An ordinance championed by outgoing Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and approved by the City Council’s License Committee would create a new licensing category for chefs who “time-share” commercial kitchens for catering businesses.Chicago is currently home to three shared kitchens, which rent out space to cooks and caterers who can’t afford the cost of opening a…

Operators are getting a stronger voice on issues with the National Restaurant Association’s newly unveiled initiative. The Restaurant Advocacy Fund will help support and advocate on legislative and regulatory issues important to restaurants. The initiative builds on the success of the Save American Free Enterprise fund, which has raised and spent nearly $7 million since…

Yum! Brands announced its intent in late April to acquire all outstanding shares of Little Sheep, which owns and operates casual-dining hot-pot concept restaurants, primarily in Asia. Little Sheep, based in Baotou, Inner Mongolia, operates about 480 restaurants serving Mongolian hot pot, a cook-it-yourself concept in which customers cook meats and vegetables in broth at…

The National Restaurant Association has unveiled “Daily Deals,” a show-based group buying program for exhibiting manufacturers and attendees at the 2011 Restaurant Hotel-Motel Show this month. The service allows buyers to purchase a deeply discounted deal online and fulfill it face-to-face at the May 21-24 NRA Show at Chicago’s McCormick Place. “The NRA Show Daily…

Stephen McGarry, who took on the presidency of the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association last month, will be retiring as president of Paramount Restaurant Supply, Warren, R.I., in June and will also step down from his FEDA post on May 31. Until then, McGarry will continue as an active member of the FEDA executive committee. The…

On April 28, The Vollrath Co. announced it had acquired Traex Co. from Libbey Glass, a subsidiary of Libbey Inc., Toledo, Ohio. Both companies are headquartered in Wisconsin: Vollrath is based in Sheboygan; Traex operates from a plant and warehouse in Dane. The Traex acquisition broadens Vollrath’s product line to include warewashing systems, tabletop accessories,…

Mike Carpenter, a name and face recognized by hundreds in the E&S business, passed away suddenly April 23 in Utah. He was 58. Carpenter had been chief marketing officer for Cooper-Atkins Corp. for the past two years. His long resume in the E&S industry spans posts at foodservice manufacturers including Anchor-Hocking, Focus Brands, Hobart Corp.…

The Dietary Managers Association has announced its new leadership. Based on election results from the St. Charles, Ill., group’s national membership, the new chair-elect for 2011-12 is Ginger Cater of South Carolina.  Paula Bradley of Kansas will serve as secretary/treasurer. Ken Hanson of Iowa will serve the remaining one-year term of Bradley’s position as director…

The recovery of foodservice equipment and supplies sales continued in the first quarter 2011, according to the latest Business Barometer from the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. Overall sales of like lines rose 4% versus first quarter of ‘10, with clear gains in all five regions and all four product categories. It is…

We must admit we thought the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index would fall back in March. After all, the full impact of rapidly rising gasoline prices hit American consumers during the month. But thankfully, no, the overall index rose 0.3 point to 101. It’s the fourth consecutive month the index has stood above the…