Numerology

-- Restaurants and Institutions, 7/15/2008

7%	Increase in the number of restaurants nationwide with hamburgers on their menus in May 2008 compared with the number two years ago. (The NPD Group)
10%	Increase in Dunkin' Donuts' average-unit sales during summer thanks to the return of the Coolatta cold-beverage line. Coffee Coolatta is the most popular, followed by Strawberry, Vanilla Bean and Orange Mango varieties. (Dunkin' Donuts)
3	Weight in pounds of the Matai Plate introduced recently at L&L Hawaiian Barbecue. The meal includes three scoops of hot rice, two scoops of chilled macaroni salad, three pieces of Chicken Katsu or Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken and three pieces of BBQ Beef. (L&L Hawaiian Barbecue)
38.3%	Percent of limited-service restaurants that say their breakfast sandwiches with egg are increasing in sales. The Steak and Egg Breakfast Sandwich (l.) on a kaiser roll is among the breakfast items Wendy's has tested. (R&I 2007 Menu Census; Wendy's)
54%	Percent of pizzas served at birthday parties held at Chuck E. Cheese's restaurants that are pepperoni-topped; the all-meat combo is the next favorite topping, at 15% of the total. (CEC Entertainment; seekingalpha.com)
48%	Percent of the food items sold at Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill that are fish- or seafood-based; chicken items account for 34% of the total, steak for 13.9%, carnitas for 4.1%. (Rubio's Fresh Mexican Grill)
22,477	Number of McDonald's Big Macs that Fond du Lac, Wis., resident Don Gorske claims he has eaten since the sandwich was introduced in 1972. Gorske, a self-described obsessive-compulsive personality who records each Big Mac dining event in a pocket notebook, is the author of a recently published memoir titled, you guessed it, “22,477 Big Macs” (AuthorHouse, 2008). (AuthorHouse)
$5 million	Investment last year by Ruby Tuesday in staff culinary training and the creation of the Center for Culinary Excellence at the chain's headquarters in Maryville, Tenn. (Ruby Tuesday)
33	Varieties of seafood and fish—from Alaskan Black Cod to Wahoo (l.)—that Bonefish Grill explains to consumers in the interactive “The Dish on Fish” section of its bonefishgrill.com Web site. (Bonefish Grill)
1	Number of Fatburger units in which actress/singer Queen Latifah is a partner. Her restaurant opened last year in Miami Beach. (southflorida.metromix.com)
3	Number of years (1991 to 1994) that “Desperate Housewives” star Eva Longoria (r.) worked at Wendy's in Corpus Christi, Texas. She returned to work the counter and drive-thru window at a Wendy's there in May as a fundraiser for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. (Associated Press)
5	Number of elements—egg, bacon, hash-brown potatoes, American cheese and smoky cheese sauce—wrapped in a flour tortilla for Burger King's Cheesy Bacon BK Wrapper. (Burger King)
9	Number of the 10 largest casual-dining chains that offer spinach-and-artichoke dip as a starter. Texas Roadhouse is the lone holdout among them. (R&I research)
11	Number of entrées on T.G.I. Friday's “Right Portion, Right Price” menu after the addition in May of Petite Sirloin, Roasted Red Pepper Sausage & Chicken Penne and Strawberry Fields Salad with Chicken. (T.G.I. Friday's)