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It has been a long two years in the restaurant industry, and at CKE Restaurants Ned Lyerly has been in charge of the company’s two brands, Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s, during that time Both had their challenges during the pandemic. Carl’s Jr. has a large presence in urban areas of Southern California, which were hard hit by high infection rates and occupancy restrictions. Hardee’s, with restaurants mostly in suburban areas of the Midwest and Southeast, had a different problem: Some 48% of their sales normally occur during breakfast, and that daypart was hammered as consumers’ work and school patterns changed. But Carl’s Jr. customers moved their purchasing to the chain’s suburban locations and Hardee’s customers spent more money during lunch and dinner, meaning that both chains have seen same-store sales increases throughout the pandemic. In this podcast, Lyerly discusses how the chains have adjusted during his tenure. He also provides details about their new line of chicken products, their global center of excellence, plans for doubling their number of overseas locations from 1,000 to 2,000, strategies for domestic growth beyond the nearly 3,000 units currently in operation, and what’s in story for Carl’s Jr.’s 80th anniversary on July 17. Connect with us Our website: http://NRN.com Facebook: @RestaurantNews Twitter: @NRNonline LinkedIn:@NRNonline Instagram: @NRNonline Youtube: @NationsRestaurantNews ...
This week, the NRN editors took to the show floor at CREATE: The future of food service to share their thoughts on the event thus far. This episode was recorded on Day 2 of CREATE and editors Leigh Anne Zinsmeister, Holly Petre and Sam Oches spoke about recent talks by foodservice professionals including one from Dr. James Pogue on diversity in the workplace. Plus, editor Lisa Jennings speaks with Josh Kern, chief marketing officer for SPB Hospitality which recently completed the acquisition of J. Alexander’s. Jennings and Kern discuss the growth plan for the parent company including future acquisitions as well as the hot topic of the year – virtual brands. ...
Quinn Adkins has been Culver’s director of menu development for the past six years, overseeing the creation of menu items such as the award-winning Pretzel Haus Pub Burger and other items popular with guests and franchisees alike, such as the pretzel bites that recently were made permanent additions to the menu because they’re easy to make and also contribute to incremental sales — both important factors at all times, but particularly during a pandemic. He also introduced a veggie burger made with actual plants rather than the meat analogs that he says are now so ubiquitous that a restaurant can no longer distinguish itself by using them. Frozen custard is another signature item at the 800-unit chain based in Prairie du Sac, Wis., and customers are known to make U-turns when they see signs alerting them that their favorite custard is the “Flavor of the Day.” Adkins has introduced two new custard flavors this year, but he did it without adding new SKUs by taking ingredients the opeartors had and blending them in different combinations. The chef recently discussed those innovations with Nation’s Restaurant News, and also hinted at what might be coming in the future, such as a vegan entrée that isn’t a salad. ...
