Food & Food Equipment News

Bringg Announces Panera Bread as Latest Customer of Logistics Platform

Bringg has started rolling-out its customer-centric delivery platform across the Panera Bread network of bakery-cafes. Bringg's customer-centric logistics platform helps Panera U.S. bakery-cafes maintain control and visibility over their expanding delivery offering.

With the Bringg platform, at Panera:

• Bakery-cafes can use a single web-based or mobile dashboard to dispatch orders, manage drivers and track them in real time, as well as set up alerts for specific events, create reports for performance optimization, and much more.
• Drivers have everything they need to ensure the perfect delivery right on their mobile phone, including the ability to manage their tasks, navigate to their next destination and communicate with customers
• Customers can enjoy a delightful experience that keeps them coming back for more.  Seamlessly integrated into the Panera Ecommerce Ordering Experience, guests can now follow the driver in real-time, communicate with them, and rate them after receiving their order. 

"As we introduce Panera delivery to markets across the country, we are delighted to add Bringg's solution to our forward-looking technology arsenal," said Dan Wegiel, Senior Vice President, Panera to You. "In our real-time era, fast, timely and personalized delivery services are a must-have for consumers, and Bringg helps to make that possible."

"We are very proud to add Panera Bread to the growing list of innovative brands using our platform," added Lior Sion, Chief Technology Officer at Bringg. "Our main goal is to enable our customers to provide their employees with optimal operational processes, help their drivers ensure accurate deliveries, and offer their end-customers excellent real-time experiences."

Chili's Invests in To-Go Business With Enhancements to Online Ordering Platform

Chili's^® Grill & Bar is partnering with Olo to power its online ordering platform and build an infrastructure for future capabilities. This partnership is a strategic investment in Chili's to-go business and will support future growth through an improved digital experience for guests using their smartphones, tablets or PCs to order online.

In summer 2016, Chili's will implement Olo's online ordering platform, which provides fast and secure digital ordering and seamlessly integrates with current operations and systems. Olo's industry-leading technology brings new, innovative features that will allow for pre-order, group order and payment flexibility.

"To-go ordering is the fastest growing part of our business," said Wade Allen, Vice President of Digital Innovation and Customer Engagement for Chili's Grill & Bar. "This investment in technology for online ordering is a clear opportunity for further growth and lays a foundation for us to add new features that will continue to deliver a digital guest experience like no other in the casual dining industry." 

Once the new platform is launched, 4.3 million members of Chili's growing loyalty program, My Chili's Rewards, will have the flexibility of paying for to-go orders with loyalty points through the Chili's app or www.chilistogo.com. Whether dining in restaurant or grabbing Chili's favorites to go, guests will control how and when they redeem loyalty points, coupons and gift cards.

"Consumers continue to spend more of the 'food dollar' at restaurants that can provide them convenient and delicious meals to fit their busy lifestyles," said Noah Glass, Founder & CEO of Olo. "We're thrilled to work with Chili's in expanding their digital hospitality and capabilities."

Chili's approach to technology innovation is simple – build an infrastructure and keep the digital guest experience at its core. Starting in 2013, Chili's revolutionized the casual dining industry with the introduction of Ziosk^® tabletop tablets, now on more than 70,000 Chili's restaurant tables nationwide. In 2015, the brand launched a state-of-the-art loyalty program, My Chili's Rewards, which leverages technology, personalization and gamification to make earning and redeeming points more engaging than ever before. This year, Chili's has set its sights to introduce a new era for online ordering.

Dinova: Corporations Spending More at Restaurants

Overall restaurant spending by its corporate clients grew 3.3 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2015, enhancing restaurant revenue and traffic across the U.S., according to Dinova, a network connecting restaurants and corporations. Dinova's corporate clients recorded 4.1 percent more dining transactions in the second quarter, a positive figure that helped counteract negative overall traffic trends. According to TDn2K's Black Box Intelligence Report, overall transient restaurant traffic dropped 1.7 percent in the second quarter.   

Dinova's clients, which include more than one-third of America's highest-travel-spending companies, spend $3 billion on catering and dining annually. So far this year, Dinova has added more than 40 large corporations and hundreds of smaller companies – which cumulatively spend more than $500 million on dining every year - to its client roster. Dinova's nationwide restaurant network includes more than 12,000 independent and chain restaurants, encompassing all price levels and cuisines.

New projections shared by the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA) Foundation support this trend identified by Dinova's statistical analysis of sales reports. Revised GBTA data projects overall U.S. corporate travel expenditures to jump nearly five percent over 2014 totals, surpassing $300 billion. Looking farther ahead, GBTA anticipates 2016 corporate spend increasing 5.4 percent to$319 billion.

Restaurant owners should also be enthused by GBTA's revised corporate group travel outlook, which sees group trip volume growing nearly one percent this year and leaping more than three percent in 2016. "Economic fundamentals remain strong," said GBTA executive director Michael McCormick. "Business travel will continue to have positive momentum as we move toward 2016."

New Mobile App for Restaurant Analytics

HotSchedules®, provider of cloud-based technology for the restaurant and hospitality industries, has just launched HotSchedules Reveal, the most comprehensive mobile app for restaurant analytics. Combining data from a myriad of sources, including POS systems, HotSchedules and any other in-store, above-store and near-store sources, Reveal makes KPI's on sales, transactions, inventory, labor, social media, weather and more all available natively on a smartphone, tablet or browser. Reveal will help restaurant managers understand their performance in real-time and take action when it matters most.

Food and labor are a restaurant's largest cost centers, but until now, managers didn't have the ability to track and react to these variables in real-time. Restaurants could lose revenue for weeks or months because they lacked visibility into their performance. Existing solutions were simply too expensive for most restaurants, provided very limited data, were difficult to use and were not comprehensive. Consequently, restaurants couldn't identify problem areas or determine when and where to invest in new opportunities.

HotSchedules Reveal was designed to remove these blind spots so that restaurants can increase sales, reduce operational costs and seize opportunities. Reveal delivers a restaurant's key performance indicators (KPIs) all in one mobile app so that managers, owners and franchise operators can make data-driven decisions on-the-fly, across all their stores.   

Out of the box, HotSchedules Reveal delivers unique KPIs spanning all areas of restaurant operations. Users can look at current and historical performance data on a daily, weekly or monthly scale, and even drop down to 15-minute intervals for play-by-play detail. HotSchedules Reveal supports multiple languages and currencies, and the app is fully extensible, meaning users can add custom KPIs or data sources to the application without needing to wait for product updates or changes. HotSchedules Reveal currently supports data from Aloha and Compris POS systems and will expand to a broad range of POS vendors.

For restaurant managers, the potential use cases are extensive. For example, a restaurant owner might notice a dip in sales over a one week period and investigate what caused it. Perhaps speed of service declined because the restaurant staffed too few workers at peak hours, which, in turn, elicited below average Yelp reviews. Likewise, a manager might see that the sales average per person has dropped and trace it to unexpectedly high demand for a promotional menu item. Overall, the app is designed to help restaurant leaders see problems, investigate immediately and take action.      

The Big Onion Tavern Group, based in Chicago, Illinois, is one of HotSchedules Reveal's early adopters. Michael Sean Nickerson, Director of Operations, said, "HotSchedules Reveal is a real game-changer. It opens the proverbial kimono on our stores' performance - both the good and the bad - which means we can take meaningful action either way."

Sastry Penumarthy, Vice President, Platform Business Development for HotSchedules, said, "HotSchedules Reveal was built with empathy for restaurant owners and managers who are constantly on the move, need instant insights at their fingertips, but can't stop to fiddle with a desktop computer. Built on the Bodhi platform, HotSchedules Reveal instantly delivers all of a restaurant's KPIs in the palm of their hand. It's the only mobile-first analytics service in the industry, and we expect it to become an indispensable app for restaurant leaders."  

Track Domino's Pizza on Your Pebble Smartwatch

 When Domino's Pizza launched its fan-favorite Domino's Tracker^® app nearly seven years ago, smartwatch technology was likely never a part of the plan. It is now.

The pizza tracker, which allows customers to trace their order from the time it is taken, baked and out for delivery, will now be available on a new innovative platform: Pebble. This marks the first time that Domino's Tracker has been available on any smartwatch device. 

Pebble Technology Corp. of Palo Alto, California, debuted its first smartwatch, Pebble, on Kickstarter in 2012, which remains one of the most successful crowd-funding campaigns to date. The company introduced a premium model, Pebble Steel, in January of this year.

"Partnering with Pebble makes perfect sense for our brand, as we continue to innovate and reinvent the ways Domino's and technology can interact," said Kevin Vasconi, Domino's Pizza Chief Information Officer. "Pebble's story of beginning as a self-starter with a great idea completely aligns with the values of the Domino's brand – and we are proud to have such a shared entrepreneurial passion for the pursuit of innovation."

Offering such features as notifications and apps, Pebble hosts an app store with over 4,000 applications – including one for Domino's. By loading the app on your watch, and synching with the Domino's mobile app for either iPhone^® or Android^™, Domino's Trackerupdates and notifications will show up directly on your watch in real time.

"We're thrilled to be the first smartwatch to partner with Domino's and help bring their beloved tracker experience to the wrist," said Shobeir Shobeiri of Pebble's business development team. "We designed Pebble to mesh seamlessly into your life, and the Domino's Tracker app is a natural addition to our growing appstore."

Domino's Tracker on Pebble is available for use beginning today, along with the Domino's mobile app for Android and iPhone. More information can be found at http://pbl.io/dominos.

New $43 Million Wild Turkey Facility Sparks Jobs And Revenue For Commonwealth Of Kentucky

After a seven year hiatus, bottling of one of the most iconic whiskey brands in the world has flown home. Gruppo Campari (Reuters CPRI.MI - Bloomberg CPR IM) today celebrated the grand opening of its US$43 million Packaging Facility at the famous Wild Turkey® Distillery in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky. Commonwealth of Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and Gruppo Campari CEO Bob Kunze-Concewitz joined Wild Turkey Master Distiller Jimmy Russell to commemorate the opening of the new facility with help from local dignitaries and distillery employees. The Packaging Facility is part of a US$100 million overall investment that the company has made in facility upgrades during a three year time span.

"Kentucky's Bourbon industry has been growing at a rapid pace, with production of our native spirit up more than 120 percent in the last decade and 5 million barrels currently aging in the Commonwealth," said Gov. Beshear. "The significant investment Gruppo Campari has made at the Wild Turkey Distillery, including the $43 million Packaging Facility, will not only help grow that number through worldwide expansion of the Bourbon category, but will also create valuable jobs for the people of our great Commonwealth."

While creating more than sixty new jobs in the area, the facility provides full bottling and packaging capabilities for all of Gruppo Campari's U.S.-distilled spirits brands, including the Wild Turkey Bourbon line and the company's largest U.S.-based brand – SKYY^® Vodka. Both immediate and long-term benefits of the new facility include cost efficiencies; improved customer service; more efficient and accelerated innovation opportunities; and added production flexibility through in-sourcing the company's packaging needs.

With more than 145,000 square-feet of space, the Wild Turkey Packaging Facility will initially handle up to four million nine-liter cases of product annually, but has the design capability and capacity to support Gruppo Campari's North American packaging platform well into the future.  The new Facility immediately addresses the growth of Wild Turkey, Wild Turkey American Honey^®, Wild Turkey Spiced^®, Wild Turkey Kentucky Spirit, Russell's Reserve^®, Rare Breed^® Bourbon, and SKYY Vodka domestically and around the globe.

"After a seven year absence, we are pleased to bring packaging capabilities back to the Wild Turkey Distillery for two of Gruppo Campari's biggest and fastest growing brands," said Bob Kunze-Concewitz, CEO of Gruppo Campari. "By owning the full production process for all of our Wild Turkey brands, we can be more nimble in meeting the growing worldwide demand for not only Wild Turkey, but also SKYY Vodka. We thank the Commonwealth of Kentucky for its cooperation in bringing this facility to life."

Since purchasing the brand in 2009, Gruppo Campari has made significant financial commitments to the distillery's operations and its employees that have surpassed more than US$100 million. In 2011, the Company unveiled a US$50 million expansion at the distillery, more than doubling the plant's production capabilities.  This was coupled with the opening of multiple new barrel warehouses over the past several years. In 2014, Wild Turkey will open a new state-of-the-art Visitor Center.

Firefly Moonshine: Outshining Expectations

In less than six months since its launch, Firefly Moonshines have been making bright impressions with bartenders and fans across the country. But there's no place like home that tells the story better. 

The folks at the Firefly Distillery have been working overtime to keep up with the local demand and their tasting room has never been busier. Jim Irvin, Distillery co-founder explains, "Our distillery is in the backwoods on Wadmalaw Island, SC. Lots of visitors come out here and we're used to making them feel welcome. With the new Firefly Moonshine, we have more people coming out to see us than ever before, and I have to make sure we have enough Moonshine to serve everybody. I've had to add another bottling line and hire 10 new workers to keep up."

Charleston, SC is a leading year-round tourist destination with the Firefly Distillery being one of the most popular attractions. The visitors' experience includes a stop in the tasting room where the new Firefly Moonshine is showcased. Those of legal drinking age may purchase six  
1/4-ounce samples (not to exceed 1.5 ounces) for $6. They can pick and choose among all of the distillery offerings, including their specialty products. Out of all the Firefly Moonshine flavors offered, Apple Pie is the best seller.

Distillery co-founder Scott Newitt adds, "We expected our visitors to be curious and excited about our Moonshines because Firefly has become a well-known and trusted brand. At 100.7 proof, the Firefly White Lightning really appeals to those who are looking for a more 'rustic' drinking experience but there are flavors too." Scott adds, "Most people tell us they like to drink moonshine straight out of the jar but with our variety, folks also mix it up their own way. I've met bartenders out here that use it instead of tequila in margaritas and they use the flavored moonshines just like a fruit - or citrus-based liqueur or schnapps. The flavors are so crisp and clear you can add it to just about anything and it tastes great."

An emerging favorite is the chilled Firefly Caramel Apple shot – 1/2 shot of Firefly Caramel Moonshine mixed with a 1/2 shot of Firefly Apple Pie Moonshine. Or try the Lightning Ball: 1/2 shot of Firefly White Lightning and 1/2 shot of Fireball Cinnamon Whisky. Both are easy to make and easy to drink. Firefly Cherry Moonshine Coke™ is easy too. Just add a shot of Firefly Cherry Moonshine to a Coke™.  

Firefly Moonshine is available nationwide at major liquor retailers and several national restaurant chains. For more information on where to buy Firefly Moonshine, visit our website. You can also post your pictures, recipes and comments on our web and social media sites and look for "insider info" on:  www.Fireflymoonshine.com, www.facebook.com/fireflymoonshine or www.twitter.com/TheFireflyShine

Best Wine Cooler, Ice Cube Makers, and Ranges Announced by 10rate

For the perfect meal, there are two main elements: the food itself, and the drink to accompany the meal. 10rate editors have reviewed and rated cooktops, gas ranges, electric ranges, wine coolers, and ice makers based on a spread of criteria in order to find the absolute best units. 

Brittany Rowland looked at cooktops first. Cooktops don't include all the features of a full range, and depending on the size and setup of a kitchen, they can be the best way to go. Heading up the Top 10 Cooktop Reviews list is the Bosch NGM8054UC. This cooktop received a rating of 9 and the Best Quality editor's choice award. Brittany said, "this Bosch gas cooktop has five sealed burners for multi-purpose cooking. Whether you need to bring water to a boil quickly or let a sauce simmer at a low, even temperature, you can do it on these stainless steel burners. Cleaning up is easy, too."

Brittany also covered the Top 10 lists for electric and gas ranges. Ranges include many more features than cooktops, because ovens are included in the units. The Whirlpool GGG390LX heads up the Gas Range Reviews list with its "double oven and a plethora of features to make cooking and baking easier. With two ovens, you can bake more dishes at the same time and at different temperatures. Only the lower oven has convection baking," Brittany said. On the electric side of things, the Electrolux EI30EF55GS received a rating of 9.5 and an editor's choice award. Due to its stylish design, Brittany chose this to top the Best Electric Ranges.

With the right wine cooler, a delicious meal can be completed with a perfectly chilled glass of wine. The Wine Cooler Ratings list shows the Vinotemp VT-48TEDS as the best on the market. The "durable construction and sheer size make this Vinotemp wine cooler a great purchase for any wine collector looking to spruce up his bar or kitchen. The racks are made of a solid wood for extra strength and elegance."

For those not drinking wine, but cocktails, having ice cubes ready and available is a necessity. 10rate.com's Ice Makers Reviews list has the EdgeStar IB650SS at the top with a rating of 9 out of 10 and the Best Quality award. Editors chose this model because the "stainless steel front is topped by a black slide-up lid that lets you scoop out ice easily. The ice maker works either as a built-in or a freestanding unit. We were impressed by the LED controls and the ability to adjust the thickness of the bullet-shaped ice cubes." 

Rational Customers are Satisfied

Rational, German manufacturer of the SelfCookingCenter^® whitefficiency^®, CombiMaster® Plus, and other kitchen equipment, belongs to the five percent of companies that enjoy the highest level of customer satisfaction in the world. This was shown by a recent study by the market research institute, TNS Infratest. The market leader for professional cooking appliances has almost double the number of satisfied customers than the average for companies within the industry.  

TNS Infratest surveyed almost 1,000 Rational customers in Europe and North America earlier this year. 83 percent of them are very satisfied with Rational that they would not only immediately purchase more products, but would also recommend them to colleagues any time. The average for companies within the industry is 47 percent.  

With a satisfaction index of 99, Rational leaves the entire processing industry far behind, which gets an average of 72 index points. Above all, Rational received top marks for the quality and performance of its units. Customers rated the products produced by the manufacturer as reliable, durable, and efficient.  

92 percent of those surveyed also believed that Rational units offer maximum benefits. In Germany, this figure was 98 percent. "We are very delighted with this result and this motivates us to continue developing our products, aiming for maximum customer benefits," says Dr. Günter Blaschke, Chairman of the Board of Rational AG.  

With this strategy, the company has continuously been setting new performance standards for 40 years. "As for customer service, we will not let anyone outdo us," adds Dr. Blaschke.  

Register today to attend a Rational CookingLive event in your area at www.rational-online.us or by calling 888-320-7274.

Innovative iPad App Brings New Life to Operators' Business

Sugar Foods elevates innovative toppings platform with a new, powerful iPad app created to help foodservice operators build their business through interactive tools and expert selling techniques. The Sugar Foods SFC Toppings app works to uniquely engage its users while providing menu trends and research points supported with ideas and insights on how culinary toppings can grow sales and optimize profit margins.

For both operators and sellers, information at fingertips, mobility and constant connectivity are increasingly prevalent and sought after. The new SFC Toppings app allows easy navigation through each topping category-- tortilla strips, wonton strips, crispy onions, artisan croutons, croutons, dried fruits, culinary nuts and to-go toppings packets-- to locate desired content and learn new, useful insights.

Through the use of “edutainment,” the SFC Toppings app keeps users entertained and learning at the same time. Each of the eight Sugar Foods toppings product lines are represented by a hero character whose menu applications and product attributes are communicated through humor. In the app, users will meet Wendy Wonton, who touts how a 12-cent serving of wonton strips can drive up the menu value of a salad by $1.69, and Terry Tortilla, who discusses the correlation between the growth of tortilla strips and tortilla soup on menus to the capture of an additional 50 cents profit per order by adding tortilla strips.

 SFC Toppings also offers one- to two-minute videos with powerful research points that show how easy it is to turn pennies into dollars of profit — just by adding toppings to a menu item. Supporting documents are available print-ready and include operator information, distributor information, sell sheets, product specifications and nutritionals, and coupon savings. 

 The SFC Toppings app is currently available on an iPad with iOS 5.1 or later and can be downloaded for free at: SFC Toppings App. For more information about Sugar Foods toppings product lines, please visit toppings.sugarfoods.com.