Free Republic

BRIDGING a gap in the market between fast-food joints and full-service restaurants, fast-casual chains such as Shake Shack, Nando’s chicken restaurants and Chipotle Mexican Grill are enjoying success across the world. The combined sales of American fast-casual outlets rose by 10.5% last year, compared with 6.1% for fast-food chains, according to Mintel, a market-research firm. There are four main reasons why these outlets have been winning customers. First, they promise “fresh” food, meaning at the very least not frozen. Chipotle also says it uses, where possible, meat from animals raised without hormones or antibiotics, and organic and locally grown vegetables....

Amid a tumultuous past year for McDonald's, the world's biggest restaurant chain's CEO Don Thompson is retiring after two years on the job, effective March 1. The fast food is also getting a new CFO. The restaurant's Senior Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer Steve Easterbrook will replace Thompson, who is a 25-year veteran of the company, the company announced on Wednesday. Previously, Easterbrook served as president of McDonald's Europe and led the chain's "efforts to elevate its marketing, advance menu innovation, and create an infrastructure for its digital initiatives," it said in a release. The company's CFO Pete...

Venezuelans not 'lovin' it' as McDonald's fries go scarce CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan fast-food lovers are mourning the disappearance of McDonald's golden staple: the french fry. A recent shortage at the U.S. fast food chain comes as socialist Venezuela grapples with shortfalls of basic goods ranging from medicines to flour due to strict currency controls that stymie imports. McDonald's restaurants are coping by replacing the spuds with salad or local fare such as fried yuca or "arepa" corn pancakes - but Golden Arches fans are none too happy about the new meal. "Hamburgers don't go with arepas and this salad...

For people who dislike and misunderstand capitalism (or free markets, or laissez-faire, or economic liberalism, or whatever you want to call it), the governing principle of market competition is the “Walmart effect.” According to this model of how the economy works — a model with very little basis in reality, but never mind that — big companies such as Walmart muscle into a market or a territory, use advantages of scale and predatory pricing (“predatory” here meaning “saving consumers money at the expense of relatively well-off business owners”) to drive out so-called mom-and-pop operations, lower workers’ wages, and then...

It turns out that people aren't eating as many McHamburgers as they used to, which is a big problem if your business is all about slinging meat. So McDonald's is hoping the novelty of its "Create Your Taste" ordering kiosks will lure some customers back in. The machines will be installed in 2,000 of its US outlets by the end of 2015.

Police in Iowa say they arrested a man Tuesday after he used a McDonald’s McChicken sandwich to assault his pregnant wife. According to the Des Moines Register, 21-year-old Marvin Tramaine Hill told police that he threw the McChicken sandwich at his wife “because he doesn’t like them.”

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has approved Idaho-based J.R. Simplot Co.'s new genetically modified potato. But one of the company's oldest business partners — McDonald's — hasn't. The fast-food giant says it doesn't use genetically modified potatoes, the Idaho Statesman reported. "McDonald's USA does not source GMO potatoes, nor do we have current plans to change our sourcing practices," the company said in a statement.

Two Philly women were upset when they missed the breakfast cutoff at a local McDonalds. The women tore up the place and beat a patron with a broomstick. (Warning on Language and Violence)video at page Having crawled out of bed just a bit too late, two women were recently caught on tape throwing a super-sized adult hissy-fit because they’d been told that they missed the McDonald’s breakfast time. When a man stepped in to tell the woman to relax, they went berserk. As reported by My Fox Philadelphia, the incident took place in a Philadelphia McDonald’s, where an onlooker decided...

"With or without help from Congress, I'm not done making real change for the American people," the president wrote in a new email, just three days after a similar email from the Democratic National Committee.

The days of indecision and miscommunication in the drive-through lane of a fast-food restaurant could be long gone. Taco Bell recently launched an app that enables customer to order and pay for it straight from a smartphone. “It gives customers control. They don’t want to talk to people all the time,” Taco Bell chief marketing officer Chris Brandt tells Fast Company. And the app allows for more creativity in what to order. “The app offers unlimited menu customization options,” reports Eater. “Users can, for the first time, build their own unique creations using dozens of ingredients.” …

Likened to 'packing foam' and 'gray IKEA furniture' the McDonald's McRib patty came under scrutiny last year after one was photographed on the production line minus sauce and pickles. But now the fast food giant is hoping to get people 'lovin" its seasonal treat again by showing exactly how the boneless, preformed morsel is made. A new behind-the-scenes video takes viewers inside the Lopez Foods production facility in Oklahoma City where giant chunks of pork are ground down - no packing foam in sight.

Next time you eat out at a fancy restaurant, don't be surprised if, at the end of your meal, you spot an unfamiliar item on your tab — a surcharge to pay for Obamacare. Diners at high-end restaurants such as Melisse, AOC, and a dozen others in the Los Angeles and San Francisco areas have noticed a 3 percent surcharge for employee healthcare tacked on to their bills, and the Los Angeles Times reports that some of the customers are none too happy about it. One diner complained in an online blog, "It's basically management saying 'Obamacare made me do...

Ideas. Am I cursing my future children to a life of being social outcasts because mommy wants to feed them green smoothies? Right now, there are at least a handful of people who I KNOW will never babysit my imaginary, yet-to-be born child. As far as they’re concerned, my baby will be more under wraps than “Blanket” Jackson was. Yes, I want nothing more than to have a full stock of potential babysitters, but sometimes these people—my friends—say things that make me get the Scooby Doo face. “Your kids ain’t gon have any friends!” “I’m going to feed your kids...

McDonald's just expanded a test for burgers that are 100% customizable. The brand hopes the strategy, which is currently in four restaurants in San Diego, California, could help attract a younger crowd and revive lagging sales. Many analysts believe that the customization will soon become widespread at McDonald's and allow it to better compete with fast-casual competitors like Chipotle. Chipotle is largely successful because the ingredients for its burritos, bowls, tacos, and salads are entirely selected by customers, who increasingly crave tailored options and high-quality ingredients. Dominique Zamora at Foodbeast tried out the process, which also has elements of fast-casual...

<p>The Atlanta-based business plans restaurants in Brookfield, Danbury, Enfield and Wallingford.</p> <p>The Brookfield location will be the first Chick-fil-A in the state when it opens in mid-September, said the owner, Devon Scanlon.</p> <p>The venue will seat 109 and offer outdoor seating and a drive-thru. Customers will have access to free Wi-Fi and an indoor play area for children.</p>

Conveyor Belt Sushi, Japan A dining concept that lets you pick from a wide range of one of Japan's best-known foods. NOTE: Click on the referenced link to watch the video. P.S. This technology will doom the SEIU/$15.00 minimum wage movement.

"MCDonalds Mcdonalds, can't you see...Seven-forty is not for me..." The chant, recited through a megaphone, was being led by a man identifed as a Christian Pastor ("Reverend Charles" we'll call him), near a McDonalds restaurant in Detroit last week. Dozens of people in the parking lot uttered the chant with him, as the crowd sought to malign McDonalds restaurants while at the same time demanding a $15.00 per hour wage. "They want fifteen, they want a union, they want to be organized" Pastor Charles told the tv news crews. "The McDonalds corporation should allow that to happen immediately." The illogic...

Want robots at McDonald's? Hike minimum wage: Zell Matthew J. Belvedere | @Matt_Belvedere Wednesday, 3 Sep 2014 Video Federal and state efforts to increase the minimum wage are misguided and pose serious risks to the economy and the job market, billionaire Sam Zell told CNBC on Wednesday. "The tinkering with the minimum wage is a very dangerous game," the chairman of Equity Group Investments said in a "Squawk Box" interview. "You start talking about a $13 or a $15 minimum wage, and you're going to have robots that are operating McDonald's."

Three things fast food workers should do with the “extra” money you’ll get if the national minimum wage is raised from $7.25 to $15 per hour. For argument sake, let’s call the average minimum wage $7.85 to account for California, New York, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Nevada, Ohio, Illinois and Florida, all of whom have something in the neighborhood of $8 (give or take).  Socialist enclaves of Oregon, Washington, Vermont, and Connecticut are in the $9 range, with Washington the winner at $9.32. Let’s also set the number of hours per week at 30 for the average burger-flipper or fry...

Police detained Rep. Gwen Moore, who was participating in a protest by fast food workers pressing for an increase in the minimum wage, according to news reports. Moore was picketing along with protesters outside of a restaurant in West Milwaukee. WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) reported that arrests were made at the event. The nonprofit group Wisconsin Jobs Now tweeted a photo of Moore apparently being handcuffed. WISN-TV (Channel 12) reported Moore was detained.