London-based Prezzo Restaurants will open up to 30 new pizza and pasta restaurants this year after serving up a healthy rise in profits and unit growth in 2013.The casual-dining chain opened 28 new sites last year as it expanded to 237 outlets across the U.K., as far north as Aberdeen, Scotland, to the southern point…

In the face of McDonald’s continued dominance in France and Burger King’s recent return with the splashy opening of a unit in Paris’s Gare Saint-Lazare, the country’s No. 2 burger chain Quick has unveiled a new small-space concept. The first Burger Bar by Quick is expected to open this summer in Paris. The new brand…

Pie Face is making the move from Down Under to the Middle East. The 81-unit bakery-café chain, based in Sydney, has signed a licensing agreement with Foodmark, a division of Dubai-based Landmark Hospitality, to make the Middle Eastern firm the master franchisor for Pie Face in the Gulf countries of the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait…

May 6-8 Equipotel Nordeste (Northeast) 2014-Olinda/PE, Brazil May 6-9 GastroNord 2014-Stockholm May 13-16 Seoul Food & Hotel 2014-Kintex, Seoul May 13-15 Distinctive Nutrition Asia Expo-Int’l. Expo Centre, Shanghai May 17-20 NRA Restaurant, Hotel/Motel Show-Chicago May 21-25 Thaifex: World of Food Asia-Bangkok May 25-27 Foodservice Australia 2014-Royal Hall of Industry, Sydney June 1-6 NACS Insight Convenience…

Four foodservice equipment manufacturers have been named 2014 ENERGY STAR award winners by the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The awards honor businesses and organizations for outstanding contributions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency. More than 130 firms in various industries will be honored April 29 at the 2014…

Unified Brands has become part of parent company Dover Corp.’s newly created Refrigeration and Food Equipment segment. It joins five other companies, all focused on the supermarket, food processing and packaging industries. The new segment structure will enable Dover to focus on its key markets and leverage its scale, according to Dover Pres./CEO Robert Livingston.…

Yum! Brands has opened Super Chix, a one-off test unit in Arlington, Texas, that bears more resemblance to a Chick-fil-A than a KFC outlet. Not only does it look different from any KFC store, there is no reference in the signage or on the website that the concept is from that chain’s parent company; the…

The 32-unit Boston-based chain, best known for its mall and airport locations in seven Eastern Seaboard states, has debuted two smaller, neighborhood concepts: Legal Crossing, sporting an edgier, more adult look; and Legal Oysteria, a cozy Italian concept. The company, which also has four Legal C Bar stores, and solo Legal Test Kitchen and Legal…

Dublin, Ohio-based Wendy’s has wrapped up its System Optimization initiative, launched in July 2013, with the sale of 104 restaurants to franchisees in Albuquerque, Los Angeles/Palm Springs, Phoenix and Hawaii. In total, Wendy’s has sold 418 company-operated restaurants concentrated in 13 U.S. markets, primarily in the West. The purchase agreements include commitments to reimage about…

Yum! Brands is revamping its image and menu at its KFC stores in China. On March 25, the chain launched a new menu and marketing campaign there and announced plans to rethink its store design. The Louisville, Ky., chain also plans to freshen up its branding in China with new packaging, employee uniforms and new…