As I write this, we are leaving Austin, Texas, where we just staged our biennial Multiunit Foodservice Equipment Symposium (MUFES) at the Barton Creek Resort. It was our eighth chain-oriented MUFES since 2002, and our 11th overall. (We’ve done three other MUFES meetings for fast-growing chains and noncommercial operators.) It was another great meeting with…

Moffat USA/Ali Group has appointed Kristian Kuh to oversee operations as its new General Manager. “We would like to welcome Kristian to our team, and we look forward to working together with him to capture more opportunities for the Moffat brand in U.S. markets,” said Stuart Murray, general manager-sales and group export manager of Moffat…

David Williams has been appointed national accounts director at Grindmaster-Cecilware; he joins Kenny Stratton and Ken Duncan on the national accounts team. Williams brings more than 13 years of foodservice industry sales experience to the post. He joins the beverage and foodservice equipment maker from Clipper Corp., where he was director of national account sales.…

General Parts Group opened its 23rd office last week in Irving, Texas. The equipment service and repair company’s new location will service a 100-mile radius around the metro Dallas-Ft. Worth area including Ellis, Johnson, Tarrant, Collins, Hunt, Rockwall and Kaufman counties. All major equipment types will be supported, including all forms of commercial cooking, warewashing…

ALTO-SHAAM QC2-40Use this vertical reach-in blast chiller/freezer/refrigeration system, part of the QuickChiller line, to chill virtually any type of food, from delicate vegetables and seafood to hearty roasts. The unit boasts 4 operating modes: quick-freeze mode, soft-chill mode (for less dense items), hard-chill mode (for denser products) and a holding mode for chilled or frozen…

A favorable macroeconomic environment in the U.S. is driving operator-sales growth rates to levels not seen since 2007, according to the 2016 foodservice industry forecast revision released by Technomic Inc. on Jan. 12. The Chicago-based foodservice research firm predicts total 2016 industry real sales will grow 2.4%, after factoring out anticipated price increases from forecast…

A burning question that was discussed by many at last week’s MAFSI Business Development Conference, held in Scottsdale, Ariz., was this: Will the crash in the equities markets in the U.S. and the rest of the world—as of Jan. 15 the New York Stock Exchange and NASDAQ indexes are off more than 10% since the…

The first detailed forecasts for the direction of the U.S. economy from the newsletter Blue Chip Economic Indicators predict a continuation though slowing of the recent pattern of lower unemployment and moderate growth through 2017. The newsletter, which averages forecasts from 50 diverse economic forecasting groups, was published in early January, before the sudden drop…

Chefs’ Toys, the Fountain Valley, Calif., equipment and supplies dealer, has acquired the restaurant kitchen design firm, Michael Blackman & Associates. MBA has been in operation for more than 30 years as a restaurant kitchen designer in Southern California and nationally. Its client lists ranges from Spago to Fuddruckers to Umami Burger. Its team of…

Alto-Shaam hosted the grand opening of its Dubai office last month. The Menomonee Falls, Wis., manufacturer’s Middle East & Africa office, officially opened December 16, is to provide additional support to its business in region, by showcasing its equipment and systems and offering culinary and service training seminars to local chefs. “Alto-Shaam’s vision is to…