Jun Hongo wrote about the latest service offered to residents of Tokyo:

• For a 10% service fee those in Tokyo can have a model or actress deliver their food to them.
• The service is intended for corporate customers who want to wow participants at seminars, galas, and other events.
• The models come from those signed up with a major talent agency in Japan. They will engage with customers and provide “polite and attentive service”.
• Orders must be placed three days in advance so that the deliverers have time to study and understand the menu.
• There is a $260 minimum.

Read more about the service, its inception, and how it works over here.

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Via: Business Insider, Marginal Revolution

Janaki Jitchotvisut wrote about a fascinating scheme launched by Domino’s Australia:

• On a service called “Pizza Mogul” anybody can use Domino’s custom pizza builder to create their own pizza, and list it on Domino’s menu.
• The creator of the pizza gets between $0.25 and $4.25 for each pizza sold.
• Creators are encouraged to advertise their creations on social media boosting both Domino’s and the pizza maker’s earnings.
• The program has been going on since August and the top pizza maker has made over $22,000 since the program began.
• His top creation is “The Mega Meat Lovers” which includes various meats including Rasher Bacon and Pulled Pork.

Read more about Pizza Mogul, how it works, and thoughts about bringing it to the United States here.

Source: First We Feast

McDonald’s may be hoping that you’ll soon consider the fast food chain for your next weekend brunch writes Venessa Wong:

• McDonald’s has applied for a trademark for “McBrunch”.
• Brunch is one of the fastest growing category of foods, and McDonald’s is looking to revive disappointing financial results.
• Competitors such as Starbucks and Taco Bell have recently improved their morning menus, putting pressure on the burger chain.
• It’s unclear if such an initiative would be successful – the meal is typically associated with alcohol, something that McDonald’s is unlikely to serve anytime soon.
• It could do what Burger King did when it tried something similar and offer non-alcoholic cocktails such as Sprite mixed with fruit juices.
• The trademark could simply be a sign that the chain intends to extend its breakfast hours.

Read Wong’s always excellent analysis, and find out how this could tie into “McDonald’s at midnight”, and why this might be much ado about nothing here.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Olive Garden is now a loss-making business, and a hedge fund just released a presentation outlining everything that the company is doing wrong writes Max Nisen:

• The quality of food has declined. Pasta dishes, for example, have the sauce dumped on top of them rather than mixed in and evenly distributed, leading to variable levels of heat and taste per spoonful.
• The chain has also stopped salting the water in which the pasta is cooked in, because it was causing pots to wear out too quickly. Salted water is, of course, crucial to adding flavour to pasta.
• American burgers and Spanish Tapas are odd menu items for a chain that was once renowned for its Italian authenticity.
• The endless breadsticks largely go to waste. The hedge fund recommends serving around one breadstick per guest, and then having the server come back with more if they are being eaten, arguing that this increases customer touch points and improves satisfaction.
• Wine, a key part of the Italian dining experience, and a significant profit driver at restaurants, is hardly marketed.

Ultimately the hedge fund concludes that the chain should take steps which will both drive profits and increase customer satisfaction. Read about the problems with the chain’s frying, its takeout containers, and endless salad over here.

Source: Quartz

Neal Ungerleider wrote about the benefits that restaurants derive from people ordering food online:

• Online and touchscreen menus can more effectively steer customers to ordering add-on items such as extra sauces and cheeses boosting sales.
• A typical menu can’t show all the possible combinations for each dish the way that an online menu can.
• Online menus also take away from the social stigma of ordering combinations that others might find weird.
• An online menu makes customers aware of offerings that they didn’t know the restaurant had. While calling a pizza joint a typical customer might order a large cheese pizza and a drink. When ordering online they might see that the eatery also had a wide range of deserts and consider those.
• Dining locations, for their part, can better track sales, customer preferences, and inventory levels through online orders.

Read more about how notable chains such as Sheets and Dominoes have benefitted from digital orders and more over here.

Source: Fast Company

Let’s face it, the burger wars are over. McDonald’s won. Vanessa Wong took a look at how they did it:

• The strength of McDonald’s breakfast menu means that it gets customers even during off-peak hours.
• McDonald’s also has a better ‘snacks’ menu than Burger King with its line of coffee drinks and wraps.
• Ronald McDonald is a better mascot than Burger King’s King character. Children would prefer to have Ronald McDonald at their parties.
• McDonald’s is more efficient. More cars can go through McDonald’s drive-throughs in an hour than those of Burger King.
• McDonald’s spends more on marketing than Burger King…and Burger King doesn’t intend to try to catch up until at least 2016.

The full article has many more details including how Starbucks and Taco Bell are trying to respond to the McDonald’s juggernaut, why drive-through business is so important, and more. You should read it here.

Source: Bloomberg Businessweek

Charles Passy took a look at the inside world of steakhouses:

• Steakhouses have grown so popular that it’s difficult to find quality beef. Which is why some steakhouses will advertize Angus beef – without clarifying if it’s the premium Angus prime or the more common Angus choice.
• One steakhouse chain noted that up to 70% of their business comes from corporate accounts that usually spend and tip more. This means that regular diners who have to pay for their own bill may get less attention.
• Deserts are usually outsourced to a food service conglomerate. Few keep a pastry chef on the payroll.
• The menu items are usually a calorific nightmare. Certain dishes can have up to 2,000 calories.
• The price of beef is expected to rise. Rather than raise the prices of the stakes themselves expect to pay more for sides or drinks – or to receive smaller cuts of meat.

The full article notes that often steaks aren’t properly prepared and why you should avoid the pasta options. Read it over here.

Source: Market Watch