Since we presented our annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast on July 28, we’ve seen more evidence that operators are doing better than they have since the beginning of the Great Recession. But we’ve also seen data that continues to suggest just how mature and competitive the foodservice market is in the U.S.We noted last…

Ira Kaplan, president of Irinox USA, stepped down from the company he founded in 2005 on Sept. 1. The former president of Servolift Eastern and past NAFEM president will continue to serve Irinox as a consultant. New leadership of the U.S. outpost of the Italian maker of blast chillers, blast freezers and other products is…

In an acquisition that greatly expands its presence in the global beverage business, Micro Matic A/S has acquired Valpar Industrial Ltd., a manufacturer and supplier of beverage tubes and pythons to breweries and soft-drink producers worldwide. Founded in 1982, Bangor, Northern Ireland-based Valpar was the first company to produce machine-made pythons, which help maintain beer…

FER once again was a winner at the Azbee Awards, the journalism honors presented annually by the American Society of Business Publications Editors. Not only did the magazine win four regional awards, Publisher/Research Editor Robin Ashton and Senior Contributing Editor Mike Sherer took home the national Gold award in the Special Section editorial category for…

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen Co. is having a good year. In its just-released second-quarter results, the Atlanta company reported 2,443 restaurants, a jump of 8% from its 2,262 store count for the comparable period in 2014. In the most recent quarter, the Popeyes system opened 37 restaurants, including 18 domestic and 19 international restaurants. The chain…

Food Management Partners has acquired Ovation Brands, owner of five buffet brands and casual-dining Tahoe Joe’s Famous Steakhouse. Greer, S.C.-based Ovation Brands has 328 restaurants in 35 states; its concepts include Ryan’s, Fire Mountain, Country Buffet, Old Country Buffet and Hometown Buffet. With the acquisition, San Antonio-based FMP’s portfolio has expanded to 500 restaurants. Terms…

The nearly server-free restaurant of the future just got a little more real with some news from The Wasserstrom Co., the country’s third-largest foodservice E&S dealer. The century-old dealer, which reported 2014 sales of $610 million, has partnered with Creating Revolutions, a maker of mobile technology for restaurants and retailers, to distribute its service pager…

Private-equity firm NRD Partners has finalized its acquisition of Frisch’s Restaurants in a $174.5 million merger deal. The Cincinnati-based restaurant company, which operates Frisch’s Big Boy units in the Midwest, agreed in May to the sale. Craig Maier, whose family has been at the helm of the company since its founding in 1939, will step…

The Middleby Corp. will acquire AGA Rangemaster Group, a British manufacturer of residential kitchen equipment including ranges, ovens and refrigeration, for about $200 million. The AGA portfolio includes AGA, Rangemaster, Mercury, Falcon, Marvel, Stanley and La Cornue. Headquartered in Leamington Spa, the firm has approximately $400 million in annual revenue and more than 2,500 employees…

Winsight, the business-to-business media company, has bought Technomic, the Chicago-based research and advisory services firm. Technomic was acquired from its founder, President and CEO Ron Paul, who is leaving the company to spend time with family. Terms of the August 31 transaction weren’t disclosed. Technomic will continue to operate under its brand name, and will…