After the greatest foodservice recession in decades, the market is finally beginning to show signs of recovery. That was the word from the researchers and analysts at Technomic Inc.’s annual day-long conference, Restaurants 2010: Trends and Directions, held June 23 in Rosemont, Ill. But Technomic principal and founder Ron Paul cautioned that high unemployment and…

Tom Stundza, former executive editor at Purchasing magazine and a leading authority on metals and materials pricing trends, will provide exclusive materials-price forecasts as a featured speaker at Foodservice Equipment Reports annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting The day-long event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 4, 2010, at the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston, Ill.…

AllPoints Foodservice Parts & Supplies, the Mount Prospect, Ill., parts and supplies distributor, is under new ownership. Denver-based private-equity firm KRG Capital Partners has acquired Consolidated Equipment Parts and its subsidiaries, AllPoints and the Internet dealer and parts distributor Tundra Specialties, from Pfingsten Partners, a Chicago-based private-equity company. Financial terms of the deal were not…

The Foodservice Consultants Society Int’l. has named Ian Hopper to a two-year term as its new Worldwide president. Hopper, a principal of consulting firm McCartney Taylor Dimitroff in Victoria, Australia, takes over from previous FCSI Worldwide President John Radchenko, of Van Velzen + Radchenko Design in Toronto. Radchenko will continue to support FCSI in the…

Kold-Draft has appointed Jack Antell as v.p. of sales, giving him responsibility for guiding the Erie, Pa., manufacturer’s overall sales strategies. He will lead the sales team to drive growth and profitability across specific markets with new product roll-outs. Antell is an industry veteran with a resume that includes management and sales positions at Manitowoc,…

Brats and beer are making room for doughnuts and coffee in Wisconsin. Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a multi-unit development agreement with the Milwaukee Coffee Brewing Co. to open 36 new restaurants in the greater Milwaukee area, which currently has only two DD stores. The new units will be operated by six existing Northeast Dunkin’ Donuts…

The Hobart Center for Foodservice Sustainability has awarded a $5,000 grant to Georgia Tech Dining Service (Sodexho) for its comprehensive energy- and water-savings initiatives, intensive composting and recycling, and use of more local and organic produce. “The quality of entries in terms of innovation and best practices in sustainability was extremely impressive,” said Rick Cartwright,…

Now in its eighth year of honoring outstanding food-safety leaders, NSF Int’l. is accepting nominations for its 2011 Food Safety Leadership Awards Program. Nominations are welcomed from those who best know food safety: operators, food and equipment manufacturers, researchers, regulators and members of academia. The deadline is Feb. 1, 2011. Individuals who demonstrate outstanding food-safety…

The NAFEM Show 2011 draws ever closer, and the list of exhibits is growing. The biennial event hosted by the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers has a lineup of more than 500 exhibiting manufacturers from A.J. Antunes to The Zeroll Co. And the upcoming 2011 show is boasting a 50% increase in the…

The holidays can bring out the best in all of us, but some people—specifically restaurant operators—help others all year long. The nation’s one million operators are encouraged to share their stories and earn a chance to win the National Restaurant Association’s 2011 Restaurant Neighbor Award. The annual program, which honors restaurants exemplifying the industry’s community…