In This Section:
Aga Sells Commercial Division To Ali
Minneapolis Restaurant Aims To LEED First
Malody, Ward Honored By FCSI
U.K. Buildings To Run On "McFuel"
This issue's Economic Report Sponsor: Manitowoc Foodservice Group
Regulatory ReportSponsor: Enodis
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Aga Sells Commercial Division To Ali
With the goal of focusing on its consumer business, Aga Foodservice Group has agreed to sell its commercial foodservice and bakery equipment business, Aga Foodservice Equipment, to Italian manufacturer Ali SpA. The deal was valued at £260 million, or approximately $542 million. Aga expects to complete the sale by the end of the year.
Aga's consumer division accounts for 60% of the business and includes the Aga, Rangemaster and Marvel brands.
Ali SpA, Milan, Italy, designs, manufactures and markets commercial foodservice equipment. The group consists of 32 manufacturing sites located in 12 countries.
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Minneapolis Restaurant Aims To LEED First
Lead, follow or get out of the way, the old saying goes. Kim Bartmann wants to do something just a little different—LEED. Bartmann is in the process of opening the Red Stag Supper Club in Minneapolis, which she hopes will be the first Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified restaurant in Minnesota.
To secure certification, building projects have to meet criteria set by the U.S. Green Building Council in five key areas: sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection, and indoor environmental quality.
Bartmann, who owns two other restaurants in the Minneapolis area, is building the northwoods-style supper club in a former sheet metal shop. She's using decidedly low-tech recycled materials wherever possible, like booths and marble salvaged from a downtown hotel before they went into a dumpster. And she's installing high-tech systems like energy-efficient HVAC and 100% LED lighting.
While construction is more expensive than a typical restaurant—the LED lighting, for example, is "astronomically more expensive," she said, and the water heater twice what a typical heater costs—she expects to save dramatically on utilities. The lighting uses 90% less electricity and is expected to last longer.
The menu, when the restaurant opens sometime this fall, will feature local, sustainably grown ingredients. You can keep track of the Red Stag's progress at www.redstagsupperclub.com.
Malody, Ward Honored By FCSI
In addition to announcing Product of the Year winners at Foodservice Consultants Society Int'l.'s meeting last month in Atlanta (covered in the Oct. 23 FER Fortnightly), the association also presented awards to two individuals: Karen Malody, FCSI, of Culinary Options; and our own Chief Editor Brian Ward.
Malody was honored in two separate categories. First, she received the FCSI Service Award for her dedication and commitment to the organization. Specifically, she was cited for numerous contributions including serving on the FCSI Council for Professional Standards, Super Regional planning committee and a number of conference planning committees including chairing the 2007 North American Conference in Atlanta. She was also the recipient of the Best Article by a Consultant Member Award for her article, "Potency in Partnership: The Role of Management Advisory Services," which appeared in The Consultant magazine.
Foodservice Equipment Reports and FER Fortnightly Chief Editor Ward, meanwhile, was honored with the inaugural Bob Pacifico "Doing Well By Doing Good" Award.
Ward was recognized for his role in initiating and supporting the biennial Road to NAFEM charity motorcycle rides. Over the past 10 years, spanning all five events, Ward has been a regular participant and promoter behind the initiative that has helped raise more than $300,000 for America's Second Harvest.
The award was created by FCSI's North American Division to honor Past-President and member of the FCSI Council of Fellows Robert Pacifico, FFCSI, who passed away in 2007. The award will be given annually to recognize an industry colleague who has been diligent in community service and who has shown dedication, support and leadership to the hospitality industry.
U.K. Buildings To Run On "McFuel"
McDonald's U.K. is turning greener than Kermit the Frog. In July, the chain announced it would convert its truck fleet to run on old fryer oil. Now it's powering up 130 buildings in South Yorkshire with trash from its restaurants.
Eleven stores are part of the initial test in which trash is being collected and treated at a state-of-the-art recovery center, then converted into heat and electricity. Because most of the chain's trash is contaminated with food, recyclers refuse to take it and it ends up in landfills, says McDonald's U.K. President Steve Easterbrook. Turning trash into generating fuel instead will prevent about 100 tons of trash per store from going to dump sites each year.
The electricity generated by the trash collected from the 11 test units provides power to a theater, hospital, sports center, apartment buildings, galleries and even city hall in Sheffield. As part of the project, the restaurants also have been outfitted with a range of green design elements such as solar panels, wind turbines, energy-efficient lighting and cardboard recycling.
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