Restaurants - Publications - Faculty & Research

2013
Working Paper

The Operational Consequences of Private Equity Buyouts: Evidence from the Restaurant Industry

By: Albert W. Sheen and Shai Bernstein

What, if anything, do private equity firms do with businesses they acquire? We find evidence of significant operational changes in 101 restaurant chain buyouts between 2002 and 2012. Analysis of health inspections conducted for over 50,000 stores in Florida shows that... View Details

Keywords: Safety; Quality; Private Equity; Food; Management Practices and Processes; Leveraged Buyouts; Performance Efficiency; Retail Industry; Food and Beverage Industry; Florida

Citation

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28 Jun 2017
Research & Ideas

Minimum Wage Hikes Drive (Lousy) Restaurants Out of Business

Minimum wage hikes can drive poor-quality restaurants out of business. (Source: AndresCalle) A hike in the minimum wage can push restaurants out of business—but mainly the less desirable establishments... View Details

Keywords: by Dina Gerdeman; Food & Beverage

Web

Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry - Course Catalog

HBS Course Catalog Challenges and Opportunities in the Restaurant Industry Course Number 1564 Senior Lecturer Michael S. Kaufman Executive Fellow Andy Pforzheimer Spring; Q3Q4; 3.0 credits 27 Sessions Exam Note: Andy Pforzheimer (Harvard... View Details

07 May 2024
News

Lessons in Business Innovation from Legendary Restaurant elBulli

27 Apr 2017
News

Higher minimum wages may make bad restaurants close

26 Jul 2022
News

Burgers with Bugs? What Happens When Restaurants Ignore Online Reviews

March 2014 (Revised June 2014)
Case

Noma: A Lot on the Plate

By: Mukti Khaire and Elena Corsi

In 2014, the restaurant Noma, based in Copenhagen, Denmark, was considered to be amongst the best restaurants in the world, and its co-founder, co-owner and chef, René Redzepi, among the most influential chefs. The restaurant was also leading the new Nordic food... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant Industry; Food; Entrepreneurship; Food and Beverage Industry; Europe

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04 Nov 2014
News

Restaurant Food Tastes Better When the Chef Can See You

06 Nov 2014
News

App Allows Customers to Pay Restaurant Bills Through Their Smartphones

Keywords: SplitNGo; i-Lab; Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

17 Apr 2017
News

Panera-bred Leaders Have Risen Throughout the Restaurant Industry

As Ron Shaich (MBA 1978) grew Au Bon Pain and then the Panera Bread Company into the nation’s largest “fast casual” chain, he was also shaping a team of highly skilled restaurant executives. A recent article in the Boston Globe traces the... View Details

Keywords: Food Services and Drinking Places; Hospitality

December 2017
Case

Clover Food Lab in 2016

By: Lena G. Goldberg, Sonia Smith and Sandra Bahous

Ayr Muir, founder and CEO of Clover Food Lab, has grown his restaurant chain from a single food truck to 11 thriving stores but he has no interest in running a regional chain. His ambition is to change the way America eats and his goal is national expansion. As he... View Details

Keywords: Restaurant Industry; Food; Growth Management; Strategic Planning; Brands and Branding; Marketing Strategy; Innovation and Management; Customer Satisfaction; Small Business; Expansion; Decision Choices and Conditions; Food and Beverage Industry

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December 2018 (Revised October 2019)
Case

Barteca: The Challenge and Opportunity of Private Equity

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Michael S. Kaufman

Andy Pforzheimer and Sasa Mahr-Batuz, co-founders of a highly successful seven-location restaurant brand, had just opened the first location of a new brand. They had mapped out future expansion for both brands but wondered if, rather than lining up an assortment of... View Details

Keywords: Restaurants; Brands and Branding; Expansion; Private Equity; Strategy; Decision Making

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December 2019
Supplement

Dreaming of a New York City Restaurant (C)

By: Lena G. Goldberg and Michael S. Kaufman

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17 Nov 2022
News

Planning the Future for Harlem’s Beloved Sylvia’s Restaurant

01 Jul 2021
News

Where Workers Leaving the Restaurant Industry Are Going

09 May 2018
Research & Ideas

A Simple Way for Restaurant Inspectors to Improve Food Safety

Restaurant inspectors can be the last line of defense between you and moldy bread. (HighLaZ) Simple tweaks to the schedules of food safety inspectors could result in hundreds of thousands of currently overlooked violations being... View Details

Keywords: by Carmen Nobel; Food & Beverage; Service