Real-Time Feedback, Urgent Response” From the Web site of Mindshare Technologies, an article about why real-time feedback and urgent response are among the most powerful differentiators with winning companies in business today.

“Social Media And Customer Experience Feedback“ An overview of social media as relates to customer feedback, including recommendations that companies can pursue right now to take advantage of powerful social media networks from the Web site of Mindshare Technologies.

“Are You Ready For Enterprise Feedback Management?” From the Web site of Mindshare Technologies, an article about the process of collecting feedback in real time through multiple channels, consolidating feedback from customers, employees, and other stakeholders, integrating it with other important financial and transactional data, turning it into actionable information, and distributing that information to the right person at the right time for follow up.

“http://www.rimag.com/article/370555-Special_Report_Ways_to_Manage_Restaurant_Guest_Feedback.php” From Restaurants and Institutions, a special report on tracking guest satisfaction through feedback and how it helps restaurant operations measure performance.

Some Web-based services that monitor social media mentions of companies, Web-sites, people, products, etc:
Whostalkin.com: Searches and over 60 of the Internet’s most popular social media sites for conversations and topics, including restaurants and displays results.

socialmention.com: Searches and aggregates user-generated content such as blogs, comments, bookmarks, events, news, videos, etc. on 80+ social media sites and sends daily

boardreader.com: A search engine for Forums and Boards which find and display information contained on the Web’s forums and message boards.

Icerocket.com: An Internet search engine specialized in searching blogs.

TweetBeep.com: Like Google alerts for Twitter, sends an email notifications when someone mentions a word, name or phrase on Twitter.

Tweetgrid.com: An automatically updated Twitter search dashboard that allows users to search for up to nine different topics, events, phrases, conversations, people, groups, etc.

twitteranalyzer.com: Like Google analytics for Twitter users, provides a number of statistics about your Twitter account – such as user stats – providing insight into which segments of the Twitter audience your messages will most likely resonate.

twitoaster.com: A service which track Twitter conversations in a thread-like way, as on a message board/forum, which can help companies keep track of what people are saying about them. It also provides various analytics about conversations, such as charts showing replies by day or hour, and ranks the Twitter users who have elicited the most replies.

POS Software Innovations” An article in Hospitality Technology about 13 different software innovations for point of sale systems.

Restaurant Consumers See Most Value in Virtual Menus, Pagers” An article in Restaurants & Institutions about Cornell’s recent study, “Consumer Preferences for restaurant technology Innovations.”

MenuCalc will help restaurants and food professionals do their own nutrition analysis or it can be done by their Registered Dietitians. There is also a page on the current menu labeling laws around the country.

HealthyDiningFinder.com offers nutrition consulting and analysis services for restaurants including computerized nutrition analysis.

“Reading the Fine Print” An article about the variety of technologies which can help restaurants comply with menu-labeling laws.

“Getting the Word Out” An article about the various ways that restaurant companies are using technology to provide nutritional information to consumers, including as Web sites, text messaging, and point-of-sale systems.

“What’s on the Menu?” An article about menu analysis technology for restaurants.

Burger King Dunkin’Donuts McDonald’s Pizza Hut Subway

Reservations Tug-of-War” An article by Glenn Withiam, Director of Publications, Cornell Center for Hospitality Research, about Cornell’s recent study, “How Restaurant Customers View Online Reservations.”

Restaurant Reservations Go Online. An article from The New York Times about the rise of OpenTable.

Scoring a Restaurant Table Online. In the context of technological advances and the economic downturn, an article in The Wall Street Journal that looks at OpenTable.com, SavvyDiner.com, Restaurant.com, and DinnerBroker.com, all of which operate in most major U.S.

Technology Adds Speed Plus Service” An article from Chain Leader discussing how using handheld ordering devices for customers in line at Einstein Noah Restaurant is saving time and increasing service.

“Mobile Ordering Coming to a QSR Near Year” An article from QSR Web about the trend to mobile ordering and mobile apps options at QSRs.

“May I WiFi Your Order Please?” An article from Restaurants & Institutions explores the advantages of electronic ordering and some companies who are using the technology.

“Domino’s Customers Can Follow Their Pizza’s Progress” An article from Chain Leader about a graphic-heavy software program – Pizza Tracker – that allows Domino customers to assemble their pizza before placing their order, identify the person making their pizza, and follow their order.

“Pizza Hut Launches Killer App for Your Appetite” An article from Barron’s discusses this new iPhone/iPod app for Pizza Hut that allows customers to build their own pizza, choosing crust and pinching it to size, dragging and dropping toppings.

“Cutting the Cord” An article from Restaurant Hospitality about restaurateurs who are moving to handheld, wireless ordering devices and the benefits they are experiencing.

A case study by Queuent Management Solutions of P.F. Chang regarding use of mobile phones for wait list management.

From Hospitality Technology, the 2009 Self-Service Technology Study, a survey of subscribers and a representative sample of U.S. consumers about their experiences with and attitudes toward self-service technology – where, when, and why they like to use this technology.