Lawmakers in Massachusetts are considering two bills that would regulate franchise agreements and more clearly define the relationship between local franchise owners and their franchisors. One bill would clarify the employment status of franchise owners and protect franchisors from having to pay them overtime and the costs of certain benefits.The second bill would give local…

California’s food-handler training law took effect July 1, and in the week leading up to its official enactment, press reports indicated a general lack of knowledge among operators about the new law. As of last Friday, food handlers must take basic food safety training and secure a California food-handler card to work in a restaurant…

The North Carolina General Assembly is in summer recess, but when it returns, it will get to debate grease. State Rep. John Torbett has sponsored a bill to crack down on the theft of used kitchen grease from restaurants. HB 512 would make it a felony to steal $1,000 or more of used cooking oils…

You must register by Friday, July 8 for Foodservice Equipment Reports’ E&S Market Forecast President’s Preview meeting to earn the early-bird discount on the seminar fee. The annual meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, at the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston, Ill. This annual meeting offers manufacturers, operators, dealers and others in the industry an…

The only surprising thing is that it didn’t happen sooner. The surge in gasoline prices from February through May finally caught up with the restaurant industry in May. Pronounced drops in same-store sales, customer traffic and operator confidence drove the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index back below the point separating expansion and contraction. The…

The surge in gasoline and food prices and the resulting dampening of consumer confidence (see article below) led Technomic Inc. to revise downward its forecast for operator sales in 2011. The Chicago-based research firm also revised upward its estimate of menu price inflation. The result is that Technomic now forecasts higher nominal operator sales and…

One of the reasons Technomic cut its forecast for operator sales in May is because its consumer research showed a distinct deterioration of consumer confidence and expectations in April, as well as dining out intentions, as compared with last December. The firm presented those findings at its annual Restaurant Trends & Directions Conference, held June…

Gas prices have continued to fall since early May, when the national average neared $4 a gallon. According to the latest read from the Energy Information Administration covering the week ended July 4, prices averaged $3.579 or more than 40 cents a gallon less than early May. Still, average prices remain more than 85 cents…

Welcome to this month’s roundup featuring the latest innovations in frying.

Less energy, less oil, more safety—what’s not to like?