If the federal minimum wage increases to $10.10 an hour from the current $7.25, will fewer entry-level jobs be created and will restaurant unit growth stall?That’s the prediction CKE Restaurants CEO Andy Puzder recently made to CNBC. Puzder said that minimum wage hikes will lead to store closings and slower growth for his company’s Carl’s…

Updates made a year ago to California’s Title 24 statewide energy standards will go into effect July 1. These Building Energy Efficiency Standards are updated on a three-year cycle, and the 2013 Standards will continue to improve upon the current 2008 version for new construction of, and additions and alterations to, residential and nonresidential buildings.…

Quick-service workers calling for higher wages were galvanized into action last week. Thirty-two busses filled with an estimated 1,500 protesters rolled up to the corporate headquarters of McDonald’s Corp. in Oak Brook, Ill. The protestors came from across the country; many were members of the newly formed Fast Food Forward, a movement of New York…

How stringent can the standards for energy efficient foodservice equipment be, and still remain financial viable and within reason for manufacturers and operators? The comment period is coming to a close this week on the notice for proposed rulemaking for energy conservation standards for commercial ice machines. The changes proposed by the Department of Energy…

Two years after Chicago’s City Council made it legal for cooking on board food trucks, the Windy City’s pushcart vendors are making a renewed push to legally sell cooked food. Chicago remains one of the country’s only major cities that ban street vendors from selling anything more than frozen desserts and uncut fruits and vegetables.…

The fight over salad bars v. fried mozzarella sticks continues. It was just a few years ago that the U.S. Department of Agriculture carved out healthy lunch standards after Congress passed the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. The Act set rules on fat, calorie, sugar and sodium limits on foods in the lunch line…

It’s the three-year mark for the compliance deadline for the California Food Handler Card law, and thousands of the state’s foodservice workers are due to have their cards renewed. The new law requires food handlers to undergo food-safety training and pass a test to earn a card. It also mandates that employers maintain records and…

The National Restaurant Association and the Restaurant Facility Management Association are collaborating on an Energy Star performance score for restaurants. The effort is being conducted in partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Buildings Alliance and Pacific Gas & Electric’s Food Service Technology Center. However, industry data regarding energy and water use is needed…

Seven years after it shelved a plastic-bag ban in favor of a roundly ignored recycling compromise, Chicago plans to ban plastic bags within its city limits—unless you are in the restaurant business or a small independent retailer. Restaurants were excused from the ban to eliminate a legal argument that triggered a lawsuit in Seattle charging…

In the age of Instagram and YouTube and instant video upload, it’s no surprise that a bill has been introduced in New York’s City Council which would require foodservice health inspectors to wear a camera on their chests or collars, providing operators with video footage that could be used as evidence in rating disputes. The…