Month: August 2009

Last week, I talked to a top industry executive who had just had a business lunch at an upscale Asian restaurant in Chicago. His comment was interesting: “It was good, but by the time I paid $12 for the valet parking, my lunch cost me $50.”

As part of the board of the National Restaurant Association’s Marketing Executives Group (MEG), I get to help plan its two conferences a year. We just finalized the agenda for the upcoming fall conference at the Green Valley Ranch in Las Vegas, October 14 through October 16, and it looks great. For those of you…

August 13, 2009 I just went back and looked at Jack in the Box’s viral campaign from earlier this year thanks to Christa’s comment yesterday. All I can say is: I rest my case… What’s not to love? I visited http://www.hangintherejack.com about Jack’s being hit by a bus and his subsequent recovery. I know it may…

Am I the only one that loves Jack in the Box commercials?

I just read Dave’s Dispatch about the impact of tipping on guest traffic at full service restaurants, suggesting that traffic is declining because guests are avoiding tipping. I think it goes to the broader question of VALUE.

Last week while running errands, I visited Steak ‘n Shake for the first time in months, inextricably drawn by the promise of an ice-cold chocolate milkshake on a hot summer’s day. While pulling up to pay, I noticed a sign on the drive-thru window that offered fresh-baked chocolate chip cookies.