fast food

Three Business Models the $38 Billion Newspaper Industry Could Copy

Dan Macsai — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

1. The HBO Model

"TV got better," says The Wire creator David Simon, after HBO and Showtime started offering complex characters and provocative storylines worth paying for. Newspapers, he says, should also charge for premium, exclusive content -- instead of reprinting AP stories -- so that reporters can "stay on a beat long enough [to acquire better] information."

Fox, Burger King Eagerly Court the Meathead Demo

Cliff Kuang — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 14:38:08 -0400

This past Sunday, during Fox's pregame coverage of the Dallas Cowboys game, the network teamed up with Burger King to produce this awful, unfunny cartoon:

Rising Dough: Why Panera Bread Is on a Roll

Kate Rockwood — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Mention Panera Bread and fans are as likely to praise the free Wi-Fi as they are to gush about the Asiago cheese bagels. And that, execs at the $2.6 billion restaurant chain say, is the point. While its competitors scale back on upscale ingredients, trim portion sizes, and create value menus, Panera is selling fresh food and warm bread at full price, and encouraging customers to linger. That recipe is succeeding.

Fast Food and Bicyclists: Two Peas in a Pod?

Ariel Schwartz — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 14:08:30 -0400

It seems like the ultimate contradiction--a presumably environmentally-conscious bike rider in Portland, Oregon gets riled up because she can't go through a local fast food chain's drive-through window on her two-wheeled ride. She gets so riled up, in fact, that she fires off an angry tweet and writes a letter on her blog about the whole experience.

Slow Food: The Restaurant Biz Is Floundering

Zachary Wilson — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:16:59 -0400

"Hey Mom, what's for dinner?"

"Whatever we have in the house."

"Again?"

Burger King's Struggling. Is Their Ad Agency to Blame?

Cliff Kuang — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 09:40:56 -0400

Is the bizarro King overdue for a dethroning? That's the contention of The Atlantic's business blogger, Derek Thompson. Citing the fact that Burger King has increasingly lost ground to McDonald's and Wendy's since the advent of Crispin's surreal "King" marketing campaign, Thompson concludes that ad push isn't working:

The Sizzling Secrets of In-N-Out Burger: Q&A With Stacy Perman

Dan Macsai — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 17:12:08 -0400

At most fast-food chains, ordering a "Double Double Animal Style" would earn you a sideways glance and an awkward conversation. Not so at California-based In-N-Out Burger, where "secret" menu offerings and bizarre code names--in this case, denoting two burger patties with extra spread and fried mustard (yum!)--are only half the fun.

McDonald's Moves Closer to Pesticide-Free French Fries

Ariel Schwartz — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 15:02:45 -0400

McDonald's french fries are crunchy, delightfully salty, and covered in pesticides. That last point may not be true for much longer now that the company has agreed to survey and promote best practices in potato pesticide use reduction. McDonald's Corp., the largest purchaser of potatoes in the U.S., will disclose its findings to shareholders and in its annual corporate social responsibility report.

Fast Food Ads = Fat Children?

Saabira Chaudhuri — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:56:35 -0500

A causal relationship between fast food ads on TV and obesity rates in children has been established. This according to a study conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, which revealed that a fast food TV ban for children's programming would reduce obesity rates by 14-18%, with effects being more pronounced for males and younger children.