Microscan, the Renton, Wash.-based maker of barcode, machine-vision and lighting solutions, has appointed Bart Nollet as Regional Sales Director for its Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region.Nollet, who will report to Microscan President Scott Summerville, brings the firm three decades of sales and marketing experience in industrial automation and electronics. His resume includes five…

Unified Brands has added Abby Young as Business Development Manager for the central region. New to the foodservice industry, Young is responsible for increasing business opportunities across Unified’s Groen, Randell, Avtec, A la Cart and Power Soak product lines in the central U.S. Unified Brands, headquartered in Conyers, Ga., is an operating company within the…

The Los Angeles City Council voted May 19 to increase the city’s minimum wage from $9 to $15 an hour by 2020. The action gradually will increase the guaranteed hourly wage from $9 in the country’s second-largest city, where more than 40% of the workforce earns less than the hourly wage. Although the hourly wage…

New York State health laws banning dogs from the al fresco dining experience have been bagged. By a 60-0 vote on May 20, the State Senate approved a bill that lets foodservice establishments welcome dogs—if accompanied by a diner—into their outdoor eating areas. The State Assembly now is reviewing its version of the same bill.…

A moratorium on QSR development championed by the mayor of Apopka, Fla., has been rejected by the City Council. The hold, which would have been in effect for the rest of 2015, wouldn’t have affected those already in business, only new developments. Apopka, boasting a population of about 46,000, currently has 22 QSRs. Locals call…

After a review of recent industry indicators, Foodservice Equipment Reports is sticking with its current equipment and supplies market estimates and forecasts for 2014 and 2015. Last July, at the magazine’s annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast, 2014 market growth—at the manufacturers’ level—was forecast at 4.4% nominal and 2.3% real. Growth was set at 4.8%…

Little did we know it, but an historic moment occurred last December. According to retail sales data from the U.S. Census Bureau, restaurant sales surpassed sales at grocery stores last December for the first time in history. Bruce Grindy, the Chief Economist for the National Restaurant Association, noted the milestone in his “Economist’s Notebook” commentary…

After a year of moderate gains, the MAFSI Business Barometer surged in the first quarter of 2015, rising 4.7%. It was the largest increase for the indicator since the fourth quarter 2013 and follows a 2.9% gain in the fourth quarter last year. The Barometer is maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice…

Wholesale food prices fell for the sixth consecutive month in April, but restaurant operators pushed menu prices up yet again. Wholesale food prices dropped 0.9% at the final demand stage last month, according to Producer Price Index data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. A drop in pork prices was cited as a factor…

While the broad equipment and supplies market, as represented by the MAFSI Business Barometer, saw strong gains in sales, sales of the nine publicly reporting E&S companies were mixed in the first quarter 2015. Combined sales rose only 1.1%, as declines in sales were reported by four of the companies. Robust gains were reported by…