NORTHLAND'S FAVORITE HITS » restaurant

Obama's Favorite Burger Restaurant Closes Two Locations

Steve Tanko — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 06:00:21 +0000

It’s possible that Barack Obama might start to develop a complex – what with nose-diving approval ratings, a crumbling economy, international scandal, and now – his favorite D.C. burger joint is closing. Ray’s Hell-Burger and its sister restaurant, Ray’s Hell-Burger Too, are closing their doors forever, Washingtonian reported Wednesday. The cult-followed burger joints, helmed by [...]

Fish McBites Join Chicken Nuggets On McDonalds Menu For Lent

Steve Tanko — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 17:59:57 +0000

Just in time for Lent, McDonalds is adding a new option to their menu! Fish McBites join Chicken Nuggets on the Happy Meal menu – tailored towards kids and adults who are looking for fish options during the lead-up to Easter. The world’s largest burger chain is rolling out what it said is its first [...]

Rethink the Way You Eat Chinese Takeout

Steve Tanko — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 18:28:44 +0000

Okay, so this has been making the rounds on the web for the last day or so - and as the resident "foodie", I thought I would pass it along to you. A new story online suggests that we've all been eating Chinese takeout the wrong way; The blog suggests that instead of eating our food out of those deep containers, we should "unfold" the paper vessel to create a make-shift plate - with a larger surface area.

Obamacare Equals Reduced Hours For Some Wendy's Employees

Steve Tanko — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 17:39:03 +0000

Apparently they weren’t empty threats. When The Obama administration pushed for the passage of the Affordable Health Care Act, some of the nations largest employers said that the costs associated with the new mandate would force them into reducing hours, a cut-back on hiring, or worse. As these companies now start to face the affects [...]

Olive Garden And Red Lobster Owner Darden Continues To Underperform

Steve Tanko — Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:46:34 +0000

Revamped menus and marketing didn’t help Florida-based Darden Restaurants boost their sales in the most-recent quarter. The parent company of Red Lobster, Olive Garden, and Longhorn Steakhouse posted numbers that were even lower than analysts had forecasted. Earnings excluding items fell to $33.6 million, or 26 cents a share, from $53.7 million, or 40 cents [...]

Holiday Warmth Turns Ugly At A Denny's Restaurant In Texas

Steve Tanko — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 17:32:45 +0000

Police are investigating an incident that happened at a San Antonio, Texas Denny’s restaurant. Apparently an angry customer set an in-restaurant Christmas Tree on fire. No customers were injured and there wasn’t major damage to the business, but police continue to investigate the incident. KABB Fox San Antonio :: Top Stories – Christmas Tree [...]

Fast Food Wars: Taco Bell Ups The Ante With New Options

Steve Tanko — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 21:09:30 +0000

The age-old adage in business is to “get big or get out” – and it appears that Taco Bell subscribes to that theory. The fast-food chain is rolling out new menu options aimed at targeting outside of their usual customer demographics. [T]he Irvine-based chain [is getting ready to] aunch XXL Steak Nachos, which it calls [...]

Restaurant Industry Battles Cell Phone Use by Customers

Steve Tanko — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 14:44:33 +0000

I think we’ve all been there. You go to a nice restaurant for a relaxing meal – and the person at the table next to you is talking on their cell phone. Or texting. Or snapping pictures and updating their Facebook account. Although not quite a united front, restaurant owners have been responding to complaints [...]

Wendy's Updates Logo To Match Restaurant Upgrades; Company Hopes To Ignite Long-Term Growth

Steve Tanko — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 18:48:04 +0000

No, the pigtails aren’t going anywhere. But the “Wendy’s experience” is about to change – company officials hope for the better. March 2013 will see a new, updated logo for the company – the first since the chain opened in 1969. Gone will be the red block letters against a yellow background. In their place [...]

Mc-TV Is Coming: McDonalds Launches In-Restaurant TV Network

Steve Tanko — Thu, 27 Sep 2012 14:47:46 +0000

It's a growing trend. First it was at the airport - where travelers were subjected to watching the airlines in-house television network. Then, the proprietary channels started showing up at gas pumps, where drivers could get news updates and information on small screens that were built right into the pumps themselves. Now, it appears that the world's largest fast food restaurant is getting into the game as McDonalds gets ready to launch their own in-restaurant television network.

McDonalds To Start Putting Calorie Counts In Lights

Steve Tanko — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:32:40 +0000

In a move towards further nutritional disclosure, United States locations of McDonalds restaurants are getting ready to display the calorie count of their menu items in lights – making it easier for customers to know exactly what they are ordering and eating. At the present, McDonalds locations list nutritional information elsewhere – off the main [...]

New Food Trend: Standing Restaurants

Steve Tanko — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 13:13:23 +0000

It’s standing room only at the trendiest restaurants in Tokyo – and that’s by design! The latest food trend in Tokyo is gourmet restaurants where customers stand to eat their meal, and industry experts predict that it’s only a matter of time before they start to appear in the United States. While stand-up-style restaurants aren’t [...]

Mandatory Tips Part Of The Experience At Vermont Restaurant

Steve Tanko — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 17:44:46 +0000

It's a divisive issue. Once upon a time, tipping was a way to show your appreciation for good customer service from an employee. Whether it was at the restaurant, the hair salon, or even a taxi ride - it was up to the customer to decide if and how much of a tip was left.

Then, busines

Domino's Drops Pizza From Their Name, Changes Their Logo, And Invites Customers To Watch

Steve Tanko — Thu, 16 Aug 2012 05:00:02 +0000

Domino’s is changing the way they do business. In an effort to re-energize the company, Domino’s altering their logo, dropping the word “pizza” from their name. They’re also hoping to evolve from a delivery chain to a restaurant that invites customers to come in and watch the pizzas being made. Domino’s eateries will begin to [...]

Denny's Opens Wedding Chapel In Las Vegas

Steve Tanko — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:40:23 +0000

Breakfast is served 24-7 and now you can also get a side of “married” with those eggs! Denny’s is opening a wedding chapel in Las Vegas. Officials admit that they don’t expect to host a lot of weddings at the restaurant. But, it IS a unique marketing tool. Denny’s wedding chapel to open in [...]

McDonalds Profits Falter For The First Time Since 2003

Steve Tanko — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:58:39 +0000

They made it through the recession seemingly unscathed. During the most-recent economic downtown, McDonalds enjoyed plenty of black ink while their rivals saw red. Now it seems that the tables might be turning. McDonald’s Corp. says a key revenue figure came in flat in July, its worst showing in more than nine years, as diners [...]

Applebees Tries New Marketing Route With Inflatable Dolls As Workplace Decoys

Steve Tanko — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 14:56:03 +0000

I guess you have to grant them some credit – Applebees is trying a unique marketing ploy to drum up lunchtime business. For $6.99, office workers can buy an inflatable doll to “stand in” for them while they leave the building to have lunch at Applebees. Interested customers can find the product for sale on [...]

Food Trucks Okayed In Windy City

Steve Tanko — Thu, 26 Jul 2012 14:05:42 +0000

The other day I left the office for lunch to run errands and was surprised to see a food truck in downtown Duluth. Wondering if the lunch-on-the-run fad was making it’s was to the Northland, I finally put two and two together to realize it was there for the farmers market. I did make notice, [...]

Oregon Rescinds Regulation To Make Restaurant Workers Wear Gloves

Steve Tanko — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 13:27:38 +0000

The gloves are off – once again – at Oregon restaurants. Regulators had passed a law that would require all food service employees to wear gloves when preparing a meal. Now, following heavy protests from employees and customers alike, they’ve rescinded the ruling. At the heart of the regulation was safety. Legislators ruled that the [...]

Olive Garden's Parent Company Buys Competing Chain

Steve Tanko — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 15:21:52 +0000

Following what appeared to be a bleak business year for Darden Restaurants – the parent-company of Olive Garden and Red Lobster, things seem to be looking up. Darden Restaurants announced the agreement to purchase the Yard House chain for $585 million dollars in cash. The chain, which was launched in 1996, now has 39 restaurants [...]