Welcome to SupplyChainScene

On behalf of the NRA Exec Study Group and the supply chain management faculty at TCU, I welcome you to our new website, designed to be a “one stop shop” for supply chain managers and students who want to understand trends, opportunities, and best practices in restaurant supply chain management.

The U.S. restaurant industry is valued at near $1 trillion in sales, making it an economic powerhouse that is at the same time interesting, challenging, and fast changing.  I can’t think of another industry that similarly combines the need to match changing fashions and consumer tastes with the challenges of managing perishable resources and supplies, subject to rapid shifts in availability, safety and regulatory constraints, across networks of such complexity (over 1 million locations in the U.S. alone!).  Add to this the growing challenges and opportunities presented by globalization, emerging technologies, and our changing societal norms, and you get a truly unique industry indeed!

Given these dynamics, the TCU Center for Supply Chain Innovation and the NRA have partnered to create an ongoing best practices research and sharing program for the industry. This site is the place view the products of our research projects, as well as a place to get information on restaurant industry trends and supply chain management career opportunities.

In this monthly blog, faculty, students, and other interested contributors will offer perspectives and commentary on happenings, industry trends, emerging technologies, and other topics relevant to the restaurant industry. We welcome your input – we want to make both this blog and the website as interactive as possible. Please contact us if you have any questions or comments, and stay tuned for our next blog!