Restaurant News Roundup: October 2017

October was filled with plenty of newsworthy restaurant industry topics. It was hard to narrow it down to just a few but we think you’ll enjoy our choices. Below is a recap of restaurant news that hit the wire in October.

Restaurant’s Q3 Traffic Worsens, but Hopeful Signs Emerge

The third quarter of this year shows the restaurant industry’s second-weakest sales period in five years, according to TDn2K research. Traffic fell during the July-through-September period by 4.1% but industry experts are optimistic about the results. “Hurricanes Harvey and Irma affected millions of people in two of the country’s largest economies during the quarter.” While the isolated events were devastating, other states improved their restaurant sales. Could the results not be as worrisome as they appear? Read the full story here.

5 Technology Trends to Know

Four out of five diners believe technology improves their restaurant experience. But with so many different types of technologies out there, it can be confusing for operators to know where they should invest their money. QSR Magazine surveyed several operators and industry experts to uncover five technologies that are disrupting the restaurant industry. To stay competitive, restaurateurs are implementing marketing, order and delivery, kitchen automation, inventory tracking and management tools to their business mix. Read the full story here.

Amazon Will Soon Let You Order from Restaurants Using the Amazon App on Your Phone

Starting in November Amazon users in select states will be able to order take-out from local restaurants directly through the Amazon app. Participating restaurants will be available for customers through the app, allowing them to place their order and checkout with stores payment information. Participating states include New York, Massachusetts, Seattle, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Washington D.C. Read the full story here.

Carla Hall on Six Lessons Learned from her Failed NYC Restaurant

TV star, Carla Hall, who has been featured on Top Chef, The Chew and the Emmy Award-winning culinary variety show on ABC found out the hard way that fame doesn’t always mean success when it comes to opening up your own restaurant. Her fast-casual joint Carla Hall’s Southern Kitchen closed within a year of opening despite her success in raising money, marketing and branding. During her keynote address at MURFSO, Hall examined the reasons why her concept failed and the lessons she learned along the way. Read the full story here.

KFC is only Following 11 People on Twitter for a Totally Genius Reason

KFC’s Twitter strategy is genius. Last week, Twitter user @edgette22 noticed that KFC’s official account only follows 11 people. The user thought it was odd that the fast-food chain was highly selective about who it follows on the social outlet, so he dug a little deeper. He noticed that KFC follows the five former members of the Spice Girls, and six men named Herb. “11 Herbs & Spices, I need time to process this,” the tweeter wrote. KFC has long marketed its chicken as the product of a secret recipe with “11 herbs and spices”. This small move sparked a movement on twitter. Read the full story here.

Convenience Trend Forces Restaurants to Disrupt Before Being Disrupted

While consumers are still going out to eat at restaurants, they are also demanding quick convenience options as well. “Options like meal-subscription boxes, supermarket meal kits, c-stores with upscale grab and go offerings have capitalized on the need for speed – all at the expense of the restaurant patronage.” Data compiled by NRN indicates that restaurant traffic is down and industry experts ask – how much of this can be attributed to the restaurant industry’s new competitor? Read the full article here to learn how to stay ahead of the disruption. Subscribe to the blog for more interesting restaurant content!

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About the Author

Chrisea Chosta is QSR’s Product Marketing Manager. Chrisea graduated from Western Kentucky University and works to launch new product initiatives and develops product resources. In her spare time, you can find her spending time with family, her chocolate and black labs, and aimlessly walking down every aisle of Target.