Among other economic news of significance to foodservice and foodservice equipment and supplies:Both major indexes of consumer confidence and expectations recovered sharply in December from the declines prompted by the federal-government shutdown and debt-ceiling fight. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index jumped nearly 10% in the final December reading, rising to 82.5 from…

Taco Bell is making no small plans. Or rather, its parent company, Yum! Brands, is not. The Louisville, Ky., company has announced several strategic leadership changes to support domestic and international expansion. With about 5,800 units in the U.S. and roughly 250 units internationally, Taco Bell long has operated primarily as a domestic brand. In…

Not much more than a year or so ago, Dunkin’ Donuts had no stores west of the Mississippi River. The landscape has changed. The Canton, Mass., chain, which now has 65 stores in Arizona, just announced a seven-unit deal for Phoenix. The company also has inked multi-unit development agreements to add 63 new stores in…

Server Products has added quality control expert Jodi McMahon to its operations. As the manufacturer’s new director-quality and business improvement, McMahon will lead Server’s ongoing initiatives to maintain and improve quality and utilize best practices. McMahon brings 20 years of experience in quality management to the post; she most recently served as quality and productivity…

Massimo Giussani has assumed the post of chief operating officer at Ali Group. In his new role, Giussani will continue reporting directly to Ali Group Chairman/CEO Luciano Berti and will be primarily responsible for all of the group’s companies within the Europe, Middle East and Africa and Asia Pacific regions. Giussani has worked closely with…

McDonald’s will enter its 120th global market next year when it opens restaurants in Kazakhstan. The Oak Brook, Ill., chain is working with a local developmental licensee, Kairat Boranbayev, a Kazakh businessman with what the chain called a proven track record of running successful business ventures in the Central Asian country. The first McDonald’s outlet…

Ruth’s Hospitality Group will focus on its core steakhouse concept after reaching an agreement to sell its Mitchell’s Fish Market and Mitchell’s/Cameron’s Steakhouse restaurants to Landry’s Inc. for $10 million. The deal, significantly less than the $92 million Ruth’s paid for the concepts in early 2008, includes 18 Mitchell’s Fish Market locations and three Cameron’s…

The National Association of College & University Food Services needs a few good men and women. The Okemos, Mich., association is looking for board nominations to lead its membership of about 550 institutions of higher education from across the U.S. and Canada as well as nearly 500 industry members from the food, equipment and consulting…

Bloomin’ Brands has announced plans to sell its 28-unit upscale concept Roy’s after deciding the brand would get more attention under new owners. “The brand is a small part of our portfolio,” according to CEO Elizabeth Smith. “Roy’s deserves to be in a situation where it can get the time, attention and resources it needs…

Centre Lane Partners, holding company of Focus Foodservice, has acquired two leading smallwares suppliers: Update Int’l. and the U.S. and Canadian operations of Johnson-Rose Inc. Both businesses are now affiliates of Focus, a leading supplier of bakeware, beverage, storage and handling equipment as well as assorted smallwares. Los Angeles-based Update has been manufacturing smallwares and…