Franchising’s Weekly Rewind

As you celebrate this glorious July 4^th holiday weekend, may your night skies be filled with fireworks, your grill overflow with bratwurst and your inbox be empty.

Here are some of the major headlines from the wide-wide world of franchising that you may have missed over the past week. Bad for Grocers, Good for Restaurants? As the news for grocery stores worsens with regard to the cost of the myriad products they offer consumers, is it possible that restaurants may not be as badly affected. In a story it reported earlier this week, CNBC suggests that could be the case – modestly, anyway. Why? How? Read on to connect the dots. (CNBC) Speaking of Prices, How Do You Know When to Raise Them? The National Restaurant Association weighed in this week with insights on how and when to implement price increases in the wake of rising food costs. For franchisees that have some flexibility with regard to pricing that may be going it alone, this article offers some compact insights that should, at least, get you thinking about your options. (NRA) Mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm-mmm… Out of Bankruptcy Sub purveyor Quiznos successfully exited bankruptcy this week, restructuring debt that was somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 million. (The Wichita Eagle) Ice, Ice, Baby Enterprise Rent-A-Car, whose visions for global expansion are broad, has landed in Iceland. The international franchise rental car brand is banking on Iceland’s growing tourism business as a key to future success. (Fleet News) All Eyes on the Order-Ahead Progress at McDonald’s Whenever McDonald’s does anything, the entire restaurant industry has to take a look and pay it some attention. The refinement of thinking around order-ahead is starting to occur, and McDonald’s has been intriguingly open about its progress. The pilot, being conducted at a few dozen stores in the Southeast, now seems focused on convincing the customer that ordering ahead doesn’t mean arriving to a cold, greasy bag. Pretty cool infographic when you click through the link to the Bloomberg story. (Businessweek) Oyster Bar Concept Seeks to Take Shuckin’ to a Bigger Stage Off to a solid start, signing two franchisees in its first month, Wilmington, N.C.-based Shuckin’ Shack has ambitions to keep the momentum rolling. (Wilmington Biz) On Leadership: Choosing a mentor The complexity and fluidity of the franchising industry can leave anyone grasping for answers from time to time. So finding a mentor is a good play. But how do you do it? Entrepreneur came through this past week with five tips for making the right choice – focusing specifically on startups. Check it out: (Entrepreneur) Eadon back in the game at Farmer Boys Longtime industry player Karen Eadon, formerly with Mimi’s Café, has stepped into a new role as chief marketing officer at Farmer Boys. The 77-unit chain focuses on breakfast and burgers and operates primarily in Southern California and Nevada. (NRN) Taco Bell Cozies Up to the Vid Kids… Know your audience, right? Taco Bell knows who loves its food more than any other demographic – young adults. So it would seem reasonable for them to continue to create innovative ways to buddy up to these Millenials and, gulp, Post-Millenials in an attempt to solidify the relationship between the people and the people’s choice for Chalupas. This time, it’s all about video technology. (AdWeek) … And Denny’s Goes After the Gen-Xers Know your audience, right? Wait, where have I read that before? Anyway, Denny’s is taking its own approach to connecting with its fans. It’s approach? Reintroducing three well-known and much-loved Atari classics on its app. No quarters required. (AdAge)