The Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association is encouraging its members and industry colleagues to make convention hotel-room reservations and convention registrations before the Feb. 13 deadline. Reservations for the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix can be made by phone at 800/835-6206 or online here. Registration forms for the March 25-29 Annual Convention…

The customer-service team at Server Products won kudos last month, helping the Richfield, Wis., company win the Extreme Customer Service award at the Diversified Foodservice Supply Summit. “Meeting Diversified’s standard for extreme customer service is a great honor,” said Jim Drake, Server’s director-sales and marketing. “Server would not have won this award without the daily…

ACP MENUMASTER COMMERCIAL MXP22Three heat sources, 2,000W forced convection, 2,200W, double-side oscillating microwaves and 3,000W infrared radiant from below, combine in an oven that cooks foods 15 times faster than conventional ovens. Convection heat, directed from the top down, has a temp range of 200°F-520°F. The MXP22 stores cooking cycles for up to 360 menu…

Middleby Corp. has launched a new centralized parts program, the Middleby Advantage. The new program offers genuine OEM parts from all Middleby commercial foodservice manufacturers and Viking residential all in one place, at middlebyadvantage.com. The Middleby Advantage website ensures ease of ordering with a detailed and accurate parts search feature to quickly find the needed…

Oneida, one of the truly iconic brands in American tabletop products and foodservice supply, had a really difficult 2014, by almost any measure. Newly public in an arranged marriage with Anchor Hocking, Oneida’s parent EveryWare Global fell out of compliance with its lender agreements in May last year. Though the issue had to do with…

Patrick Hynes, an equipment specification veteran at both Darden Restaurants and McDonald’s Corp., has joined The Middleby Corp. as senior v.p.-global supply chain. Hynes will be responsible for corporate-level management of daily supply-chain operations for Middleby’s 40-plus brands. “Pat brings more than 30 years of exceptional experience, working directly with customers, suppliers and manufacturers. He…

There’s still time to download the app and plan ahead for all of the events at this month’s The NAFEM Show. The Feb. 19-21 show in Anaheim, Calif., has a full slate of events, seminars and industry association meetings. And while on the showfloor, checking out the 500+ exhibitors, don’t forget about the “What’s Hot!…

Del Taco, the Mexican “made-to-order” quick-serve chain, is planting its flag on the East Coast. The Lake Forest, Calif., chain plans to open several stores in New Jersey starting next year. Although it hasn’t determined where the Garden State locations will be, Del Taco has signed development agreements with two companies that own and operate…

Restaurant and foodservice sales will rise 3.8% in current dollars and 1.5% in real terms, according to the National Restaurant Association’s annual Restaurant Industry Forecast, released Jan. 27. The forecast projects stronger industry growth than the previous two years—the group estimates nominal industry growth at 3.2% in 2013 and 3.6% last year—but continues to call…

Whether they were driven by reports of strong job gains, the dizzying drop in gasoline prices and/or consumer confidence returning to pre-recession levels, Americans decided to visit restaurants more often in the last four months of 2014, according to The NPD Group’s CREST research. Overall restaurant traffic rose 1% in the three months September through…