Candle Lamp has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition of The Sterno Group. The combined companies, led by Candle Lamp’s current executive team, will be known as SternoCandleLamp. Sterno, founded in 1893 as... »

Veteran’s Day is Monday, Nov. 12. We received a note from SC Equipment Funding noting that it will close its offices in Placentia, Calif., that day in observance of it. The editors here at FER thought we’d pass it along. SC... »

There are fewer than 100 days until NAFEM `13. Booked your rooms and tickets yet? Found a seat for the closing night banquet’s headliner, Jimmy Buffett? If not, hop to it. The show, Feb. 7-9, 2013, is just around the corner. And... »

In case you didn’t see it, we wrote the following analysis of the foodservice equipment and supplies market, and how it is developing compared with our July forecasts, for last week’s FER Dealer Report. Since then, our... »

India is no longer an untapped market for Starbucks. Earlier this month, the coffee chain debuted in Mumbai, its first outlet in the world’s second most populous country. The flagship Mumbai store was the first of three grand... »

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen is going bicoastal. The concept, which parent Chipotle Mexican Grill debuted in Washington, D.C., in 2011, will open its first unit in Los Angeles early next year. The West Coast store will be... »

Burger King Worldwide has plans to get bigger in Colombia and expand into Siberia. The chain has inked an exclusive development deal with Fondo Escala Capital and Promotora to further its brand in Colombia by more than 100 new... »

It doesn’t make much sense to most informed observers, but consumer sentiment held at a five-year high in the final October reading of the Thomson/Reuters University of Michigan’s Consumer Sentiment Index. The final reading was... »

The political and legislative advocacy team at the National Restaurant Association has gotten stronger. The association has promoted Brendan Flanagan to v.p.-state and local affairs, a new position in the association’s expanded... »

It can hardly be termed robust, but real growth of gross domestic product in the U.S. came in at 2% in the third quarter on an annualized basis, according to the advanced estimate released Oct. 26 by the Department of Commerce’s... »

The expected seasonal decline in gasoline prices has finally kicked in, following the unexpected run-up of prices this late summer. The average national price for a gallon of regular gas has plummeted nearly 13 cents in the last... »

Made good? Achieved your goals? It’s a good time to tell your story, or share the details of someone else’s accomplishment. The National Restaurant Association is looking for operators across the country to apply or nominate a... »

A letter-grade system, like those used for health inspections in New York and North Carolina, is under debate for restaurant and bar owners in Baltimore. Legislation mandating that the city health department implement a grading... »

We usually define restaurant locations as strip sites or stand-alone or mall placements. Now a county in Maryland is looking at putting parked food trucks in their own business category as semi-permanent foodservice... »

Thomas L. Redditt Sr., a manufacturers’ rep and past-president of the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry, died Oct. 20. He was 96. Redditt founded the Tom Redditt Sales Agency, based in Littleton,... »

Bon Chef Fills National Accounts Post: Industry veteran Kaya Gross has joined Bon Chef to head up national accounts. She will lead national account sales under Bon Chef Pres. Sal Torre. The Lafayette, N.J., manufacturer offers a... »

Myers Restaurant Supply, the Santa Rosa, Calif.-based dealership, has acquired J.M. Design and Associates, a Manteca, Calif., commercial kitchen design and consulting firm. Jeff Melton, the sole proprietor of J.M. Design, has... »

Curtis Restaurant Equipment, Oregon’s largest foodservice equipment dealer, has won 2012 Vendor of the Year honors from the Oregon Restaurant & Lodging Association. “This award recognizes the exemplary service and... »

If you’ve been too busy to fill out the paperwork, there is a little more time to apply for one of the 20 FEDA Education Foundation scholarships for the University of Industrial Distribution. The association has extended the... »

NexGen Procurement Group has updated its meeting schedule. The Greenville, S.C.-based buying group will hold NexGen Leadership Meetings Oct. 14-17, 2013, in Chicago and Feb. 3-7, 2014, in Dallas. »

Foodservice Equipment Reports has named five individuals to receive the magazine’s prestigious Industry Service Awards. The awards, first given in 2005, honor those who have made substantial contributions not just to their firms... »

Expansion seems to be in the cards for Steak n’ Shake, which will debut its first units outside the U.S. next year. The diner-style burger chain founded in Normal, Ill., in 1934 opened its first New York City outpost last January... »

Wendy’s is reporting an average sales increase of more than 25% in its new "Image Activation" units.  The modern, sleek units feature lounge seating with fireplaces, flat-screen TVs, Wi-Fi and digital... »

In spite of economic uncertainty and another round of surging gasoline and food prices, Technomic Inc. has revised its forecasts for operator sales growth this year and next only very slightly in the latest go-round. The... »

Sewer bills won’t be scary for operators in Portland, Ore., if their kitchens have a grease trap, and if they rely on composting rather than a garbage disposal to keep fats, grease and oils from going down—and clogging—the... »