Equipment and supplies manufacturers raised list prices an average 3.3% during the year ended June 30, according to data from AutoQuotes Inc. released during Foodservice Equipment Reports annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting held July 28 in Rosemont, Ill. Based on data for more than 407,000 product items from more than 500 manufacturers in…

Restaurant operator concerns about mandated minimum wage increases and other factors is affecting their outlook about the future, according to data from the June Restaurant Performance Index survey fielded by the National Restaurant Association. But those concerns didn’t stop them from buying and planning to buy equipment and supplies. The overall RPI fell a moderate…

Rob Geile, Vice President-Consultant Services for Ali Group North America, has received the Daryl Van Hook Industry Award from the National Association of College & University Food Services. The award is presented annually to an individual and/or organization based on outstanding support to the association. Geile, a NACUFS board member for the 2014-15 term, was…

The combo platter of side-by-side Luby’s Cafeterias and Fuddruckers continues to drive strategic growth for the Houston-based chain, with six co-brands now in operation. Four of seven Cheeseburger in Paradise units slated for conversion to Fuddruckers this year already are completed. And among the six new Fuddruckers openings in fiscal 2015 in domestic and international…

Dallas cannot hold back the home-state ambitions of Golden Chick. The fried-chicken chain, which has 147 locations in Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Georgia, is planning to develop more than 80 franchised QSR locations throughout Houston and Beaumont by 2025. Golden Chick was founded in San Marcos, Texas, in 1967.

Panera Bread Co.’s redesigned stores are paying big dividends. Same-store sales at the St. Louis chain’s company-owned locations climbed 4.7% in the first 27 days of the third quarter, nearly doubling the 2.4% gain in the second quarter. The revamped Panera 2.0 stores are helping, as is a bigger focus on natural ingredients. As of…

In a move aimed at killing parasites, New York City’s sushi restaurants are now required to freeze raw fish before serving. The new health-department regulations fall in line with U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations. Restaurants must freeze fish for a minimum of 15 hours before serving it raw to kill the bacteria. Certain types…

It appears official that New York’s quick-service workers soon will be earning a minimum wage of $15 an hour. The New York Fast Food Wage Board voted last month to phase in a tiered, $15 an hour minimum wage at restaurants with more than 30 units, providing a faster timetable for New York City operators…

Fisher-Nickel Inc. (Fishnick), the operator of Pacific Gas & Electric Co.’s Food Service Technology Center, has announced a technical advisory committee for its “Demonstration of High-Efficiency Commercial Cooking Equipment and Kitchen Ventilation System Optimization in Commercial Foodservice” project.   The project’s goal—awarded last year to Fishnick in a Building Natural Gas Technology grant—is to demonstrate and…