Anatomy of a Food Truck: Inside Buona’s Beef It Up Truck
Buona Beef takes made-to-order sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs to the streets.
Read MoreFocus On: Full-Service Restaurants
There’s a new energy around the full-service dining sector, and it’s driven by a willingness to adapt to swift sea changes. “Typically we were seeing about 5%-10% of our sales as carryout pre-pandemic,” says Bob Bafundo, COO of Wings and Rings. “Since COVID, we’ve seen weeks and months where we’ve more than doubled, sometimes even…
Read MorePortillo’s New Pacesetter
With three drive-thru lanes and no dining room, the Chicago-born brand covers new ground in Joliet, Ill.
Read MoreChicago Is Now Home to the First Panera To Go Concept
Panera Bread is shaking it up—again.
Read MorePresto Chango: Inside Fiore’s Transformation
When the restaurant formerly known as Francesca’s Fiore reopened as Fiore Pizzeria & Bakery, the businesses under one roof tripled. Instead of a full-service Italian trattoria, the new Francesca’s sister brand in Forest Park, Ill., features a one-page, handwritten menu of pizza and small bites—plus a display commissary in a skylit space behind a glass…
Read MoreHow Sweet It Is: The Scoop on Soft Serve Machines
There’s nothing like smooth, creamy soft serve on a hot summer day.
Read More5 Questions with Tabassum Zalotrawala
FER talked with Chipotle’s chief development officer about technology, food and her love of design. Here’s the Q&A: What inspired you to pursue a foodservice design career? I’ve always been drawn to creating great spaces for people to enjoy. I started my career in the Middle East designing ultra-high-end projects, including the Grand Mosque and…
Read MoreOptimizing Today’s Delivery Kitchens
Delivery kitchen growth has exploded in the past two years, fueled by pandemic behavior changes. As consumers acclimated to ordering online out of necessity, a restaurant’s presence became more about digital real estate and less about physical real estate. Business models vary for delivery kitchens—many include pickup—but they all focus on bringing online orders to…
Read MoreThe Anatomy of Blue Highway Pizza’s Pickup Area
Blue Highway Pizza’s customers may increasingly be choosing to take their orders to-go, but their loyalty isn’t going anywhere.
Read MoreHear From 12 Women Making a Positive Impact in Foodservice E&S
When Cookie Mahon began working at American Kitchen Machinery and Repair more than 25 years ago, the company relegated women to secretarial positions.
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