Buckhead Life to open
revamped Pano’s in fall
ATLAN TA — Buckhead Life Restaurant Group said it plans to open
its new Pano's restaurant in November in the St. Regis hotel here.
The company described the new
restaurant as an upscale-casual
version of Pano’s & Paul’s, Buckhead Life's fine-dining flagship
that will close Feb. 28 as a result of
a lease termination. Pano's &
Paul's, which opened in 1979, was
the brainchild of Buckhead Life
founder and chief executive Pano
Karatassos and his former partner, Paul Albrecht.
A spokeswoman for Buckhead
Life said Karatassos is still
searching for an executive chef for
Pano's, which will seat 90. However, she said Karatassos' son, who
also is named Pano and is the company’s corporate executive chef,
will be “very involved” in kitchen
operations at the restaurant.
In addition to opening Pano’s,
Buckhead Life also is planning to
open Balon Rouge, a brasserie.
Pano's & Paul's executive chef Gary
Donlick has been tapped to lead the
kitchen of the new restaurant.
Study: Consumers
dining out even less
FARMINGTON HILLS, MICH. — The
recession is forcing consumers
to cut back even more on dining out, particularly at higher-end restaurants, according to a
new survey. The study by market research firm Morpace Inc.
found that 48 percent of U.S.
consumers are eating out less
often now than they did about
six months ago, when the economy began its tailspin.
“By last September, more
than one-third of consumers had reduced restaurant dining — but now it’s
almost half the population,” said Kirsten Denyes, vice president of retail
services at Morpace.
The Morpace Omnibus survey involved 1,010 consumers selected
from an Internet panel of adults. The participants were asked about various restaurant categories and if they were eating at each type more, less
or about the same amount compared to six months ago.
“All restaurant categories share the pain,” Denyes said. “But higher-priced restaurants may be hurt more.”
About half the patrons of upscale restaurants like Morton’s and
Ruth’s Chris, and midscale venues like P.F. Chang’s and California Pizza
Kitchen, are dining there less now than six months ago. The pullback is
slightly less severe at fast-casual restaurants such as Panera Bread,
Pizza Hut and Qdoba, and at casual restaurants like Applebee’s, Olive
Garden and Chili’s.
Fast-food chains, such as McDonald’s, KFC and Taco Bell are faring
best, the study indicated, as consumers appear to be trading down to
lower-price restaurants. However, Denyes said one-third of customers
have even cut back on their fast-food visits.
Deals menu features nine regular
menu items that customers can
combine for a set price: two items
for $3, three for $4, or four for $5.
The menu includes a cheeseburger, a hot dog, a new chicken
wrap, French fries, onion rings, a
side salad, a medium beverage, a
small soft-serve sundae and a soft-serve cone. The deal will be available at 2,323 restaurants in the
United States and 400 in Canada,
Dairy Queen said.
The Sweet Deals value menu
has been tested in certain markets since 2007, and the company
said it already accounts for 7 percent of sales in restaurants in
which it has been implemented.
Company officials said they expected the new deal to add between 2 percent and 3 percent to
same-store sales. Dairy Queen
said it would support the Sweet
Deals rollout with national advertising in March and May.
for all new A&W Restaurants going forward, officials said.
Louisville, Ky.-based Yum! Brands
Inc. franchises 1,012 A&W units
in the United States, although
about 650 are co-branded with the
franchisor’s other concepts, such
as KFC, Taco Bell and Long John
Silver’s.
A recent survey of diners found
that many have cut back drastically
on eating out, especially at high-end restaurants like Morton’s.
Cold Stone, Tim Hortons
expand co-brand test
SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ. — Cold Stone
Creamery and Tim Hortons said
the two chains would expand their
A&W to roll out new
‘Three D’ prototype
Qdoba cuts chicken
combo prices 20 percent
WHEAT RIDGE, COLO. — Qdoba
Mexican Grill, the 470-plus-unit
fast-casual chain
based here, has
dropped the price of
its chicken entrées
nearly 20 percent
when they are purchased in combination with a drink,
chips and salsa. The new chicken
combo meal will be available for
$6.99, a price lower than if customers ordered any of the chicken
burritos, quesadillas, tacos, salads
or other chicken dishes separately,
the company said. The average
cost of a Qdoba chicken entrée,
regular drink and side of chips
and salsa is $8.70, so customers
will save, on average, $1.71 with
the reduced-price chicken meal.
Select Qdoba restaurants also will
offer for $1.99 a drink, chips and
salsa or queso when purchased in
combination with any entrée.
Qdoba executives said they are
hoping the lower pricing will entice penny-pinching Americans to
come into the restaurants for
combo meals, rather than making
their own lunches at home. Qdoba
is owned by San Diego-based Jack
in the Box Inc.
bill will allow smoking in private
clubs or in establishments that
build properly enclosed, ventilated
rooms for their smoking patrons.
Local reports indicate the bill will
go before the House for a vote this
month and is expected to pass.
Though smoking bans in Virginia
have been proposed several times
in recent years, they repeatedly
were defeated. Smoking in bars
and restaurants in the neighboring
District of Columbia was banned
in 2006 and in Maryland in 2007.
LOUISVILLE, KY. — A&W Restaurants said this month it would introduce for rollout a new prototype
that for the first time combines a
drive-in and a drive-thru with a
dine-in restaurant. The prototype,
called the “Three D” experience,
was tested in five locations by
franchisees in Wisconsin last year.
Though company officials would
not release sales figures, they said
they were very pleased with the
prototype’s performance.
Franchisees are planning to
open another 15 such locations
this year, mostly in Wisconsin,
Michigan and Oregon, and the
new prototype will be the format
Virginia smoking ban
moves forward in House
RICHMOND, VA. — Virginia, a state
known for some 300 years as a primary grower of tobacco, is poised to
ban smoking in restaurants after
the governor and House leaders
reached a compromise. A revised
Dairy Queen to introduce
‘Sweet Deals’ value menu
MINNEAPOLIS — Dairy Queen said
it is rolling out its first permanent
value menu, set to be available
systemwide March 1. The Sweet
months-old test of co-branded
stores to as many as 50 units by
this spring. The chains recently co-branded in two Tim Hortons locations in Rhode Island with successful early results, officials said.
An additional co-branded location
was set to open in Ohio in early
February.
Cold Stone Creamery is owned
by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Kahala
Corp., and Tim Hortons is operated and franchised by Tim Hortons Inc. of Oakville, Ontario.
Existing Cold Stone Creamery
and Tim Hortons locations in
Michigan, western New York,
Ohio, Rhode Island, Maine and
Connecticut will be identified as
possible co-branded locations and
then reconfigured to offer both
brand’s menu items. Cold Stone
Creamery operates more than
1,450 locations worldwide. Tim
Hortons has about 3,300 restaurants in Canada and the United
States.
