It’s got California in its name, but California Pizza Kitchen has a new look and reimagined menu in a dozen stores around the country. The latest store, in Wellington, Fla., joins four other remodeled units in that state.The 12 remodeled stores feature open kitchens for easy customer views of the pizza-making counter and hearth oven.…

Dairy Queen is returning to Kuwait a decade after the ice-cream chain left the Middle East country. The chain, which did business there under a franchisee from 1979-2003, has announced plans to open 20 DQs in Kuwait over the next five years. The multi-unit development deal includes both DQ Grill & Chill restaurants and DQ…

Taylor Precision Products, parent company of foodservice thermometer maker Taylor and brands in four other industries, has acquired

Rising water and sewer bills, combined with water shortages around the country, have sharpened attention on water-using foodservice equipment.

The NAFEM Show is only a month away, and allied associations have planned a number of programs, seminars and networking opportunities. Among them is the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association’s “The Sell Process: Your Offense,” led by professional sales consultant Don Buttrey. Based on Buttrey’s new book, “The SELL Process,” the workshop will provide immediate, practical…

The year ended as it had progressed in Congress: Little was accomplished and little that was done was left certain. Before the 113th Congress left town for the holidays, it managed to pass a bill to renew four tax provisions directly impacting restaurant operations—but the renewal is only a temporary fix. The provisions—commonly known as…

A new initiative sponsored by the National Environmental Health Association could give foodservice operators more tools to keep their restaurants safe and clear of foodborne illnesses. The group has begun hosting free workshops designed to train restaurant operators how to respond to foodborne illness outbreak and recall situations. The first Industry Foodborne Illness Investigation Training…

The Chicago-based foodservice research firm Technomic Inc. reported that fast-casual chains grew year-on-year sales nearly 8% in the third quarter, well outpacing an overall chain same-store sales increase of 2%. The overall numbers are weighted for chain size and include McDonald’s, which significantly pulls down the averages, because of recent declines in its same-store sales.…

Papa John’s has its eye on India. The Louisville, Ky., chain, which plans to expand its presence in that country, specifically in Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad, has acquired at least 40 Pizza Corner stores in South India and will convert them to Papa John’s stores. Pizza Corner, part of the Global Franchise Architects brands, is…

Brett Beaty has been appointed executive v.p. of Nieco Corp. He will be responsible for managing the marketing, sales and services functions for the Windsor, Calif., company. “Brett has over 20 years of valuable sales and marketing experience in the industry that will be a tremendous asset to the Nieco team,” said Nieco President Korey…