Three foodservice equipment manufacturers were among 12 suppliers honored by Arby’s Restaurant Group and ARCOP, its national supply chain cooperative, during the 3,300-unit chain’s Worldwide Franchise Convention in Orlando, Fla., earlier this month.Alto-Shaam and Powerhouse Dynamics received a joint Red Hat Supplier Achievement Award for their partnership in the redesign of Arby’s cooking platform. “Their innovative spirit has…

Induction cooking is more than a century old, but demand for the technology in commercial foodservice industry is just beginning to take off. An October 13 free webinar at SoCal Energy’s Education Center, Hot New Induction Technology for Cooler Kitchens, will present the ABCs of induction cooking and its ventilation requirements, and show off the…

After 22 years with Yum! Brands as part of the RSCS, LLC (formerly UFPC) supply chain team, Brenda Lloyd has set up BSLloyd Consulting, specializing on areas including capital investment procurement, interim leadership, and electronic inventory. Lloyd joined the Louisville, Ky., company in 1994 as account manager for Long John Silver’s, and since 2007 had…

On the heels of ending its collaboration with Subway and Franchise Brands following the death of its founder Fred DeLuca, almost a year ago, New Zealand-based BurgerFuel is moving ahead with plans to launch in the States. The chain, which has 47 domestic outlets and more than 80 outlets in six countries, is eyeing the…

The Mississippi-based fast-casual chain is introducing its brand of Southern hospitality into the Hoosier state with 15 new restaurants. Newk’s Eatery will open the locations throughout Indianapolis, the northern suburbs and southern Indiana over the next several years. Indiana’s state capital seemed the logical choice, according to Chris Cheek, Newk’s chief development officer, since the…

Twenty-one states have joined forces in a lawsuit challenging the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime rules. The attorneys general of Texas and Nevada filed the suit September 20 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas, calling the overtime regulations “illegal.” The lawsuit challenges the legal basis of the rules’ automatic update…

The labor force is getting legal force on its side in Seattle. New scheduling rules for hourly retail and foodservice workers are going into effect after the City Council unanimously approved a new law September 19 requiring employers to schedule shifts 14 days in advance and pay workers extra for certain last-minute scheduling changes. Seattle,…

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is working on legislation that should help curb the unpredictable schedules of the 65,000 hourly workers in NYC. Two weeks ago, in front of a Brooklyn McDonald’s, the mayor announced the Fair Workweek legislation, which would require employers to release employee schedules a minimum of two weeks in…

The recipients of FER’s 2017 Industry Excellence Awards for the Dealer category have been unveiled. Two dealerships and two individuals have been recognized for excellence in areas including, honesty, transparency and integrity in dealing with employees, suppliers and customers; deeply knowledgeable management and personnel; consistency and excellence in execution; creativity and innovation; and making a…

Heritage Foodservice Group has hired industry veteran Tom Szafranski as Executive V.P.- Commercial Business Development.  Szafranski is directing the Chain, Service Agent and International business units for Heritage Parts U.S.  He also is taking the lead in orchestrating the Fort Wayne, Ind., organization’s OEM engagement initiatives. Most recently, Szafranski served as President of ITW Food…