Orlandosentinel.com – Tourists and college students have propelled Central Florida to the top of a list of cities expected to see heavy growth in restaurants catering to on-the-go diners.

QSR magazine recently named Orlando the top growth market for what the restaurant industry calls “quick service.” That includes traditional fast food and places where diners order at the counter of an eatery that has a fairly sophisticated atmosphere and menu.

Orlando already has the highest number of fast-food restaurants per 100,000 people, according to a report from the Daily Beast last year. And many quick-service chains are expanding, including Panera Bread, Five Guys and CiCi’s Pizza.

That Central Florida is considered a top growth market comes as no surprise to Gregg Hill, an Oviedodevelopment-company owner who three years ago began opening Bojangles’ chicken-and-biscuit restaurants here. He now has five and plans to open three more each year. Continue

Heraldtribune.com – Real estate agents, normally an upbeat group, are simply gushing at the market conditions right now.

Miamiherald.com - Joe’s Stone Crab owner Steve Sawitz distinctly recalls his grandfather’s admonitions decades ago against bring casino gambling to Miami. The move could be the “downfall” of independent business, his grandfather cautioned.

That warning resonates with Sawitz today as legislation to allow resort casinos is debated in the Florida Legislature and casino companies jockey for position in the market. Although he acknowledges Joe’s could benefit from casino traffic because of the nearly 100-year-old landmark’s reputation, Sawitz fears that a mega resort with dozens of restaurants and a shopping mall would put many of his neighbors out of business.

Floridatrend.com - In 2008, as the recession bore down, Cindy Pickering saw many unemployed food business workers — both veterans and novices alike — attempting to launch catering and prepared food-supply operations. Meanwhile, those still in business were struggling with the costs of operating their own kitchens. Pickering turned those market conditions to her advantage and launched a commercial kitchen rental company that provides shared kitchen space for the other entrepreneurs to prepare their foods.

Pickering had learned how to run a small food business when she launched a salsa business in 2003. “You can’t do it out of your house. You need to be in a certified commercial kitchen,” she says. Continue

Freeportcleanpro.com – Critical violations of state sanitation and safety laws observed by inspectors at three South Florida restaurants last week prompted the Florida Department of Business & Professional Regulation to cite the owners and briefly suspend their operations.

Lovey’s Restaurant USA, Inc., 8336 W. Oakland Park Blvd., Sunrise wascited for the second time in two months for having a roach infestation. The earlier inspection was Dec. 14, when 26 live roaches were observed. The business was allowed to re-open Dec. 15.

On Jan. 17, an inspector observed one live roach was on the kitchen floor, eight live roaches were near the reach-in cooler in the kitchen and one was on the wall by the kitchen prep table. four other critical violations included not having a current hotel and restaurant license; chick peas were prepared on site and held more than 24 hours and not properly date-marked; the microwave interior was soiled and there were no hand-drying provisions at a hand-wash sink.

According to state documents, a pest control company visited the business and it was allowed to reopen Jan. 19.  The operator declined to comment. Continue

Qsrmagazine.com – Jersey Mike’s Subs’ 55^th anniversary year in 2011 was cause for celebration as the popular chain, known for its fresh sliced/fresh grilled East Coast-style subs, opened its 500^th restaurant, adding 69 new locations during the year, for record unit growth of 15 percent.

In addition, in 2011, the company awarded contracts to open 216 restaurants in 76 territories, attracting multi-brand, multi-unit franchisees as well as providing expansion opportunities to existing franchise owners.

“Our 55^th year has been full of milestones, from opening our 50^th restaurant in the Los Angeles area to entering new markets including San Antonio, Philadelphia, and Louisiana,” said Hoyt Jones, president, Jersey Mike’s. Continue

(RestaurantNews.com)  Smashburger, the rapidly expanding better burger restaurant concept, today announced a summary of its 2011 accomplishments and its plans for 2012. 2011 was another successful year of growth and consumer acceptance for the fast causal concept which opened 51 new units, which includes expansion into 12 new markets. The company ended the year with 143 locations nationwide, representing 55% new unit growth for the year. The company also announced its first international expansion initiatives with units expected to open in the Middle East, Canada and Latin America in 2012, beginning the company’s strategic expansion to fast growing markets around the globe. continue

Openforum.com - Social media is an important aspect of any online marketing campaign. More than 80 percent of Americans use a social network, spending 23 percent of their online time on them. Facebook and Twitter lead the pack, with Google+ growing since its initial launch. The importance of social media will only increase in 2012.

Many small businesses overlook a powerful tool when they’re trying to increase their social media presence—current customers. It’s easy to ignore the customers you already have when you’re looking at how to maximize the value of Twitter by seeking new contacts and creating new networking opportunities. Continue

Restaurantnews.com - Continuing the explosive development, Saladworks awarded agreements for 73 new locations to both new and existing franchisees, representing a 78% increase in franchise revenue. The Brand, already in 12 states, is expanding in major markets such as Washington State, Louisiana, South Carolina, Texas, Florida, California, Arizona and Washington D.C. continue

(RestaurantNews.com)  Quiznos, one of the nation’s premier quick-service restaurant chains and pioneer of the toasted sandwich, today announced that the Company has successfully completed its previously announced financial restructuring on an out-of-court basis. The agreement eliminates one-third – or approximately $300 million – of the company’s outstanding debt, and provides a significant infusion of $150 million in new equity from Avenue Capital Group, a global investment firm, to position Quiznos for future growth.

“Improving our balance sheet and put continue