Wholesale food prices fell for the second consecutive month in December, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Restaurant Association, while menu and grocery-store prices continued to rise, pushed higher by earlier run-ups in wholesale prices. Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and others are predicting food prices should stabilize in the…

State taxing bodies have finally crossed the fiscal “trough.” State tax revenues grew 4% on a quarter versus year prior basis in the third quarter 2014, according to preliminary data on 48 of the 50 states compiled by the Rockefeller Institute of Government, Albany, N.Y. The return to growth follows a widely anticipated slowing and…

Two weeks ago in FER Fortnightly, we gave you the full details on proposed rate changes for shipping commercial warewashers and air curtains. Both segments are targeted for shipping classification upgrades by the National Motor Freight Traffic Association’s Commodity Classification Standards Board. The board meets next Tuesday, Jan. 27, leaving industry members nearly a week…

Pittsburgh and Seattle are the latest large metropolitan areas to consider requiring restaurants to post health department inspection letter grades on their doors. Operators in those two cities want more say in how the process will work Backers of the measures point to the self-proclaimed success of New York City, where the health department boasts…

Starting in June, New York State will require all restaurants and commercial buildings to install carbon monoxide detectors. The law was prompted in part by the February 2014 death of a Legal Sea Foods restaurant manager on Long Island from a carbon monoxide leak from a malfunctioning water heater pipe. Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the…

Kevin Fink has been named executive v.p. of the Ali Group. He will relocate from Denver, where he has been president of Ice-O-Matic, to join Ali’s corporate team in Milan. Beginning March 2, Fink will report to Massimo Giussani, COO, Ali Group, and assist in the group’s overall support, control and development initiatives of its…

The more than 600 employees of Henny Penny are now owners of the company. The Eaton, Ohio, manufacturer became employee-owned through the sale of its stock to a newly formed employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) as of Dec. 30. The transaction ensures Henny Penny and Wood Stone, both previously owned by the Cobb family, will…

I hope you all had a fulfilling and restful holidays with friends and family. We did. Jan, the kids and I even got out of the Chicago cold and snow and spent nearly a week in Phoenix—where we saw more cold and snow!—and Tucson, where it warmed up at the J.W. Marriott Starr Pass, site…

The Montague Co., the Hayward, Calif., cooking equipment manufacturer, has appointed Joe Deckelman as v.p.-sales and marketing. The announcement was made by company Pres. Tom Whalen, who stated “Joe’s wealth of experience and leadership qualities will help Montague’s continued growth while maintaining our commitment to quality and service.” Deckelman has a wide-ranging 20-year background in…

Michael Halstead, regional v.p. of TriMark Gill Group, died Dec. 14 in St. Paul, Minn. He was 59. Halstead, who enjoyed a 35-year career in the foodservice equipment industry, oversaw the Western region branch of TriMark Gill Group in Hamilton, Mont. Halstead, an active tennis player, soccer and basketball coach, is survived by his wife…