A Year Later, Red Lobster Says Its Independence Paying Dividends
Orlando, Fla. — When Red Lobster’s menu team flew to a seafood show in Boston this spring, fishermen were talking about big catches of sockeye salmon and bairdi crab coming from Alaska. This month, Red Lobster rolled out its Crabfest menu featuring salmon and crab, which company leaders say shows how far the Orlando-based seafood chain has come in the year since it was sold by Darden Restaurants. “In the past we just weren’t able to...
Cleaning Up Papa John’s Menu Costs Chain $100 Million a Year
Papa John’s International Inc. is spending $100 million a year to eliminate artificial ingredients and other additives from its menu, underscoring the cost of the restaurant industry’s shift to more natural foods. The company removed monosodium glutamate, or MSG, from its ranch dressing last year and pulled trans fats from its garlic sauce. Now Papa John’s has homed in on a list of 14 ingredients, including corn syrup, artificial...
Panera Is Latest to Cut Artificial Additives
When Panera Bread said last week that it would drop artificial additives from its menu, it joined a blitz of restaurants responding to customers’ desire for healthier food. Chipotle said recently that it would eliminate genetically modified ingredients, while McDonald’s pledged to use antibiotic-free chicken. Their efforts reflect a new industry reality: Instead of counting calories, today’s diners are often focused more on eating...
