is  a full day conference track full of seminars and hands on conference with the latest technologies solutions like Tablet Menus, SmartPhone Credit Card Swipe Readers, Mobile Payment Solutions, Security Enclosures, Text SMS Reservations, Waitlists, Online Menus, Cloud & Social Media Solutions.

Carmine De Santo

Show Manager

i.Menu Expo

416-907-8410

Orlandosentinel.com - Ryan Smith wasn't spooked by the ghosts of failed restaurants when he opened an upscale sports bar at a Winter Park address where several other eateries have closed.

"I don't believe in cursed locations," said Smith, whose Matilda's on Park sits on the slower end of Park Avenue across from St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church. Before Matilda's, the space churned through five restaurants in a decade.

The site is one of many throughout Central Florida where restaurants have a hard time keeping their doors open. Continue

Floridatrend.com - Taking a successful menu and concept to 100 other locations to create a chain has lost some appeal to the most modern of Florida restaurateurs. They would rather create whole new restaurants, each with a distinctive menu, décor and vibe — from rustic Asian to upscale Caribbean and every corner of Europe and regional America in between.

Instead of hanging the same shingle in many places across the state or across a metro area, restaurateurs often find it easier to run several restaurants in the same neighborhood. By thinking small at first, small plates in small spaces, they remain nimble and keep growing. Continue

Thepacker.com - Growers and distributors who’ve joined the revamped Georgia Grown program, now in its second year, are excited about the program’s potential. “It’s been a really big plus for us,” said Tim Mercier, owner of Blue Ridge-based Mercier Orchards, one of the state’s largest apple grower-shippers. “In the past, a lot of suppliers would stay with Washington or some of the other growing areas and not even try to source local apples,” Mercier said. “The Georgia Grown program has increased the demand for local apples tremendously,” he said. “We now have access to institutional markets such as schools, where nutritionists are requesting Georgia apples, and a lot of chain stores want to feature locally grown fruit, another big plus.” -

See more at: http://www.thepacker.com/fruit-vegetable-news/shipping-profiles/State-program-a-plus-for-locally-grown-items-222692541.html#sthash.j4RmiD52.dpuf

Marinacityonline.com - 6-Sep-13 – As a class action lawsuit looms for Restaurant.com, the online seller of restaurant coupons – that is owned by two River North residents – is serving as an example of what not to do for any business offering gift cards and certificates.

On July 9, the Supreme Court of New Jersey decided against the Arlington Heights, Illinois company in a complaint over expiration dates on gift certificates the company sold that have conflicted with state laws, including laws in New Jersey and Illinois, which define how long a gift certificate must be valid. Continue