We (and lots of other observers) were wrong. Most of us expected consumers would gain back a bit of their confidence from the AmericanTaxpayer Relief Act passed just after the New Year. But no. The Thomson Reuters/University of... »

It being a new year, we thought we’d share the current macroeconomic forecasts from Blue Chip Economic Indicators. The 50 major economic forecasting groups polled monthly by Blue Chip raised their consensus forecast for real... »

The price-increase news for foodservice operators in December was actually pretty good. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported wholesale food prices at all three levels of the wholesale chain fell during the month. Finished... »

It’s been a very tough slog for foodservice operators the past two years in Britain. The austerity regime of tax increases and benefit cuts put in place by the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat government has cut consumers’... »

The New York State Supreme Court is hearing arguments Jan. 23 on the legality of the supersized soft-drink ban passed last year by New York City’s board of health The National Restaurant Association, American Beverage... »

As restaurant chains and other operators gear up to comply with the new state and federal healthcare guidelines, the California Restaurant Association has followed the NRA’s lead and created its own webpage dedicated to... »

Anthony Mazur, past president and founding father of Manufacturers’ Agents for the Food Service Industry, passed away Jan. 4. He was 97. Mazur, of A.E. Mazur Associates, Philadelphia, was a tireless supporter of MAFSI since... »

Tom Ward, who spent 33 years in sales with Wells Mfg. Co., died Dec. 21, 2012 of complications from Alzheimer’s. He was 72. George Thomas Ward spent his youth on his family’s Wiley City, Wash., hop and cattle ranch. In 1972,... »

Matt Walker will lead the National Restaurant Association’s advocacy strategy and lobbying efforts in the Congress as the NRA’s new v.p.-government affairs. Before joining the NRA, Walker worked as deputy staff director and... »

The brokers and investment bankers that help equipment and supplies companies buy and sell other companies had a very busy 2012. Foodservice Equipment Reports and our forecasting partner John Muldowney, v.p.-marketing at... »

Kittredge Equipment Co., the Agawam, Mass., dealer, has purchased Northeast Food Service Equipment and Supply, a Bow, N.H.-based dealer. Both companies are family-owned businesses with a strong commitment to exceptional customer... »

I’ve had two really interesting interviews in the past couple weeks. One was with Phil Dei Dolori and Dean Landeche at Manitowoc Foodservice and another with Selim Bassoul at Middleby. While the original topics were totally... »

Eagle Group: Shari Kaplan has joined the Clayton, Del., company as v.p.- eastern regional sales. Kaplan, who has experience on the dealer and manufacturing sides of the industry, will represent Eagle’s line of foodservice... »

The NAFEM Show is only weeks away. Among the associations planning concurrent seminars and meetings is the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association, which will host a box lunch seminar on Friday, Feb. 8. In “Good and... »

A fall off the so-called fiscal cliff was skirted by Congress's New Year’s passage of the American Taxpayer Relief Act, which included a number of tax breaks for small-business owners and foodservice operators. The legislation... »

The waning hours of 2012 brought one last major story in the foodservice equipment business: Middleby Corp. has acquired Viking Range Corp for $380 million in cash. The deal was announced Dec. 31. Viking, a leading maker of... »

Unified Brands announced Dec. 20 that it has acquired Power Soak Systems, a privately held manufacturer of continuous-motion warewashing systems. Power Soak is headquartered in Kansas City, Mo., and has a manufacturing facility... »

John Birchfield, FCSI, the founder and principal of Birchfield Foodsystems, a foodservice consulting and design firm, died Dec. 29. He was 82 years old. Birchfield had a long and multifaceted career in the foodservice industry.... »

Unless you spent the holidays on another planet or at least on a remote island paradise with no media access, you are aware that Congress and the Obama Administration cobbled together in early January a package that made... »

Erwin Shakin, a man who loved the foodservice industry and said he had to have at least one meal a day in a restaurant, died on Dec. 24. He was 83 years old. Shakin was the founder of Consolidated Restaurant Services,... »

A private-equity firm that already holds a majority stake in Peet’s Coffee & Tea has acquired Caribou Coffee Co., the nation’s second-largest company-owned coffeehouse chain. The Joh. A. Benckiser Group (JAB) announced a... »

It’s a done deal: The Italian foodservice equipment conglomerate The Ali Group has successfully closed on its previously announced definitive agreement to acquire Scotsman Industries, the world’s largest commercial ice-machine... »

The two indicators in the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index that track recent and future capital spending by restaurant operators took big hits in December, even as other measures in the index rose,... »

The Vollrath Co. will be expanding its brand into acrylic dispensing, display and fabrication products with its latest acquisition, fellow Wisconsin manufacturer Acry Fab Inc. The Sun Prairie, Wis.-based company is... »

The National Association of College & University Food Services is seeking nominations for its national recognition awards honoring individuals and organizations for their outstanding service to the association and its... »