Genghis Grill, which grew to 59 units with four grand openings at year’s end, is branching out. An affiliate of The Chalak Group, parent of the Mongolian stir-fry chain, has acquired 33 Yum! Brands franchised restaurants. The KFC, Taco Bell and Long John Silver’s units in Illinois, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma are now under the…
The red and white striped awnings of T.G.I. Friday’s will be fluttering across the Middle East. The chain has renewed its development agreement with Kuwait-based Americana Group, which currently owns and operates the region’s 36 T.G.I. Friday’s, as well as other foodservice chains. The agreement will result in an additional 30 T.G.I. Friday’s restaurants during…
Colin Lacey has been appointed by Manitowoc Foodservice as v.p.-service for Europe, Middle East, Asia (EMEA). Lacey is now responsible for coordinating all service activities for Manitowoc Foodservice brands across the region including Cleveland, Convotherm, Dean, Delfield Sadia, Frymaster, Garland, Lincoln, Merrychef, and Moorwood Vulcan. He brings more than two decades experience in after-sales service to…
Noodles & Company, the Colorado-based, privately owned chain of more than 245 fast-casual restaurants in 18 states, has been acquired by an investment group that’s led by Catterton Partners. Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. According to the Denver Post, Noodles will operate with the same management team, including CEO and Chairman Kevin…
Did you miss it? Tomorrow, Jan. 7, is the deadline for submitting Kitchens Innovations Awards applications to the National Restaurant Association. The prestigious awards program recognizes the most innovative equipment worldwide, and the winning submissions will be featured in the Kitchen Innovations Pavilion at the 2011 NRA Show, May 21-24 at Chicago’s McCormick Place. “Innovative…
Just when it appeared the restaurant industry had finally turned the corner to recovery, the market softened again, according to the November reading from the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index. The overall index fell 0.8 point, to fall back to 99.9, just below the 100 level that separates expansion from contraction. The RPI stood…
The NPD Group, which tracks foodservice traffic activity through consumer panels, reported in December that overall restaurant traffic in the third quarter improved to flat, after two full years of quarterly declines versus year prior quarters. A 1% increase in quick-service traffic, which accounts for more than three-quarters of all restaurant visits, overcame continuing declines…
A number of foodservice industry observers have expressed concern that rising food and gasoline prices could undercut what remains a fragile recovery of the market. Higher food prices undercut operators’ ability to make money on “value meals,” which are driving a lot of operator traffic. And higher gasoline prices eat into consumers’ disposable income for…
In the rush of third quarter reports, our revised E&S market forecasts and the like, we almost let slip Technomic Inc.’s list of leading restaurant trends for 2011, or what they called “11 for ’11.” While most of the trends are food and beverage oriented–Korean-Mexican fusion foods, retro-cocktails, farmers as celebrity counterparts to chefs, more…
There are about 600 mobile food trucks, vans and carts in Oregon’s Multnomah County. That’s nearly one for every 1,000 residents of the state’s biggest county. But the popularity of the foodservice streetscape sprawl is prompting new rules that have put the thriving, trendsetting world of Portland food carts on notice. During a city council…