Blended list prices for the more than 350,000 models from more than 400 foodservice equipment, supplies and furnishings manufacturers rose 2.7% for the year ending June 30, according to the latest data from AutoQuotes Inc. AQ released the figures in its July e-newsletter last week and also will present the data at FER‘s E&S Market…

Associated Food Equipment & Supplies is spreading its wings. The Gulfport, Miss., dealer has announced plans to open a showroom, office and warehouse facility in the Jackson metro area. The planned location will offer design, planning and consulting services in addition to sales, delivery and installation. Associated said the expansion is part of its plan…

The smoke has cleared in Albuquerque, N.M., and existing foodservice operators can breathe a little easier. They won’t have to add sprinkler systems to their restaurants, including their walk-in coolers and freezers. A proposed ordinance would have required all buildings under its purview to have completed retrofits as of next July, but the city council…

The Ohio legislature has barred cities and towns in the state from regulating what restaurants serve or how they serve it. The state’s budget, signed into law June 30, includes a provision drafted and promoted by the Ohio Restaurant Association that gives the director of the Ohio Dept. of Agriculture the sole power to regulate…

The National Restaurant Association has joined forces with the National Retail Federation in backing legislation that would require federal agencies to consider the impact on small businesses when establishing rules and regulations. HR527, the Regulatory Flexibility Improvements Act of 2011, would give the Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy more oversight authority and amend the…

Taxes and Big Macs weren’t adding up for McDonald’s Corp., leading the chain to persuade Russian authorities that its outlets are supermarkets rather than restaurants. The Oak Brook, Ill. company’s lawsuit blocked an attempt by Russian tax authorities to almost double its tax bill. The chain, which opened its first outlet in the then-Soviet Union in 1990…

In a region where the average daily temperature measures three digits, Dairy Queen has opened its largest store, a 7,500-sq.-ft. unit seating 240 customers. The DQ Chill & Grill in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the chain’s first two-story restaurant. The Minneapolis company, which also operates stores in Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, will build five more…

It’s National Ice Cream Month, and the nation’s other giant ice cream chain is busy as well. Baskin-Robbins launched its first store in Singapore in early June, which not only marked the chain’s 4,000th international location, but also unveiled the company’s new international store design. The company has been testing elements of the new design…

Manitowoc Foodservice has hired business veteran Dennis O’Toole as v.p.-marketing for its North America Ovens and Advanced Cooking Technology (ACT) operating company. O’Toole’s marketing responsibilities will cover the five companies which comprise ACT: Cleveland, Convotherm USA, Garland convection ovens, Lincoln and Merrychef USA. O’Toole’s two decades in sales and marketing includes his most recent position…

Ice-O-Matic has appointed Terry Hoelle, CFSP, as its director of sales. Hoelle will focus on leading U.S. sales efforts in distribution and channel development. Hoelle joins the Denver-based company after nine years with Structural Concepts, where she served as director of sales and helped build its foodservice division from the ground up. She has extensive…