Business

Starbucks To Help Pinkberry Achieve Global Frozen Yogurt Domination

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 29th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Pinkberry frozen yogurt Photo: 1derbread Media, Flickr

If you have plans to vacation in Britain, Turkey, Morocco, and the Philippines this year, you might just find a tart, cold reminder of home. By the end of 2011, Pinkberry is planning to to be in 17 different international markets, according to Nation's Restaurant News.

The chain currently has 122 outposts in eight countries, and hopes to gain 30 more international locations (this in addition to more U.S. outposts). Part of the success of Pinkberry's growth is attributed to Starbucks, as many of its international franchisees also operate Starbucks locations. Moreover, Starbucks' president and CEO Howard Schultz sits on Pinkberry's board.

"Consumer brands have to look at the landscape through a global lens, as opposed to the domestic lens that Starbucks started from 40 years ago," Schultz told Business Week. Although Pinkberry has plenty of competition in the U.S. market--Cold Stone Creamery is adding froyo to its line this spring and Red Mango has plans to nearly double its domestic stores--there is less competition in the worldwide arena, explains Business Week. In fact, Pinkberry's highest-volume store is in Kuwait.

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Government Wants Companies to Limit Marketing to Kids

COMMENTS 4

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 28th 2011 @ 4:00PM

Photo: Paul Sakuma / AP Photo

Is the federal government about to put Tony the Tiger out of a job?

In the face of a national epidemic of childhood obesity, a collection of federal agencies has been working for two years now to come up with a set of voluntary guidelines that would restrict what foods can be marketed to kids. Food companies and marketing groups rejected a set of proposed guidelines last year, and the government has repeatedly postponed releasing new ones.

But as the Associated Press reports, the feds may finally pull the trigger as soon as today. Apparently, the AP reporter got a sneak peek at the new guidelines and writes that "companies would be urged to only market foods to children ages 2 through 17 if they are low in fats, sugars and sodium and contain specified healthy ingredients."

Filed under: Business, Food News

Walmart Testing Online Grocery Service

COMMENTS 2

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 25th 2011 @ 2:30PM

Wal-Mart Photo: Robyn Beck, AFP / Getty Images

As rumored ealier this month, Walmart has begun test marketing Walmart To Go, its online grocery delivery service, in San Jose, California. In an effort to compete with the likes of Peapod, Fresh Direct and Amazon Fresh, Walmart To Go is offering aggressive pricing with delivery charges that start at five dollars, reports the New York Times. Products include "fresh produce, meat and seafood, frozen, bakery, baby, over-the-counter pharmacy, household supplies and health and beauty items."

The prices are impressive. The New York Times found that a 64-ounce carton of Horizon milk was $3.50 on Walmart's site, versus $3.99 from Peapod and $4.29 on Fresh Direct. Similarly, 16 ounces of celery was only $1.98 at Walmart, with Peapod charging $3.29 and Fresh Direct $3.49. There are trade-offs, though. Customers can't always choose the number of items for purchase -- fruits like oranges and lemons are only available in large bags.

Douglas McIntyre of Daily Finance is wary of the move, warning that it may cost the retailer impulse purchases of other items. "Walmart may pick up a new category of customers with home-delivered groceries. But it risks losing one of its best ways of luring people into its stores to buy things other than groceries," he says. The New York Times also points out that online delivery is a tough business, citing the high-profile bust of dot-com giant Webvan in 2001, among others.

But don't count them out. Walmart has size on its side: they're the biggest grocer in the country, with about 33 percent of the United States market share.

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Details Emerge About ShopHouse, Chipotle's New Chain

COMMENTS 13

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 13th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Chipotle and Shophouse Kitchen Photo: Chipotle Mexican Grill

Chipotle fans who've come to love the chain's whole "fast-food made fresh" approach will soon be able to satisfy their on-the-go cravings with more than just burritos. May we introduce ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen.

As Slashfood reported last year, the restaurant world has been abuzz with rumors about what Chiptole founder Steve Ells was going to tackle next. News leaked out that Ells was thinking of going Asian -- but that was pretty much all anyone knew.

Now Nation's Restaurant News offers up the inside scoop on the new concept. And, basically, it seems like it's more or less Chipotle -- but serving up noodles and rice instead of rice and beans. Customers will move along the line customizing their meals, and execs confirmed that the pricing would be about the same.

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Want it Fresh? Try a Coffee CSA

COMMENTS 0

by Kristine Hansen, Posted Apr 11th 2011 @ 12:00PM

coffee csa from Ethiopia Photo: YouTube

Sustainable-minded eaters already know where to score the best and freshest produce: from a farm's Consumer Supported Agriculture (CSA) program. Subscribers receive a weekly or twice-monthly "share" of just-picked greens, squash, berries -- you name it. Recently, similar models have sprung up for seafood, honey, dairy and flowers.

Coffee, however, is the antithesis of this feel-good model. Several middlemen work the long, arduous route between the coffee farm to your personal coffee brewer, which is several thousand miles and usually across continents. Typically, buyers import beans in their non-roasted form from a cooperative of coffee farmers, and then sell them to you -- roasted -- via a cafe or a grocer. By the time those beans are roasted and retailed, a lot of time has passed. And it's rare you know anything about the farm on which they were harvested.

Today, a new coffee CSA (it's actually called Coffee CSA) debuts as a project from Pachamama, a global cooperative of coffee farms. Though there are some small coffee CSAs around the U.S., the scale of this project is much larger. Each month, Coffee CSA subscribers receive a delivery of just-roasted coffee beans sourced from independent family-owned farms around the world. Not only do you know the farm's name, you have access to photos, videos and stories from the farmers, putting serious street cred into your morning cup of joe.

You can also request to receive email updates from the farm family, allowing you to get to know more about their lifestyle and livelihood. About 140,000 small-scale farmers in Peru, Nicaragua, Mexico, Ethiopia and Guatemala are linked with the project, and they work on farms ranging from one to 10 acres. All are certified-organic and Fair Trade certified too.

And since the beans arrive on your doorstep, you'll always have an early morning cup of joe at your fingertips.

Filed under: Business, Food News

Diamond Foods Buys Pringles for $2.3 Billion

COMMENTS 0

by Jason Best, Posted Apr 6th 2011 @ 3:00PM

Pringles Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

How many Pringles does $2.35 billion buy you? Apparently, all of them.

Like the slogan says, it seems like once to folks at Diamond Foods popped open a can, they just couldn't stop until they'd gobbled up the whole darn brand. The company is acquiring Pringles from its previous owner, Procter & Gamble.

As P&G's hometown paper, the Cincinnati Enquirer, reports, the American mega-company that's home to a variety of household name brands has lost its appetite for the food business over the years. Whereas it was once home to a range of grocery-store icons, from Duncan Hines and Jif to Folgers and Sunny Delight, P&G has sold off all of them, opting instead to focus on its less-than-edible brands, like cleaning products and toothpaste.

By selling Pringles, P&G takes itself out of the food business altogether.

Filed under: Business, Food News

Ronald McDonald Returns to Commercials

COMMENTS 43

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 4th 2011 @ 1:00PM

Ronald McDonald Happy Meals commercial Photo: McDonald's HappyMeal

Apparently, the reports of his death were greatly exaggerated -- Ronald McDonald, the red-haired clown that's been the (silent) mouthpiece of the Golden Arches for 48 years, is back in a new ad campaign for the chain.

Ronald will star in several new commercials for Happy Meals. The spots direct kids to a HappyMeal.com website, reports Nation's Restaurant News. The site is basically another commercial -- kids are supposed to upload pictures of themselves for videos called "Ronaldgrams." (The idea is for the children to email the videos to their friends.)

Kids may like it, but the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Corporate Accountability International don't -- the two groups have been after McDonald's for years about marketing directly to young consumers. "Plain and simple, if McDonald's were truly concerned about 'parental choice and control,' they'd market their offerings directly to parents, not children," Lapidus said to NRN.

What do you think? Are you glad to have the clown back in your life?

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Sbarro to File for Bankruptcy

COMMENTS 3

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Apr 1st 2011 @ 1:00PM

Sbarro pizza restaurant Photo: Gelatobaby, Flickr

You've likely had a slice of their pizza in a mall or airport somewhere in America, but fast-food pizza chain Sbarro is in trouble. The company has fallen behind on its debt payments and plans to file for bankruptcy, reports The Wall Street Journal.

The recession and online shopping has cut numbers at the malls, meaning fewer customers for the chain, and the WSJ reports the company lost about $29.3 million during the first nine months of last year.

No one we know is really wild for the heat-lamp-warmed pies, but if you're feeling nostalgic, the WSJ has a fun timeline of the company (turns out the chain actually began as an Italian grocery store in 1956) so you can get all of the cheesy details.

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

Olive Garden Gets A Makeover

COMMENTS 81

by Bill Sertl, Posted Mar 31st 2011 @ 1:00PM

Photo: Olive Garden

Unlimited breadsticks are great...but will they taste better in a Tuscan farmhouse setting?

According to Nation's Restaurant News, Olive Garden, the Italian chain known more for huge portions than upscale decor, is in the process of testing some "enhancement" in some of the older outposts. The chain has more than 730 locations in the U.S, but they're starting the remodel with a handful of outposts in Texas.

The new look? The company is calling it "Via Tuscany." Can't picture it? Think of that picturesque farmhouse in every golden-hued Hollywood flick about Italy. Brick, Cypress trees, upgraded seating, new window treatments, decorative shelving lined with painted plates and pottery -- what your Italian grandmother would design if she had a money to throw around.

Want to see before and after shots?

Filed under: Business, Chain Stores / Restaurants

What Does Anheuser-Busch's Purchase of Goose Island Mean for Beer Drinkers?

COMMENTS 0

by Slashfood Editor, Posted Mar 30th 2011 @ 11:00AM

Goose Island Brewery bought by Anheuser-Busch Photo: Scott Olson / Getty Images

You've probably heard that Anheuser-Busch is purchasing Chicago-based Goose Island Brewery for around $39 million. Most of us who like craft beer are happy about the acquisition, since it means the beer will reach more parts of the country, but some industry insiders are concerned that it might mean a decline in quality for the brand. Ben Worcester of The Huffington Post breaks down what the purchase means for beer fans -- and for both companies.

Read the full story at The Huffington Post.

Filed under: Business, Drinks