The National Conference hosted by Society for Hospitality and Foodservice Management is just weeks away. SHFM’s meeting, October 28-30 at the Hyatt Regency in New Orleans, includes a full lineup of educational programs and networking opportunities, as well as the presentation of the group’s annual awards. Winners of SHFM Directors’ Awards, which recognize honorees who…

With a new franchise partner on board in Egypt, Smashburger will soon expand its footprint to nine countries. The Denver-based “better burger” chain has added the Pearll Investment Group as a new franchise partner there and will launch 25 restaurants in the next several years. Pearll currently operates more than 10 chain restaurants in the…

Several components of the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index fell sharply in August from record or near record highs in July. Current same-stores sales and traffic and both measures of capital spending activity recorded big drops, as the overall index fell 1.2 points to 101.5. It was the lowest reading for the RPI in…

Breakfast/morning meal visits grew by 5% for the year ended June 2015, according to new data released by the NPD Group. Breakfast is the only foodservice meal period that has shown sustained traffic growth during the past several years. NPD’s CREST research shows the strong 2014-15 gain by breakfast came on top of a 2%…

Sometimes one sees consumer economic research that just makes one’s jaw drop. How about this? Consumers are only slightly more positive about the general economy and their own finances than they were back in 2010 as we were just crawling out of the Great Recession. Just for reference, during that five-year period, real GDP has…

Comments are not rolling in for the FDA’s draft guidance on chain restaurant menu labeling. The agency issued the document, “A Labeling Guide for Restaurants and Other Retail Establishments Selling Away-From-Home Foods–Part II,” late last month, hoping that it would help operators understand nutrition labeling requirements under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C…

Jon Lewis, an active member of National Association of College and University Food Services, and a past president of the association, died October 2. Lewis, the director of dining services at Ball State University, was 61. He had a 40-year career in the foodservice industry, and devoted 28 years of service to NACUFS as an…

Crown Brands, the Lincolnshire, Ill., maker of smallware, bakeware, storage and transportation products, has expanded into the barware market with its acquisition of Co-Rect Products. Co-Rect, a Minneapolis-based designer and distributor of premium commercial barware since 1957, joins Update International, Johnson Rose, and Focus Foodservice in the Crown Brands’ portfolio. Crown Brands itself is a…

As Emma, Rich and I have been making our sales calls this fall, I’ve been reminded of just how diverse the landscape of foodservice equipment and supplies distribution really is. Three weeks ago, we met with Ursula Vermillion at The Wasserstrom Co. And I had a conversation with Jerry Hyman, CEO of TriMark USA. A…

Singer Equipment Co. has appointed Fred Bonaccorso as President of its M. Tucker division. He’ll oversee M. Tucker’s strategy and execution in the Northeast and report to Fred Singer, President and CEO of Elverson, Pa.-based Singer Equipment. “Fred Bonaccorso’s experience in taking a strategic vision with sales, marketing, customer service and executing on that vision…