One of the biggest casual-dining chains is entering the fast-casual segment. Ruby Tuesday has inked a deal to open and operate up to 200 fast-casual Mexican restaurants.Ruby Tuesday signed a licensing agreement in mid-September with LFMG International for the development rights to open and operate units of South Florida-based Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. Ruby Tuesday,…

Red Mango, the South Korean-owned frozen yogurt and fruit smoothie chain, continues to expand south of the Mason-Dixon Line. Over the summer, the chain announced franchise agreements that would bring five units to Georgia and three each to Alabama and Louisiana. Now, after the successful debut of its first Florida store last March, Red Mango…

ITW continues to make news. Just days after announcing an organizational restructuring (reported in the last Fortnightly), the multinational conglomerate has acquired Elro Group, a Bremergarten, Switzerland, maker of thermal foodservice equipment. Elro, founded in 1934, manufactures products including combis, steamers, ranges, kettles and pressure cookers. It will operate as a separate business as part…

The appetite for American fast food continues to grow in Asia. In May, Carl’s Jr. debuted as the first Western fast-food hamburger chain in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Last month, CKE Restaurants opened a Carl’s Jr. unit in Jakarta, Indonesia, the first of at least 25 stores planned for that country over the next…

And some chains are still busy taking the plunge across our northern border. Buffalo Wild Wings has announced plans for more than 50 company-owned and franchised stores across Canada. The five-year expansion plan will kick off in the spring with two restaurants near Toronto. They will be the chain’s first stores outside the United States.…

The King and the Colonel are back–the U.S. military has lifted a seven-month ban on fast-food restaurants and retail stores at American bases in Afghanistan. Fast-food outlets, including Burger Kings and KFCs, were ordered closed in February by former U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal as the military was boosting its troop strength in Afghanistan. The…

The Commercial Food Equipment Service Association will gather in Savannah, Ga., next month for its fall meeting. The meeting, Oct. 18-20, at the Westin Savannah Harbor, will include a full slate of board and committee meetings and educational workshops. Among the topics are healthcare reform; water quality, manufacturer requirements and their impact on equipment; tools…

Howard Veldhorst, a 36-year veteran of The Vollrath Co., has died. He was 74. Veldhorst was v.p.-national sales accounts at the Sheboygan, Wis., manufacturer; he retired in 1998. Known for his encouragement to friends, family and colleagues, he often said, "Look for the good and then praise it." Veldhorst is survived by his wife of…

The news was all over the papers last week: Burger King was for sale. Once the smoke cleared, it was announced that the world’s No. 2 burger chain had agreed to be purchased by private-equity firm 3G Capital for about $4 billion. At the time of the announcement, Burger King’s market value was estimated at…

ITW has appointed Chris O’Herlihy president-Food Equipment Group Worldwide, a post which includes responsibility for all Food Equipment Group operations globally.  "We are consolidating leadership responsibility for the Food Equipment Groupon a worldwide basis to position the organization to fully leverage itstechnical, operational and organizational capabilities globally in order totake full advantage of the Group’s…