2002 The Year in Review

Nation's Restaurant News, Dec 23, 2002 by Ron Ruggless

McDonald's Corp., meanwhile, was testing a loyalty program called Road2Rewards, at 15 units in the Asheville, N.C., area. It was targeted at consumers 13 and older, and the rewards included value meals, movie tickets and music CDs.

In management shifts Hard Rock Cafe International Inc. of Orlando, Fla., named Janet Kane vice president of retail merchandising and licensing and David Catalano vice president of worldwide operations.

Jamba Juice of San Francisco promoted Jim Mizes to vice president of brand development.

Metromedia Restaurant Group of Plano, Texas, named David Sonzogni vice president of culinary services to oversee the Bennigan's menu.

Burger King Corp. of Miami hired Sheila Reinken as vice president of finance.

Aramark named Robert Jantzen president of the international division of its Food & Support Services Group.

In marketing developments Piccadilly Cafeterias Inc. of Baton Rouge, La., broke new radio and television spots to support its brand repositioning.

Marie Callender's Restaurant & Bakery, based in Orange, Calif., debuted a television campaign that shied away from the casual-dining chain's pies and promoted dinner entrees.

KFC unveiled plans to roll out its "Kids Laptop Pack."

Nation's Restaurant New announced its MenuMasters winners for 2002. Categories and honorees were as follows: best on-site operator menu, Aramark Culinary Solutions; best new menu item, The Cheesecake Factory's miso salmon; best menu revamp, Claim Jumper Restaurants; best healthy-choice menu, The Ground Round; best limited-time offer, McDonald's New Tastes Menu; best menu/line extension, Panera Bread Co.; best independent operator menu, Union Square Cafe of New York City; chef on the rise, Stephen Anderson of Red Lobster; and hall of fame, Jasper White.

Noel Cullen, who stepped down in 2001 as president of the American Culinary Federation after four years, died as a result of a pulmonary embolism. He was 53.

APRIL

Several high-profile public restaurant companies were taking steps to insulate themselves from investor backlash in the wake of continuing revelations about Wall Street watchdogs' failure to prevent cases like the Enron Corp. bankruptcy.

The scandal forced operators throughout the foodservice industry to review and, in many cases, revamp their public-disclosure policies.

Many restaurant and foodservice operators also were re-examining their relationships with their auditors, especially Enron's accountant, Arthur Anderson LLC.

Nathan's Famous of Long Island, N.Y., fired the firm, as did privately held Domino's Pizza of Ann Arbor, Mich., and distributor Sysco Corp. of Houston.

In other news nearly 100 attendees at the National Restaurant Association's GO-Lobby Day in Washington, D.C., visited Capitol Hill to lobby lawmakers on such key industry issues as tax, health-care and immigration reform; minimum wages; and the Americans with Disabilities Act. Ted Fowler, chairman of the NRA and chief executive of Golden Corral Corp., told participants that the two-day event provided "an opportunity to remind Congress of the tremendous impact our industry has on the economy."