Grindmaster-Cecilware Corp. has appointed Jose Avendaño as its new v.p.-engineering. He will oversee all aspects of engineering from his offices at the company’s Louisville, Ky., headquarters. He joins the firm from Crane Merchandising Systems, where he was director-refrigeration and product reliability. His 30 years of product development, product testing, and project management experience includes 20…

Marble Slab Creamery and MaggieMoo’s Ice Cream and Treatery are merging into one concept, which retains the Marble Slab name and integrates both chains’ products into an updated, contemporary store. The first remodeled unit opened in August in St. George, Utah. Most MaggieMoo’s locations will transition to Marble Slab’s new look during the next 18…

Texas Roadhouse is ramping up its expansion plans for the Middle East over other emerging markets. The chain cites the region’s sophisticated consumer base and a new partnership with Kuwait’s Alshaya Group, its key licensee in the region. Earlier this month, the casual dining steakhouse opened in Dubai, its first restaurant outside the U.S. It…

You know, a recent item in the news got me to thinking again about dealers as community leaders, and how what goes around comes around. In our last edition of FER Dealer Report, we reported that George Tobia at Birmingham Restaurant Supply had recently donated a bunch of stainless tables and smallwares to Community Kitchens…

Win-Holt Equipment Group has purchased Commercial Stainless Fabricators, located in Marietta, Ga. The acquisition gives Win-Holt the ability to offer refrigeration, heating, ventilation, customized millwork and woodwork and full on-site factory installation services. CSF’s Spectrum Mobile Serving Counters and Comm-Veyor Conveying Systems brands are now part of Win-Holt’s product offerings. CSF’s 60,000-sq.-ft. facility will join…

The graph is starting to look a little scary. The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index fell back sharply in July, dipping to 99.7. This puts the index below the 100 point that signals expansion vs. contraction. The expectations and capital goods indicators took especially hard hits. The overall index fell 0.9 point. All eight…

Kool Star is relocating its panel manufacturing from Nogales, Mexico to New Albany, Miss. Shifting the work stateside provides centrally located manufacturing and distribution, reducing shipping lead-times and costs while servicing the entire North America marketplace. In addition, the company said the move will allow it to expand and offer a complete line of walk-in panels…

Neal Robinson, senior v.p.-global projects at Bunn-O-Matic Corp., passed away Aug. 22. He was 62. The Louisiana native worked for more than 25 years at Bunn, and played a key role in expanding Bunn-O-Matic’s international business. Robins joined Bunn in 1986 as a southeast district sales manager, and was promoted to regional sales manager then…

Harold Hamilton, founder of one of the first manufacturers’ rep firms in Quebec and a leader in establishing MAFSI in Canada, died Aug. 28 in Ottawa, Ontario. His career started in 1945, when he joined Bell Rinfret Co. in Montreal. His resume includes posts with Moffatt’s commercial appliance division, a stint as v.p.-sales at Vulcan-Hart…