Diversified Foodservice Supply has acquired D.S.I. Parts Inc., a distributor of foodservice parts and smallwares to national chain restaurants and their associated franchisees. Springboro, Ohio-based DSI joins other DFSI brands, including AllPoints Foodservice Parts and Supplies, Franklin Machine Products, Tundra Restaurant Supply, Mill Hardware, and Restaurant Parts & More.DSI President Jeff Heine said that joining…

Robert (Bob) Curtis passed away July 6 at the age of 93 at his home in Eugene, Ore. He was the founder of Curtis Restaurant Equipment in Springfield, Ore. Curtis’ career in the foodservice equipment and supplies business began in 1943, at Portland-based Greene Winkler Co. In 1963 he started Curtis Restaurant Equipment, concentrating on design…

Standex Refrigerated Solutions Group has promoted David Engel to Vice President-Marketing and Brand Development. He will be responsible for driving marketing and brand development initiatives for APW Wyott, Bakers Pride, Tri-Star, BKI and Ultra-Fryer. Engel previously held senior marketing roles with San Jamar, Sargento Cheese and Miller Brewing. Standex Cooking Solutions Group also has hired…

Peter and Michael Browne, the owners of Browne & Co., have inked a partnership agreement with Dennis Poon and Maggie Yau, welcoming them as the organization’s majority shareholders. Under this new management, the company will continue focusing on its core smallwares and tabletop business in the United States and Canada and will aggressively develop more than…

Franke Foodservice Systems has added two sales executives to steer its products into general markets channels. The Smyrna, Tenn., manufacturer has appointed Danielle Mason as Senior Sales Executive supporting new products; she reports directly to Jonas Bonderer, senior director-general market products. Mason will support marketing and sales strategy to launch equipment, including the BKON Craft…

Longtime MAFSI member, John “Jay” McGonigle, formerly of Boston-based The MPH Group, died July 18 in Wells, Maine. His career as a manufacturer’s rep stretched back to the early 1970s and earned him a number of awards for excellence in the field. In 1993, alongside Don Perry and George Hilliard, he started The MPH Group,…

Wilburn “Leon” Rees, former president of Tri City Equipment Co., passed away on July 15 at the age of 94. Orphaned at a young age, Rees came to Davenport, Iowa, as a teenager to live with and work for his uncle, the founder of Tri City. He took over the business in his early 20s…

Two weeks after announcing its decision on phasing out hydrofluorocarbons, the Environmental Protection Agency has published the new rules terminating the use of certain refrigerants commonly used in commercial refrigeration, air conditioning and insulation. The move follows more than a year of speculation since the EPA announced its significant new alternatives policy (SNAP) and subsequent…

Diners will have to wait until the end of 2016 to find calorie labels on all chain restaurant menus. The Food and Drug Administration announced earlier this month that restaurants and other establishments will now have until December 1, 2016, to comply with federal menu labeling rules. That’s a full year beyond the original deadline.…

Nando’s Peri-Peri, the South African-Portuguese restaurant chain, has hatched its first major expansion since moving to the U.S. seven years ago. Nando’s has opened two of three units planned for Chicago. The chain, which operates spicy, flame-grilled chicken restaurants in 23 countries, first moved to the U.S. in 2008. It set up shop in Washington,…