Jerry and Anne Menter, owners of Hollowick Inc. have been named to the Manufacturers Association of Central New York Wall of Fame. The nearly 44-year-old Manlius, N.Y., maker of tabletop lighting and fuel products also has honored Metro, N.Y.-based Gotham City Hospitality as its Rep of the Year.Michael Nolan has been named executive v.p./chief development…

TGI Fridays will have a new parent by the end of July. Carlson is selling the chain to Sentinel Capital Partners and TriArtisan Capital Partners. Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Carlson, which acquired TGI Fridays in 1975 when it had just 12 units, plans to focus on its hotel and travel businesses.…

The Cheesecake Factory sees opportunity in Asia. The Calabasas Hills, Calif., chain has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Hong Kong-based Maxim’s Caterers to build and operate its restaurants. The agreement provides for the development of at least 14 restaurants over the next 10 years in China, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, with the…

F.H. “Jay” Jabas, the founder of Nu-Vu Foodservice Systems, died March 30. He was 81. Jabas got his start in the foodservice equipment industry as an engineer for Ansul and went on to acquire MJR Industries and Roilgard in Menomonie, Mich., where he was owner/president for 25 years. He is survived by his wife of…

Show-floor activity is always a harbinger of the year to come in foodservice, and last month’s National Restaurant Association Restaurant, Hotel-Motel Show is no exception. The May 17-20 show at Chicago’s McCormick Place posted positive growth in both attendee and exhibitor numbers for the third year in a row. Show registration hit 63,876 for total…

May is a busy month for the National Restaurant Association. In addition to the show in Chicago, the NRA had a number of awards to give out. Among them were the Operator Innovations Awards, in which operators worldwide are recognized by their peers for transforming the industry through innovation and combining imagination and hard work…

The National Restaurant Association Military Foundation gave out awards for excellence in military foodservice at operations worldwide. Service members and military establishments of the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Air National Guard, the U.S. Marine Corps and the U.S. Navy were honored at a ceremony held in conjunction with the NRA’s 58th annual Restaurant, Hotel-Motel…

Frank Chandler has been appointed president of Belshaw Adamatic Bakery Group. In his new post, Chandler will be responsible for the day-to-day management of the Auburn, Wash., manufacturer, and for developing and implementing its strategic plan under the oversight of parent Ali Group North America. Frank will report directly to CEO Filippo Berti and COO…

Graham Tillotson, a presence across five decades in the E&S industry, retired May 16 from Manitowoc Foodservice. Tillotson entered the E&S industry in 1973 when he joined The Delfield Co. and has spent his entire 41-year career—through mergers and acquisitions—at the company. He eventually rose to president of Delfield after serving in posts including v.p.-sales…

Middleby Marshall has been named by Marco’s Pizza as a recipient of its “High 5 Award.” The award honors vendors that meet certain quality, service and supply criteria for five consecutive years. Toledo, Ohio-based Marco’s Pizza has more than 470 stores in 33 states. Nor-Lake has been named the Heavy Equipment Vendor of the Year…