Move over, Hooters, other chains targeting men

TAMPA — Clearwater gave the world the Hooters chain of restaurants, and helped make it the global brand phenomenon.

Now a new generation of restaurants wants to reinvent the female-focused genre by offering more upscale food on one hand and servers displaying more skin on the other.

Amid a tough restaurant market, Brick House, Tilted Kilt, and Twin Peaks are expanding quickly into Hooters' home turf, deploying what they say is a secret weapon supporting their stretched T-shirt business plan.

That includes detailed, science-based psychographic modeling of customers and word-for-word scripts for servers – all geared to create the illusion of sassy banter that tweaks their target demographic of a single guy, aged 37.5 years old and making $45,000 to $55,000 per year.

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Supreme Court case involving class actions could affect waitresses' suit against Hooters

When Kianna Hawkins applied to work at the Hooters restaurant on Seventh Street in downtown Washington, she didn't think to read the fine print.

But a notice tacked onto the end of her application required the Howard University graduate to take any employment dispute to arbitration instead of the courts -- a provision that is now complicating her efforts to build a class action case against Hooters over alleged labor law violations.

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Smashburger Partners with STL Smash, LLC to Open 12 Smashburger Restaurants in St. Louis

ST. LOUIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Smashburger, nationally acclaimed industry-leading "better burger" restaurant, will sizzle into St. Louis in 2011. Smashburger has partnered with STL Smash, LLC to introduce Smashburger’s “burger magic” to the city.

The St. Louis Smashburger restaurant will be Missouri’s first and will feature regional menu items created especially for St. Louis’ unique culinary heritage.

STL Smash, LLC will open multiple units in St. Louis over four years. Dave Schweitzer, President of STL Smash, LLC has more than 16 years of successful franchise restaurant experience with Subway. He has been recognized as Best New Regional Subway Franchisee and is known for his focus on customer service, smooth operations, and focus on superior staffing.

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London hotel faces redevelopment

New York hotelier Ian Schrager and Marriott International are to open a new hotel in London.
The pair have acquired the historic Berners Hotel for a price analysts estimated to be under $100m (£62m, €71m).

Mr Schrager, in partnership with Marriott will completely redesign and redevelop the Berners Hotel over the next 18 to 24 months, with the new property to be called London Edition.

 

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Helmsley Hotel draws 15 bidders

As it turns out, interest in owning the New York Helmsley Hotel on East 42nd Street is strong indeed.
By the time the deadline for submission of the first round of bids had passed at the end of last month, roughly 15 prospective buyers, including Tishman Hotel & Realty, had lodged bids on the 773-room property. Many proposals topped $300 million. It was unclear when the second round of offers is due, but some industry insiders say the middle of this month is the likely date.

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The Beverly Hilton Hotel Listed For Sale

The Beverly Hilton hotel has been listed for sale with global commercial real estate brokers Cushman & Wakefield for the purpose of exploring the market, sources told The Courier exclusively, today.
A sale price has yet to be determined.
Sources with The Beverly Hilton’s ownership said that last month's sale of the 9900 Wilshire project “triggered a great deal of interest in The Beverly Hilton property.”
9900 Wilshire, which is adjacent to the hotel, sold to a group of Asian investors for $148.3 million.
Since its purchase in 2003, Beverly Hilton owner Beny Alagem has invested more than $80 million to return the hotel to its former prominence.
Alagem acquired the property from Merv Griffin for an estimated $130 million.

Lords South Beach, a new gay hotel, to open on Collins Avenue

Lords South Beach Hotel, Miami Beach is more than a hotel; it’s a quantum leap in gay travel. A home away from home, just a lot more fun, posh, friendly, sexy, easy, satisfying, and gratifying. Not to mention, located in the most dynamic beach destination. An exciting new hotel appropriately oriented for your special South Beach moments, you’ll love the bohemian rooms, fun-spirited dining and ultra-hot spots – the comings, the goings, the night life, the good life. Out Magazine and ABSOLUT VODKA, our partners in crime, make exploring, socializing and looking good in South Beach easy, while our give-back groups, Hetrick Martin Institute, The Point Foundation and Care Resource make you feel good while doing

 

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Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. Announces Public Offering of 17.5 Million Common Shares

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., Nov. 8, 2010 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. /quotes/comstock/13*!sho/quotes/nls/sho (SHO 10.29, -0.64, -5.86%) (the "Company") announced today that it intends to issue 17,500,000 shares of its common stock in a registered public offering. The underwriters will be granted a 30-day option to purchase up to an additional 2,625,000 shares of common stock to cover over-allotments, if any.

The joint bookrunners for this offering are BofA Merrill Lynch and J.P. Morgan.

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Pebblebrook Hotel Trust Reports Third Quarter Results

BETHESDA, Md., Nov 08, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Pebblebrook Hotel Trust /quotes/comstock/13*!peb/quotes/nls/peb (PEB 20.20, -0.13, -0.64%) (the "Company") today reported net income (loss) to common shareholders of $(0.3) million, or $(0.01) per diluted share, for the quarter ended September 30, 2010.

For the quarter ended September 30, 2010, the Company generated funds from operations ("FFO") of $1.7 million. On a per diluted share basis, FFO for the third quarter of 2010 was $0.05. The Company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization ("EBITDA") for the quarter was $1.6 million.

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Problems with Discounting

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How Tim Hortons is playing to win in America

Arcade Fire is the baddest band in the land, Justin Bieber has entranced America's teen girls and Tim Hortons Inc. (THI-T38.33-0.13-0.34%) is the second-fastest-growing restaurant chain in America.
Tim Hortons' David Clanachan can take credit for only one portion of this Canadian incursion, but his company's growth in the U.S. is almost Bieberian in its intensity and efficiency. Clanachan was named Tim Hortons' chief operations officer, U.S. and international, in May 2008. By last year, food-industry analyst firm Technomic named Tim Hortons and its now 600 U.S. doughnuts-and-more locations the second-fastest-growing chain in the U.S., behind only Washington, D.C.-based East Coast burger empire Five Guys.

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Papa John's Q3 profit misses Street, cuts FY EPS view

Nov 3 (Reuters) - Papa John's International's (PZZA.O) quarterly profit missed market expectations as higher commodity costs and heavy discounting dented its operating margins and it cut the upper end of its 2010 adjusted earnings view.

The company cut the upper end of its 2010 earnings view by 2 cents and now targets earnings of $1.74-$1.80 a share for the year.
Papa John's added that current pricing and promotional environment in the pizza category, coupled with increasing commodity costs trends, would result in continued restaurant margin pressures in the fourth quarter.

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China Loves KFC, Pizza Hut And Investors Should Too

China’s appetite for Colonel Sanders’ chicken continues to grow. The world’s most populated country now accounts for 41.5% of Yum Brands’ (YUM – Analyst Report) overall revenue, up from 35.8% a year ago.
The company, which also operates Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, reported solid third quarter earnings on October 5. Management also increased earnings guidance for the remainder of the year, prompting analysts to raise their estimates.

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Einstein Noah Restaurant Group Reports Third Quarter 2010 Financial Results

Total revenues increased 1.3% to $101.4 million. System-wide comparable restaurant sales and comparable transactions increased 0.7%. Total gross margin improved 120 basis points to 19.8% from 18.6%. Adjusted EBITDA improved to $10.9 million from $10.5 million. (*) Adjusted net income improved to $3.4 million, or $0.20 in adjusted diluted EPS, from $2.5 million, or $0.15 in adjusted diluted EPS. (*) Free cash flow for the third quarter increased by $3 million, or 45%, to $9.6 million. (*)

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O'Charley's widens loss in 3Q

Restaurant chain O'Charley's Inc. posted a wider third-quarter loss on Friday on charges and lower margins.
The company reported a loss of $7.4 million, or 35 cents per share, for the quarter compared with a loss of $2.1 million, or 10 cents per share, in the same quarter of the prior year. The results from the latest quarter included interest expense of $2.5 million, impairment and disposal charges of $2.5 million and an income tax benefit of $600,000.

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