News Briefs

As the Trump administration imposes new reciprocal tariffs with U.S. trading parters, the hospitality industry will feel the impact -- including on imported food and beverages.  

National Restaurant Association President & CEO Michelle Korsmo released this statement about the new tariffs, which vary from 10 to 54%.  

“Applying new tariffs at this scale will create change and disruption that restaurant operators will have to navigate to keep their restaurants open. The biggest concerns for restaurant operators—from community restaurants to national brands—are that tariffs will hike food and packaging costs and add uncertainty to managing availability, while pushing prices up for consumers. 

"Restaurant operators know consumers are very sensitive to costs and have kept menu price increases to 30%, while their food costs have gone up 40% in the last five years. 

“Restaurant operators rely on a stable supply of fresh ingredients year-round to provide the menu items their customers want and expect. Many restaurant operators source as many domestic ingredients as they can, but it’s simply not possible for U.S. farmers and ranchers to produce the volumes needed to support consumer demand. 

"During this time of change, we’ll provide our members of all sizes with economic research to support their decision making and convene supply chain experts across the industry to share efforts for the best outcomes for restaurant consumers and the business viability of restaurants.

"The National Restaurant Association will also continue to share with the White House the real-life challenges these changes present for restaurant operators and ask to have food and beverages exempted from these tariffs.”
 

PONANT EXPLORATIONS, a French cruise ship operator and world leader in luxury expeditions, is enhancing its fleet of 13 intimate ships with Oracle Simphony Cloud point-of-sale (POS). With the mobile POS, PONANT EXPLORATIONS will have the tools and real-time insights needed to operate its food and beverage operations more efficiently, elevate passenger experiences, and support revenue growth. The pilot ship rollout of Simphony is planned to start in May 2025, with the rest of the fleet expected to go live by the end of the year.

PONANT EXPLORATIONS goal is to provide the best possible experiences and meet the changing needs of our guests,” said Jean-Louis Cambert, CIO, PONANT EXPLORATIONS. “With Oracle Simphony’s mobile-enabled POS, our staff will be able to deliver exceptional service from fine dining to the pool bar or stateroom service, making their jobs easier and on-board service more seamless. From an IT perspective, this project allows us to simplify our infrastructure through a full SaaS environment for the ‘On Shore’ side.”

Casting off in the cloud

A long time Oracle customer, PONANT EXPLORATIONS is already using Shipboard Property Management and Fleet Management aboard its ships. With Simphony, it will now have a comprehensive and individual ship view of reservations, its most popular menu items, inventory, and more. In addition to giving staff the ability to take orders from anywhere, this transition will also enable guests to use self-ordering options and give them the convenience of being able to pay with their preferred methods, including stateroom charge, credit card, and mobile pay.   

“With advances in connectivity, cruise lines are now able to benefit from all the advantages of regular innovations delivered in the cloud,” said Alex Alt, executive vice president and general manager, Oracle Consumer Industries. “Using our comprehensive suite of cruise line solutions, PONANT EXPLORATIONS will have the tools and data intelligence to help better manage its on-board operations from room management to restaurants to deliver an exceptional experience to its guests.”

CRISP & GREEN  formally announced the move to transition away from the original franchise model through strategic acquisitions of existing franchise groups and locations. This move also marks the return of founder Steele Smiley back into the role of Chief Executive Officer. After formally rejoining in Q3 2024, Smiley partnered with the company leadership team to lead a strategic shift away from a predominantly franchised model, guiding the company to become a majority corporate-owned brand.

The move to become a mostly corporate system was prompted by a desire to regain brand consistency and operational control across a national footprint of locations of almost 50 locations. In late 2024, the company started the process of becoming a mostly corporate-owned system by acquiring several existing franchise groups and locations throughout the country. Today, almost 50 percent of CRISP & GREEN locations are corporately owned, with additional acquisitions and new locations underway.

Still Franchising

While Smiley's vision is to operate a majority of CRISP & GREEN locations, there still remains an opportunity for enterprise-level operators to become franchise partners. Late last year, two new groups with significant multi-unit and multi-brand experience joined the brand and have already started on their development schedule. The OM group, led by Kalpesh Patel and based outside of Chicago, operates several brands including over 50 Dunkin locations and 15 Wing Stop locations. M3 Holdings, led by Alex Mortenson, has experience in both the restaurant space and wellness space, specifically in the Planet Fitness brand. Collectively, the two groups have committed to opening 37 locations over the next couple of years, helping the business progress towards its next milestone of 100 restaurants.

"As we transition to a new model, we are redefining and repledging our commitment to the core values that have guided us since our founding," said Smiley, founder and CEO of CRISP & GREEN. "Our focus is on delivering outstanding food, providing elevated hospitality experiences, and supporting the wellness of our communities. I'm excited to lead us into this new chapter of growth and continue our journey to transform the way people think about and access healthy living."

Founded in 2016, Minnesota-based CRISP & GREEN is rooted in the belief that wellness improves every aspect of life, from ourselves to the community around us. Originally hailing from the fitness industry, Smiley had the simple idea that people shouldn't have to choose between a quick meal and a healthy one. He created CRISP & GREEN to provide scratch-made food in a fast-casual setting that's both healthy and delicious. In addition, CRISP & GREEN is dedicated to supporting guests' wellness journeys outside the kitchen by offering complimentary fitness classes to each community it's located in. Today, CRISP & GREEN continues to thrive as a privately held company with the founding team still firmly at the helm, driving the brand's vision and success based on its founding principles.

BirchStreet Systems, a provider of cloud-based procure-to-pay solutions for the hospitality industry, announces the extension of its strategic partnership with Aramark, a global leader in food services, facilities management and hospitality procurement solutions. This multi-year agreement further solidifies the strong relationship between the companies, showcasing the ongoing success and trust that has been established over the past several years of working seamlessly with mutual clients around the globe.

Through this extended partnership, Aramark continues to leverage BirchStreet's state-of-the-art eProcurement, accounts payable and inventory management solutions to streamline its extensive procurement processes. These tools help Aramark improve visibility into its supply chain, enhance operational efficiency and drive down costs across its diverse portfolio of services, which includes meal planning, vending services, restaurant management and more.

The partnership has played a pivotal role in ensuring that Aramark remains agile and responsive to the needs of its diverse client base, which includes major hotel brands, educational institutions, healthcare facilities, sports & entertainment venues, and large corporate clients. By leveraging BirchStreet’s robust platform, Aramark is able to manage the complexity of its global operations, reduce administrative costs and optimize its procurement strategies. This has proven crucial as Aramark continues to expand its reach and innovate in its service offerings, maintaining a commitment to sustainability and customer satisfaction.

“At BirchStreet, we are excited to continue our long-standing partnership with Aramark. Their commitment to excellence in food services and facilities management aligns perfectly with our mission to drive innovation and operational improvement in the hospitality industry,” said John McCaffrey, Chief Operating Officer and President ofBirchStreet Systems. “We are proud to be a trusted partner, and we look forwardt o further supporting Aramark’s global operations with our leading-edge procure-to-pay platform.”

UrVenue, a commerce and booking technology provider for hospitality and gaming, announced its strategic partnership with The Nash Casino, New Hampshire’s largest charitable gaming venue, to provide online event booking at the DraftKings Lounge, a two-story retail sportsbook and entertainment complex, Stadium Social Sports Bar & Grill and Topgolf Swing Suite golf simulator bays. Just in time for the biggest sports betting month of the year, The Nash is leveraging UrVenue’s innovative venue management system technology to offer seamless booking of its sports entertainment areas, featuring a 60-foot-wide and 22-foot-tall video wall, the largest single-wall-mounted video screen in New Hampshire.

With this partnership, The Nash Casino is transforming its sports viewing experience by introducing:

• Dayparted Stadium Social seating, allowing guests to book premium seats for specific games and times throughout the day.

• A dedicated microsite, empowering sports fans to explore a live calendar of events, including must-see experiences like College Hoops Madness and other high-profile matchups.

• Direct booking for sporting event experiences, golf simulators, and other entertainment offerings—all within a single, unified cart.

The Nash team sought a solution that would offer guests a simple and streamlined portal to book functions at their dynamic entertainment spaces, ensuring guests could reserve premium seating for major games while also booking golf simulator sessions—all in one transaction.

“We look forward to booking high-demand events at The Nash’s DraftKings Lounge, Stadium Social Sports Bar and Grill and Topgolf Swing Suite, thanks to UrVenue’s platform,” said The Nash General Manager Eric Althaus. “By integrating UrVenue’s solutions, we’re creating an effortless way for guests to book the best seats, engage with our entertainment offerings and enhance their overall experience.”

This strategic partnership marks another milestone in UrVenue’s rapid expansion into the gaming and hospitality industry, solidifying its position as the go-to technology provider for casinos seeking next-generation booking, commerce and guest engagement solutions. For more information on UrVenue’s sportsbook and casino technology solutions, visit http://www.urvenue.com.

ParTech, Inc. (PAR) announces the recipients of the  PAR Punchh  Customer Awards. This year’s awards highlight the remarkable achievements of brands that have set new standards in delivering 1:1 personalization and engagement that boosted customer lifetime value.

"We are incredibly proud and excited to celebrate the customers who have truly excelled at capturing the hearts and minds of their loyal fans,” said Savneet Singh, CEO of PAR Technology. “Their dedication and innovative ideas have pushed the boundaries of what loyalty programs can achieve to deliver truly exceptional experiences for their customers. We couldn't be more honored to recognize these outstanding brands."

Recognized as this year’s Rookie of the Year, Church's Texas Chicken  launched its Church’s Real Rewards  loyalty program in July 2024 and surpassed its targeted goal with nearly 620,000 sign-ups, receiving high praise and adoption from loyalty members. The brand's proactive approach included leveraging detailed consumer insights, custom-tailored digital experiences, strong franchisee buy-in, and robust preparation for operational readiness, paving the way for a seamless rollout.

The Digital Innovator Award was secured by Wendy’s this year, largely due to the success of its SpongeBob SquarePants Word Scramble Campaign. This campaign, which was a digital component of the larger Krabby Patty Kollab campaign partnership with Nickelodeon, redefined digital engagement by cleverly integrating gamification with their loyalty program, allowing fans to engage in a fun and interactive way by unscrambling words to guess the Krabby Patty's secret formula. This innovative approach drove over 8.5 million sessions and showcased Wendy's ability to seamlessly execute a complex digital campaign across multiple platforms, including in-app messages, push notifications, email, and web.

Salsarita’s Fresh Mexican Grill has redefined loyalty program excellence earning them the 2024 Loyalty Royalty Leader crown. Among its standout efforts including their loyalty program restructuring and their Holiday Countdown campaign in December, Salsarita’s leveraged the PAR Punchh platform’s advanced analytics to gain granular insights into customer behavior, enabling data-driven campaign refinements.

Condado Tacos takes this year’s All Star title. As the team celebrated its 10th anniversary, the brand took its Benefits loyalty program to the next level, infusing more passion and adventure into the experience, while maintaining its core values of fun, inclusivity, humility, commitment, and accountability. This milestone became an opportunity to deepen connections with its most loyal customers, including its introducing customized rewards for their highest-tier loyalty members, the "Best Buds”.

Earning the Campaign Hotshot Award, Bar Louie has continuously evolved its approach to customer engagement through its loyalty program. In 2024, creative initiatives such as the Burger Challenge and Black Friday Points Promotion increased visits and reward redemptions, respectively, while the App-vent Calendar offered escalating daily rewards, maintaining high engagement throughout the holiday season.

As this year’s Retention Rockstar, Farmer Boys has leveraged its partnership with Punchh to nurture a thriving loyalty program, the Very Important Farmer (VIF), which has outperformed top QSR benchmarks in retention rates for the past two years. This success perfectly shows the brand's commitment to building lasting relationships by treating members like family, a core tenet of the Farmer Boys brand.

Recognized as the International Achiever, Paris Baguette has earned top international honors. Its reimagined loyalty program launched with the U.S. mobile app as well as a new, dedicated Canadian app to significantly enhance guest engagement and grow their loyal fan base. Their commitment to improving the guest experience led to strong system-wide loyalty sales growth and increased overall satisfaction.

As Marketer of the Year, Alexis Puebla of Pancheros Mexican Grill drove significant growth in its loyalty program under her leadership. As the Director of Digital Marketing, Alexis has enhanced the Pancheros’ app and loyalty initiatives with innovative campaigns and has captivated guests with primary campaigns and secondary background offers that have not only expanded Pancheros’ loyalty database and set a benchmark for integrating social media engagement with loyalty incentives.

Named Customer Advocate of the Year, Graeter's Ice Cream has demonstrated an exceptional commitment to customer advocacy, consistently going above and beyond as an active participant in the Voice of the Customer (VoC) program and playing a pivotal role in shaping the development and refinement of products and services.

Recognized among PAR Punchh’s global customer base of over 275 brands, these winners demonstrated excellence and innovation in customized loyalty program management, omnichannel engagement, digital campaigns, 1:1 personalized offers, and leveraging the PAR Punchh platform. In addition to delivering outstanding outcomes for the year, these award winners built a culture and community of engaged customers, taking creativity in new directions and driving their businesses forward through innovation.

Over 275 leading restaurant brands rely on PAR Punchh to increase customer lifetime value by fostering strong guest relationships. For more information on the PAR Punchh awards, please visit: PAR Punchh awards.