Daytime TV doyenne Ellen DeGeneres started writing a blog earlier this year to help those who are trying to transition to a meat-free diet. It looks like she’ll be able to make a good restaurant recommendation soon.

Showbiz Spy reports that the comedian-turned-talkshow host and her wife, actress Portia de Rossi, along with Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders fame and producer Steve Bing are all investing in a new vegan restaurant that will open in California’s San Fernando Valley.Continue reading...

This time of year, the bloom is off the rose of football tailgating, so to speak. The golden tinge of early fall in many stadium parking lots already has turned to the dreary drenchings of mid-autumn. Many teams have losing records, and fan enthusiasm is more difficult to come by. And, yes, many tailgaters are sick of yet another 11 a.m. serving of slow-cooked chili consumed out of a styrofoam boal with a side of warm beer.

Take heart! at least in the 10 southeastern states where it does business, Bojangles Restaurants is coming to the rescue! The chain's new Big Bo Box combination special, priced at $19.99, is a box that conveniently holds various large meal combinations including chicken, biscuits, "fixin's" and even iced tea. With a handy handle for transport, the Big Bo Box can rescue many a tailgate party — or meals at the office or at home.Continue reading...

Southeastern burger chain Krystal is planning to supersize itself. The organization should be sold by the end of the year and then the plan is for it to double in size in the next five years to 760 locations, according to the Chattanooga Times Free Press. 

"We're halfway through the [sale] process," said CEO Fred Exum, the Times Free Press reports. "The plan is to complete the process by the end of the year."

Exum said that the 79-year-old chain has been modernizing and moving stores to more profitable spots for a few years now, the paper notes.Continue reading...

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen may have its home base thousands of miles away, but don’t think that’s going to stop it from taking over as much of California — specifically, Southern California — as it can.

Restaurant News reports that the 39-year-old Louisiana-based fried chicken fast food restaurants “has launched an aggressive growth plan to increase its presence in Southern California.”

To that end, according to Popeyes' own press release, it's “seeking bold, passionate multi-unit operators to invest in new restaurants in Los Angeles and San Diego.”

Restaurant News notes that the company’s dollar share of the chicken quick-serve restaurant business is at a 10-year peak in the US. To help ease fears of potential franchisees, Popeyes is hosting two seminars this month in L.A. and San Diego.Continue reading...

McDonald’s pulled in more than $24 billion in revenue in 2010, but it is always looking to sell more Big Macs. The company is introducing a new in-store television channel in California that will spread nationwide if it succeeds, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Restaurants with the channel will have large-screen televisions that are visible from 70 percent of the seats, airing content that is “customized to specific communities around the individual restaurants, and will include local news and entertainment features, such as spotlights on upcoming films, albums and TV shows,” the Times reports.Continue reading...

Back in January, Fast Company posed the question: "Does Legal Seafood's Blacklisted Fish Dinner Offer Reel Truth or Mere Press Bait?" 

Fast-forward to the US restaurant chain's latest ad campaign, which wins praise from Adrants because, "We love this new campaign for Legal Sea Food. Why? Because it slaps upside the head all the tree-hugging, animal-loving cause groups who spend their days complaining about stuff when, instead, they could be at Legal Seafoods devouring succulent crab, salmon or trout."

It’s one for Marketing 101 case studies, raising a debate about ads that mimic PSA’s; ads skewering environmental messages; ads of just plain questionable taste; and a restaurant brand that thumbs its nose at all three camps.Continue reading...

Friendly Ice Cream Corp., which operates a chain of Friendly's restaurants primarily in the northeast US, has filed for bankruptcy.

This comes as no surprise to me. In August 2010, I wrote about my experience at a Friendly's restaurant during which, it seemed, time stood still. I was heartened to learn at the time that the slow-serving restaurants were to be revitalized. Part of the plan was to open smaller "Friendly Express" locations.

But now instead of expanding, Friendly's is closing 63 locations, keeping 424 restaurants running as it restructures. In a statement, CEO Harsha V. Agadi said, "We have made a lot of progress, but our company continued to face significant financial challenges. This was exacerbated by the weak economy and rapidly rising commodity costs that have impacted the entire restaurant industry."

True, restaurants have taken a hit in the recession, but some have managed to reinvent themselves. Not so with Friendly's.Continue reading...

In January it will have been ten years since the passing of Wendy's founder Dave Thomas. Without him, Wendy's has gone back and forth in its campaigns, looking for the grounding and homey heritage that Thomas brought the brand.

Now Wendy's is reaching into its history to push a burger named after its well-liked pitch man. This campaign is a meal deal, served with a side of even more of its past. But going on its 12th quarter of flat or lower revenue at its restaurants, will the new sell of an old brand be enough to make the burger a hit?Continue reading...