NRN's - TechnologyFri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTAsk Phillip “Phil” Crawford about the most outlandish proposal of his technology career, and the Yard House Restaurants chief information officer leaves you slack-jawed with a tale about one that was put to him, as opposed to one he cooked up.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=384490&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTOff the clock, Todd Michaud chronicles his “journey of going from an overweight IT executive to an iron-man” at the IronGeek.me blog. But even triathlon training must seem less challenging at times than his team’s job of supporting about 1,600 foodservice locations—nearly all franchised—across the Carvel, Cinnabon, Moe’s Southwest Grill and Schlotzsky’s Deli chains.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=384158&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTInformation technology executives should consider their evolving businesses when hiring, molding or managing workers, and act on lessons learned during the recession, prominent researchers recommend.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=383798&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTPizza Hut has introduced a new website aimed at making online ordering easier and said it expects to hit $2 billion in online sales by the end of the year.Ron Rugglesshttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=382280&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTAlbert Gonzalez, the mastermind of payment card data thefts from Boston Market and Dave &amp; Buster’s and a participant in the hack of a credit transaction processor serving thousands of restaurants, has been sentenced to two 20-year prison terms, the U.S. Justice Department said.Alan J. Liddlehttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=381348&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMT<p>With the advent of smart-phone apps, enhanced mobile websites and scannable 2-D bar codes, marketers can easily get overwhelmed trying to keep up. But restaurants don’t always have to chase the next big thing in mobile marketing to succeed, operators and experts say. Many, in fact, praise the simplicity and high return on investment of text coupons, the understated workhorse of mobile advertising.</p>Mark Brandauhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=380918&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMT<p>Social media isn’t just for fun anymore, as restaurant companies are starting to tap Twitter, Facebook, foursquare, Yelp and others for everything from battling a competitor’s advertising in real time to improving in-house customer relationship processes. See a video clip of leading restaurant CIOs discussing the latest uses of social media.</p>Alan J. Liddlehttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=380428&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTNation’s Restaurant News and Robert N. Grimes of Accuvia have released FSTEC version 3.0, featuring a foodservice industry-leading education program developed in conjunction with new conference research partner Forrester Research Inc., an independent technology market research firm.http://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=377130&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTEntrepreneurs always are looking for the next million-dollar idea, but restaurateur Michael Attias got his idea for a new business from a million dollars.MARK BRANDAUhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=374858&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTTalk about seeing your business through the customer’s eyes.MARK BRANDAUhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=373838&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTMultiunit Wendy’s franchisee FourCrown Inc. has installed multimedia and event-centered messaging capabilities to suggestively sell products storewide, officials said. The company recently augmented the in-restaurant digital menu and presale marketing boards at its Woodbury, Minn., unit with similar devices in the drive-thru.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=372780&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTBecks Prime, in an effort to more easily update information and more quickly inform new customers about the quality of its food and depth of its menu, has been using digital menu and marketing boards at its Meyerland Plaza restaurant here since March.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=372778&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMT<p>Looking to help reverse negative visitor traffic trends in this famous gambling and dining destination, Hard Rock International on Saturday opened its second Sin City branch – a three-level, 42,000-square-foot “cafe,” complete with 950 dining seats, a 1,000-chair concert hall and three guest-facing interactive technologies.</p>Alan J. Liddlehttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=372426&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMT<p>Burgerville said Monday it is testing at a unit here technology that calculates the nutritional metrics of individual orders, customized or standard, and prints them on receipts.</p>Alan J. Liddlehttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=371720&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTA man arrested last year for allegedly stealing credit and debit card data from the Dave &amp; Buster's chain on Monday was named in a federal indictment accusing him of illegally gathering information tied to more than 130 million cards, including those handled by Heartland Payment Systems, a processor that serves an estimated 60,000 restaurants.Alan J. Liddlehttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=371466&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTThe appropriateness of remotely hosting point-of-sale system software for multiple locations and relying on centralized storage for restaurant-level-transaction data has been a point of contention within the industry for years.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=370932&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTNorth American consumers are embracing more self-service devices for ordering food, shopping checkout, ticketing and other uses, but some quick-service restaurant owners still have qualms about deploying such technology, researchers say.ALAN LIDDLEhttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=369968&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTA new mobile-marketing tool in use in several central Indiana restaurants is changing the way operators promote specials to customers. The tool, called Tetherball, is a nickel-sized radio-frequency identification, or RFID, tag that sticks to the back of a mobile phone and simplifies the redemption of offers sent by text message.STEVE COOMEShttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=369090&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTThere are plenty of technologies to weigh during the course of Paul Valle’s workday, both sexy and straightforward. But Valle, Papa Gino’s Holdings Corp. chief information officer, knows that he can’t get distracted as he walks the tightrope dividing his department’s IT vision and overall corporate considerations, such as the cost of investing in new information tools and the need for a demonstrable return on investment.JULIE RITZER ROSShttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=367918&menu_id=1398Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:48:06 GMTMoe’s Southwest Grill franchisee Neil Solomon was tired of being ripped off by customers redeeming counterfeit paper loyalty cards at his Altamonte Springs, Fla., outlet. So, in an effort to address the problem, he turned to a program built around text-messaging applications and handheld devices at the point of sale.JULIE RITZER ROSShttp://www.nrn.com/article.aspx?id=366946&menu_id=1398