Alan Liddle
- Educational Event Content Developer and Moderator, Inform and Present
California
Journalist/Moderator/Podcaster/Webinar-Educational Program Coach. 12/84-11/20: Nation's Restaurant News. Daily/weekly news. Mail: inform-and-present@comcast.net
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Articles by Alan Liddle
Breakfast that Travels: Building Menu Items That Travel & Hold Well for On-the-Walk/Run/Drive occasions
Breakfast is no longer confined to the table. As consumers fit breakfast into commutes, workdays and other on-the-go occasions, operators have an opportunity to build menu items that deliver the flavor and satisfaction guests expect while holding up beyond the kitchen. This webinar will explore how to design travel-ready breakfast, from recipe construction and moisture control to packaging and hold time, with practical examples using familiar breakfast favorites.
Before It Hits the P&L: A Playbook for Controlling Food Cost
Rising costs are squeezing restaurant margins, and there's only so much menu prices can absorb. The real fix is catching problems before they ever reach the P&L. In this session, Restaurant365 will be joined by Cirrus Consulting to break down what operations and accounting teams must do individually and together to control food cost. This includes what needs to happen at the store level to produce clean, trustworthy data, and how to put that data to work once it reaches the back office.
From Turnover to Tenure: How One McDonald’s Franchisee Changed the Game
Turnover costs money. Financial stress impacts performance. For McDonald's franchise operators, both are constant pressures. In this Meet the Client webinar, DailyPay client and McDonald’s owner and operator Kevin Lilly of Lilly Enterprises, Inc. shares how offering on-demand pay transformed employee retention, morale, and day-to-day operations at his franchise locations. Walk away with a real-world playbook built for the QSR floor.
Key Insights From European Promotional Retail Operations
September 22, 2026 at 2 p.m. ET / 11 a.m. PT Join Matthias Noël and Chris Van Buskirk as they feature key perspectives from their work with major European retailers like Carrefour, Auchan and E.Leclerc. European retailers, widely recognized in America as sources of promotional innovation and operational excellence, offer unique insights into the directions US retailers may want to take in the coming years.
Cash Out, Tech In: Enhancing the Back Office for the AI Era
Date: Jun 30, 2026 Time: 2:00 pm EDT Duration: 1 Hr AI is dominating the restaurant tech conversation but for most operators, the more pressing transformation is happening one layer below the hype. Cash is declining at the table, manager hours are getting eaten by manual reconciliation and bank runs, and a younger workforce expects same‑day digital access to their earnings.
A Wake Up Call for Decision-Makers: New Data on Hourly Restaurant Workers
Date: Jun 18, 2026 Time: 2:00 pm EDT Duration: 1 Hr The restaurant industry has long relied on the resilience, adaptability, and dedication of hourly workers. From front-of-house staff to kitchen line teams, these employees serve as the backbone of daily operations and the face of the guest experience. Yet beneath these critical contributions are a mounting layer of financial strain that cannot be ignored.
Moments That Matter: Boosting Customer Satisfaction Across Every Occasion
Today’s consumers make countless decisions about where, what, and when to eat and their satisfaction at every step determines whether they come back. This webinar will equip foodservice operators with actionable strategies to understand customer needs, enhance the dining experience, and deliver satisfaction across the three key foodservice occasions: • Inspiring the spontaneous occasion: How to capture attention, spark interest, and convert impulse decisions into delightful experiences.
Modernizing Business License Management In Restaurant and Food Service Operations
What you don’t know about business licenses can cost you. Restaurant operators face growing complexity in managing business licenses across multiple states, counties, and cities. From health permits and food handler certifications to liquor licenses and local business registrations, requirements vary by jurisdiction and often change without notice. Failure to maintain active, accurate licenses can lead to fines, operational disruption, reputational risk, and potential store closures.
Reimagining Restaurant Success with the Power of AI
AI is set to transform how organizations operate, innovate, and compete. In today’s fast-changing environment, staying competitive requires greater speed and intelligence. The restaurant industry is at a pivotal moment as AI-driven technology redefines operations, customer engagement, and profitability. AI is moving beyond hype to deliver real results for restaurant organizations.
AI Restaurant Automation
144% annual turnover. $6,109 per replacement. A shift from $86K in annual losses to $76K in profit. These are not projections. They are what operators are experiencing when they stop patching the labor crisis and start solving it. Join Miso Robotics and Insert Coin leadership for an honest, operator-led conversation about what next-generation AI kitchen automation actually looks like in a real kitchen today.
How Restaurant Leaders are Protecting Profitability
Restaurant leaders are making high-stakes decisions in an environment defined by rising costs, ongoing labor challenges, and changing guest expectations. Understanding where the industry is headed and how peers are responding is critical to planning for the year ahead.
AI Kitchen Automation
A mathematical crisis has hit QSR. 144% annual turnover at critical kitchen positions, $6,109 per-replacement costs, accelerating bankruptcies - it's a lot of bad news. Traditional solutions like 'hire faster, pay more' aren't working. But a shift is happening. Second-generation AI systems are succeeding where previous automation failed, and early adopters are seeing transformational results.
How Automation is Solving the Labor Crisis
The QSR industry is facing a mathematical crisis. With 144% annual turnover at critical kitchen positions, $6,109 per replacement costs, and 79% of employees reporting burn injuries, traditional solutions aren't working. Operators who continue hiring faster and paying more are fighting a losing battle. But a fundamental shift is happening. Second-generation AI systems are succeeding where previous automation failed, and early adopters are seeing transformational results.
Smarter Purchasing, Bigger Savings
Want to attend this webinar? Complete activation to reserve your place. In today's market, leveraging technology is key to streamlining your supply chain and maximizing profitability. From data analytics platforms to eProcurement tools, technology can enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve vendor management.
Smarter Purchasing, Bigger Savings
Want to attend this webinar? Complete activation to reserve your place. In today's market, leveraging technology is key to streamlining your supply chain and maximizing profitability. From POS systems to back-office software and ERPs, the right digital tools can enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and improve vendor management.
Boosting Consumer Traffic In A Competitive Environment
Consumers are feeling cash-strapped and thus demand high quality experiences for every dollar spent on foodservice. This webinar will help you understand what today’s consumers really want and how to drive traffic into noncommercial settings. It will include new research from Technomic, a leading foodservice market research firm focused on the foodservice space, and will help answer the following questions: Overview/Key Takeaways: What can successfully drive consumer traffic and engagement?
Boosting Menu Craveability with Creative Twists
Want to attend this webinar? Complete activation to reserve your place. Reinventing menu staples can pique consumer interest and drive purchases by appealing to consumer cravings. How can you create a new, craveable version of a familiar favorite or core menu offering? Technomic will present six innovation approaches to give your menu mainstays a makeover, why adding a twist to the classics attracts consumers, and how to maximize the craveability of familiar dishes.
The Hidden Risks of Business License Compliance for Supermarkets
Supermarkets are the big box stores of the grocery industry, selling multitudes of items across several product types. And many of these products - like alcohol, tobacco, fuel, and lottery tickets for example - require specific business licenses in addition to the standard licenses and permits required of a business. Plus, supermarket brands are growing, adding new locations and expanding into new markets further adding to their licensing challenges.
Chain safety leaders explore COVID-spurred changes beyond hand washing, partitions
Developing in-house safety champions and designing facilities supporting social distancing without eliminating the human contact vital to many guests are among the less obvious coronavirus pandemic related challenges faced by restaurateurs, two large chain executives recently noted. The building of knowledge networks greater than the sum of their parts is also key to weathering COVID-19, a third exec indicated during the webinar, “Food and Dining: The Future State.” That Sept.
Performance catch-up with some 2019 Next Generation Chains
Alan J. Liddle | Oct 20, 2020 How some previous Next Generation Chains are faring NRN’s Next Generation Chains report this year provided a platform for brands that had not been featured in the past to make room for more new faces. But that’s not to say that we didn’t hear during the 2020 research cycle from some 2019 Next Generation concepts that managed to continue growing in their latest completed fiscal years.
10 growing restaurant chains to watch
Alan J. Liddle | Sep 04, 2020 Meet the Next Generation rising stars on deck to join the Top 200 ranking As Nation’s Restaurant News prepares its annual ranking of Top 200 restaurant chains, we also identify a cadre of Next Generation concepts, including growing brands that may potentially qualify among the largest soon.
Portillo’s chief human resources officer Jill Waite, former Taco Bell global chief people officer Frank Tucker: Strength of unit-level restaurant staff will be a greater determiner of success going forward
In a restaurant world made more challenging by the coronavirus pandemic’s business disruption and associated safety measures, quality human resources will win out.
Portillo's, former Taco Bell execs: Strength of unit-level staff to be greater determiner of success going forward Original
In a restaurant world made more challenging by the coronavirus pandemic’s business disruption and associated safety measures quality human resources will win out.
Who are the top five gainers out of the top 100 foodservice companies?
Single brands among top gainers Among the Top 5 companies ranked by Latest-Year net dollar change in revenue, two companies that field a single brand and made no large domestic acquisitions in their recently completed fiscal years claimed spots.
2020 Top 200: Footnotes for the Top 100 Companies
FN20-1: Compass Group PLC – Contributing to the 7.5% Latest-Year and 9.4% Preceding-Year growth in estimated U.S. foodservice revenue, respectively, was the December 2017 acquisition of Unidine Corp., with reported fiscal 2017 U.S. revenue of $304.4 million. FN20-2: Darden Restaurants Inc.
Top 100 foodservice companies’ performance signal trouble ahead for the industry
Year-over-year growth in aggregate reported or estimated U.S. foodservice revenue for the Top 100 Companies tracked by Nation’s Restaurant News fell by nearly half in their latest completed fiscal years — even before the impact of the coronavirus pandemic was felt by most.
Friendly’s executives Dennis Pfaff, Gillian Begin dissect the family-dining brand’s updated kids’ dining playbook
Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or SoundCloud. Dennis Pfaff, chief operating officer for FIC Restaurants Inc., parent to the full-service Friendly’s chain, and Gillian Begin, its brand and research manager, spoke with Nation’s Restaurant News about the Wilbraham, Mass.-based system’s makeover of its kids’ offerings and the investigations that led to it, including playful interrogations of summer campers.
Top 200 posts sales growth as coronavirus’ full impact looms
Like many companies in the family dining segment, Waffle House saw its U.S. system sales plummet in the wake of the pandemic outbreak. Restaurant chains with later fiscal-year ends offer early look at pandemic’s effects Alan J. Liddle | Jun 16, 2020 The country’s largest restaurant chains grew their aggregate U.S. systemwide sales 3.8% in their latest completed fiscal years, to $313.5 billion, overcoming both early impact of the pandemic and slowing growth in key metrics. Related Sponsored
An early look at the impact of coronavirus on restaurant sales
The spread of COVID-19 over the last few months — and the social distancing and shuttered dining rooms that followed — have slashed restaurant sales in all corners of the industry. But the situation has cut some brands much deeper than others. Within that negative overall picture, there are clear haves and have-nots.
2020 SN Top 75: 10 biggest gainers in store count by percentage
Alan Liddle | Apr 14, 2020 The 2020 Top 75's leading gainers in systemwide store counts from 2019 to 2020. All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
2020 SN Top 75: 10 biggest decliners in store count by percentage
Alan Liddle | Apr 14, 2020 The 2020 Top 75's leading decliners in systemwide store counts from 2019 to 2020. All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
SN 2020 Top 75: Top sales decliners by percentage
Alan Liddle | Apr 13, 2020 The leading annual sales decliners in SN’s 2020 Top 75 retailers and wholesalers in the United States and Canada from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020, or those with flat sales. All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
SN 2020 Top 75: Top sales gainers by percentage growth
Alan Liddle | Apr 13, 2020 The leading annual sales gainers in SN's Top 75 retailers and wholesalers in the United States and Canada from 2018-2019 to 2019-2020.
2020 Top 75 - Methodology and footnotes
https://www.supermarketnews.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_supermarketnews/images/logos/footer.png Justin Sullivan/staff/Getty Images News Costco’s worldwide fiscal 2019 net sales were $149.4 billion from a year-end 782 warehouse stores, including 543 in the U.S. and Puerto Rico. Here are the methodology and notes to SN'S 2020 Top 75 food retailers and wholesalers.
Meet the 2020 SN Top 75 retailers and wholesalers
https://www.supermarketnews.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_supermarketnews/images/logos/footer.png Michael Browne, Alan Liddle | Apr 07, 2020 Here are the largest U.S. and Canadian food retailers and wholesalers. The sales figures include fiscal years ending on or before June 30, 2020, for which companies or Supermarket News researchers applied estimates. All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access?
2020 Top 75 - Sales Change
Here are annual sales changes for the 2019-2020 Top 75 United States-Canada food retailers and wholesalers Alan Liddle | Apr 07, 2020 All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
2020 Top 75 - Store Overview
By 2019-20 year-end systemwide stores Alan Liddle | Apr 07, 2020 All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
2020 Top 75 - Systemwide Store Change
https://www.supermarketnews.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_supermarketnews/images/logos/footer.png By percent change in 2019-20 and 2018-19 year-end systemwide stores Alan Liddle | Apr 07, 2020 All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access? Digital Access gives you annual unlimited online access to our most premium news and analysis such as monthly digital issues and The Top 75 Retailers and Wholesalers.
2020 Top 75 - Sales Overview
https://www.supermarketnews.com/sites/all/themes/penton_subtheme_supermarketnews/images/logos/footer.png Joe Raedle/staff/ Getty Images News Once again, Walmart leads the industry in food retailing sales — by a wide margin. Here are the Top 75 United States-Canada food retailers and wholesalers by 2019-2020 sales Alan Liddle | Apr 07, 2020 All access premium subscription Why Subscribe to SN Digital Access?
Top 200 analysis: A closer look at Chipotle Mexican Grill’s rebound under CEO Brian Niccol
Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. chief executive Brian Niccol had plenty of positive news to deliver earlier this month during his fiscal 2019 earnings call with analysts. In the fourth quarter, he reported, the fast-casual chain saw same-store sales growth of 13.4%, the eighth consecutive quarter of accelerating comps improvements — and a string that closely aligns with Niccol’s tenure there. Also part of the quarterly news was an 8% increase in transactions.
Burgerville’s Hillary Barbour develops a burger that’s better for the planet
When Hillary Barbour was named director of strategic initiatives for fast-casual Burgerville in 2016, she felt she had “landed a dream job.” Barbour previously had been deputy district director for Congressman Earl Blumenauer, which enabled her to pursue a passion for agriculture, energy and environmental public policy and, after that, policy director for non-profit alternative-energy advocacy group Renewable Northwest.
Restaurant same-store sales report: December 2019
Alan J. Liddle | Dec 18, 2019 Each month, Nation’s Restaurant News presents highlights of recent same-store sales results from the more than 70 public restaurant companies and divisions it tracks. The quick-service segment led the pack in latest-quarter average same-store sales growth, at 3.1%, followed by the coffee/snack and fast casual segments. Meanwhile, the casual dining, family dining/buffet and pizza segments saw declines.
Same-store sales report: November 2019
Alan J. Liddle | Nov 19, 2019 Each month, Nation’s Restaurant News presents highlights of recent same-store sales results from the more than 70 public restaurant companies and divisions it tracks. Same-store sales growth among 47 latest-quarter reporters averaged 1.4%, compared with 2.2% average growth a year earlier. Among those brands, Wingstop saw the greatest overall latest-quarter same-store sales growth, at 12.3%, while Steak ‘n Shake’s 6.5% decline marked the biggest fall.
Behind the scenes at the Food Safety Symposium
Alan J. Liddle | Nov 15, 2019 Experts tackle emerging safety issues at annual NRN event Evolving food safety issues, including new concerns around the handling and use of CBD and plant based proteins, were key areas of discussion at the 14th annual Nation’s Restaurant News Food Safety Symposium this fall. The event, sponsored by Ecolab, drew three dozen operators, educators and attorneys to the Park MGM hotel in Las Vegas Sept. 22 through Sept. 24.
Podcast: Firebirds exec on upscale kids’ foods and family loyalty
The polished casual brand's marketing head discusses kids' food trends Alan J. Liddle | Oct 28, 2019 Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or SoundCloud. Charlotte, N.C.-based Firebirds Wood Fired Grill characterizes itself as a “polished casual dining” concept and, in keeping with that positioning, its kids’ menu is no chicken nuggets and slice of cheese pizza affair.
Solorzano crowned, but kids real winners in Kitchen Hero Cook-Off
Jason Kindig This is part of Nation’s Restaurant News' special coverage of the 2019 MUFSO conference, taking place Oct. 14-16 at the Sheraton Denver Downtown. Follow coverage of the event on NRN.com and tweet with us using #MUFSO. Stay connected on the go by downloading the MUFSO app. Fielding a grilled lamb loin with mole in the Texas Pete Kitchen Hero Cook-Off, Ramon Solorzano of Garden Fresh Restaurants bettered three rivals in the 7th Annual mystery-basket competition conducted at MUFSO.
Same-store sales report: October 2019
Alan J. Liddle | Oct 11, 2019 Each month, Nation’s Restaurant News presents highlights of recent same-store sales results from the more than 70 public restaurant companies and divisions it tracks. Taco Bell’s 7% second-quarter same-store sales growth was nearly three times the average 2.4% improvement among other quick-service chains. And of the 12 companies with multiple concepts tracked, Taco Bell parent Yum Brands led the pack, with latest-quarter average comps growth of 3.8%.
Same-store sales report: September 2019
Alan J. Liddle | Sep 11, 2019 Each month, Nation’s Restaurant News presents highlights of recent same-store sales results from the more than 70 public restaurant companies and divisions it tracks. The quick-service segment had the highest rate of average same-store sales growth in the latest quarter, at 2.7%, followed by coffee/snack at 2%, and fast casual at 1.7%.
Same-store sales report: August 2019
Alan J. Liddle | Aug 20, 2019 Each month, Nation’s Restaurant News presents highlights of recent same-store sales results from the more than 70 public restaurant companies and divisions it tracks. Average same-store sales change among latest-quarter reporters climbed to 1.7% from 1.3% in the same year-earlier period. Domino’s, Starbucks and Taco Bell led their segments in same-store sales growth. Take a look at recent same-store sales highlights Contact Alan J.
2019 Top 200: Company U.S. Foodservice Revenue
All access premium subscription Why Upgrade your account? NRN is your one-stop source for foodservice news and business intelligence. Upgrade today and get unlimited online access to all breaking news, in-depth analysis, data and tools. This includes digital versions of NRN flagship reports (Consumer Picks, Top 200) as well as Same Store Sales Data Tables, Quarterly Industry Snapshots and more. Questions about your account or how to access content? Contact: Desiree Torres Related Sponsored Content
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