To Russia with love: Wendy’s/Arby’s Int’l., a subsidiary of Wendy’s/Arby’s Group, has announced the signing of a major agreement with Wenrus Restaurant Group Ltd. to build 180 dual-branded Wendy’s/Arby’s restaurants in Russia over the next 10 years.Headquartered in Moscow, WRG is affiliated with Food Service Capital, which currently operates 28 restaurants, including Goodman Steak Houses,…

Unified Brands has acquired the assets of Intek Manufacturing, a privately held Fort Wayne, Ind., maker of boilerless steamer ovens. Intek joins A la Cart, Avtec, Groen and Randell in the Unified Brands’ portfolio. The deal was announced Aug. 17; financial terms were not disclosed. “We are excited to conclude the acquisition of the assets…

In what it calls an “experimental” move, Chick-fil-A is heading for the big city. As previously reported in Fortnightly, three Chicagoland locations are already under construction. Now the suburban Atlanta chain, which has thrived in mall locations, plans to expand its urban presence in at least two more cities. Executives at the privately held company…

Quiznos is planning to bring its sandwiches to 15 new markets in the next two years, boosting its total international presence to 40 countries and territories. The Denver-based chain, which now has nearly 4,000 restaurants in 25 countries and territories, is focusing on opening new ones in Europe, Southeast Asia, Central and South America, and…

A self-service prototype is expected to give a fresh feel to 30-year-old frozen yogurt chain TCBY. The proto, which debuted in July in Salt Lake City, lets guests serve their own yogurt and toppings. The new store design offers more of a loungelike ambience for customers, with bold colors and modern furnishings. Future stores will…

The North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers and The Culinary Institute of America have announced that Brad Barnes, the CIA’s associate dean for food production, is the first recipient of the NAFEM Professorship in Culinary Arts. The new post is dedicated to specialized research in foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturing, curriculum development and industry…

Changes are afoot at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell and KFC in the U.S., while Yum! Brands executives remain bullish on overseas expansion. Execs, including CEO David C. Novak, made their comments in a second-quarter earnings conference call in late July. Novak maintained that Taco Bell’s breakfast experiment in Tucson, Ariz., has reached "break-even" status, and…

Carlson Cos. has acquired the remaining 60% stake in T.G.I. Friday’s U.K. operations from its joint-venture partner, European buyout firm AAC Capital Partners, for $50 million. Now it says it plans to invest another $30 million to open new U.K. restaurants. It also will spend $20 million to remodel and maintain existing locations there. The…

David J. Sebastianelli is starting work in his new post as v.p. of sales and marketing at Edlund Co., the Burlington, Vt., maker of equipment and smallwares. Sebastianelli is an industry veteran with wide-ranging experience in the distribution chain in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Most recently, he was v.p. of sales for the cooking division…

Hooters is planning to translate its slogan—”delightfully tacky yet unrefined”–into a few more languages. The chain has announced intentions to debut units in Turkey, India and Japan. Those countries are some of the new markets the casual-dining franchise will target in an expansion plan announced Thursday that would increase new restaurant locations by at least…