The power of franchise owners versus a franchisor’s authority is under debate in two states as franchisees for two separate Yum! Brands concepts are suing the company. Some KFC franchisees are sticking a fork in the grilled... »

Last fall, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy launched the Partnership on Energy Efficiency in Buildings and Products. Now they are looking for input on energy efficiency and enhancing the Energy... »

Strong gains by Rational Americas, Manitowoc Foodservice and Middleby Corp. pushed blended sales of the public equipment and supplies companies into positive territory in the second quarter, with combined revenues up 0.7%. It was... »

Technomic Inc. predicts foodservice real operator sales will fall 0.3% next year, an unprecedented fourth consecutive year of real sales declines. The Chicago-based research group unveiled the numbers Sept. 23 during the annual... »

The slightest possible gain in the National Restaurant Association’s Performance Index couldn’t mask the fact that the restaurant industry continues to struggle. The index rose only 0.1 point to 99.5. It’s the fourth consecutive... »

Restaurant traffic fell 1% in the second quarter versus the same quarter last year, according to NPD Group’s CREST research. It is the eighth consecutive quarter of traffic declines according to the Port Washington, N.Y.,... »

Foodservice Equipment Reports E&S Market Forecast package is available for purchase for $449. Purchasers will receive the entire seven-section forecast, including detailed data and analysis of economic and operator trends,... »

ITW continues to make news. Just days after announcing an organizational restructuring (reported in the last Fortnightly), the multinational conglomerate has acquired Elro Group, a Bremergarten, Switzerland, maker of thermal... »

And some chains are still busy taking the plunge across our northern border. Buffalo Wild Wings has announced plans for more than 50 company-owned and franchised stores across Canada. The five-year expansion plan will kick off in... »

The Commercial Food Equipment Service Association will gather in Savannah, Ga., next month for its fall meeting. The meeting, Oct. 18-20, at the Westin Savannah Harbor, will include a full slate of board and committee meetings... »

Howard Veldhorst, a 36-year veteran of The Vollrath Co., has died. He was 74. Veldhorst was v.p.-national sales accounts at the Sheboygan, Wis., manufacturer; he retired in 1998. Known for his encouragement to friends, family and... »

The King and the Colonel are back--the U.S. military has lifted a seven-month ban on fast-food restaurants and retail stores at American bases in Afghanistan. Fast-food outlets, including Burger Kings and KFCs, were ordered... »

The slowdown in the growth of consumer spending over the summer has led economists to cut their forecasts of most key economic measures. Forecast growth of U.S. real gross domestic product for 2010 dropped 0.2 point to 2.7% in... »

While the Blue Chip Economic Indicators’ economists cut the U.S. forecasts, the economic outlooks for many countries in Europe and Asia improved, especially in Europe. A much stronger than anticipated rise in real gross domestic... »

According to Technomic Inc., the wealthiest 25% of households in the U.S. account for nearly 50% of all foodservice spending. Their cutbacks during The Great Recession have severely stressed many foodservice concepts,... »

Wholesale food prices for so-called “finished” foods fell 0.3 in August, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Producer Price Index data, released Sept. 16. It was the fourth month in five for declines in wholesale food... »

Foodservice Equipment Reports' E&S Market Forecast package is available for purchase for $449. Purchasers will receive the entire seven-section forecast, including detailed data and analysis of economic and operator trends,... »

Opening a new QSR in South Los Angeles is going to remain difficult, if not impossible. The moratorium on new, freestanding fast-food units instituted by the L.A. City Council in 2008 expired Sept. 14, but a proposal to make the... »

Financial help for operators to clear the air is available in counties east of San Francisco. In an effort to reduce emissions from charbroiling meat, the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District is offering funding to... »

Whether or not you like checking off boxes and crunching numbers, more of it is likely heading your way. The long-debated small business aid bill passed in the Senate last week includes newly expanded 1099 tax-form reporting... »

The Missouri Supreme Court ruled last week that restaurants cannot claim a tax exemption for the purchase of kitchen equipment, nor claim a resale exemption for the purchase of tables, chairs, plates and servingware used by their... »

California Pizza Kitchen is a leader in the trend of foodservice chains fueling growth and earnings with increased overseas openings; the Los Angeles chain just opened its first store in India and its fourth unit in South Korea.... »

Apparently, for New York state bagel eaters, the first cut is the deepest—and it’s taxable. Last month, looking for ways to fill its coffers, the state began enforcing an old law that taxes prepared foods, including sliced... »

In our last issue of Fortnightly, we reported on the general uneasiness of New York City operators with the city’s new restaurant-grading system, which posts the past history of code violations and inspection reports on the... »

The two capital expenditure measures that are part of the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index rose in July, even while the overall index fell slightly. The worrisome issue is the continuing decline in... »