Restaurant

Seattle –- Starbucks Corp. topped off a generally successful fourth quarter of fiscal 2014 by swinging to net income of $587.9 million from net loss of $1.23 billion the fourth quarter of the prior fiscal year. The removal of a one-time arbitration charge of $2.8 billion helped bring Starbucks into the black.  

New York –- Online footwear retailer Zappos is ranked the simplest brand in the U.S. And that’s a good thing. According to the new Brand Simplicity Index ranking of U.S. brands from brand advisory firm Siegel & Gale, the top 10 list is dominated by retailers. The list includes Amazon.com at number two, Subway (#3), Pizza Hut (#4), Netflix (#5), Trader Joe’s (#6), Kroger (#7), McDonald’s (#8), Chipotle (#9) and Dunkin’ Donuts (#10).

Tampa, Fla. -- Outback Steakhouse is introducing Click Thru Seating. With Click Thru Seating, customers visit Outback.com from any connected device to view the current wait time at their local Outback restaurant and put their name on the waitlist for now or later.    Unlike a traditional reservation, late customers will not be dropped from the wait list or penalized. The service will also soon be available on the Outback mobile app.  

Oak Brook, Ill. -- McDonald’s is collaborating with mobile commerce provider Softcard. Customers will now be able to tap and pay both in-restaurant and in the drive-thru lane at all U.S. McDonald’s locations, marking the largest deployment of NFC-based mobile commerce in drive-thru.  

Dallas –- Bar Louie will open its newest location at the Shops at Park Lane in Dallas. Bar Louie will occupy the 7,332-sq.-ft. former Park Tavern space and open mid-November.   UCR’s Stan Lotridge represented the tenant, BL Restaurant Operations, and UCR’s Ashley O’Malley represented the landlord, Northwood Retail.  

Construction is currently underway at Jefferson Commons, a regional shopping center in a booming area of Louisville, Ky. Developed by GBT Realty Corp., based in Brentwood, Tenn., the 230,000-sq.-ft. Jefferson Commons will feature Academy Sports + Outdoors, Five Below, Mattress Firm, Mens Wearhouse, Hancock Fabrics and Avalon Nails.  

In announcing its new mobile ordering service, Starbucks referenced a "seismic shift in consumer behavior in which many traditional brick-and-mortar retailers experienced a decline in foot traffic compared with significant growth in online shopping" during the 2013 holiday season. Indeed, consumers are increasingly comfortable with bypassing physical stores and purchasing goods online, especially when facing the prospect of holiday crowds and traffic.