Famous Dave’s of America has appointed Ed Rensi, the former president/CEO of McDonald’s U.S.A., as its interim CEO. He succeeds John Gilbert, who resigned after 16 months at the Minneapolis barbecue chain.Rensi, who joined the Famous Dave’s board of directors last month, said, “I have been a customer and a fan of Famous Dave’s for…

The National Restaurant Association announced on Feb. 12 the recipients of the 2014 Kitchen Innovations Awards, which honor equipment and technology that specifically improve back-of- the-house operations to benefit restaurant operators. The announcement marks the 10th year of the association’s KI Awards program recognizing cutting-edge advancements in increased energy efficiency, waste reduction and more for…

Winterhalter is setting standards for efficiency with its new trio of PT Series pass-through dishwashers. Innovative functions, intuitive operation and optimum ergonomics guarantee top performance from the PT-M, PT-L and PT-XL models. All deliver ultra-hygienic results with variable washing pressure; a new full-flow filtration system guides 100% of the water through a fine-meshed, highly efficient…

Whether it’s beer, wine or cider by the glass that an operator needs to tap, Perlick’s new Dual-Zone Wine/Refrigeration Center will do the job. The 36-inch (91.4cm) wine dispensing unit is the first of its size to feature two compartments with separate temperature zone ranges and the ability to dispense from four wine kegs. The…

It’s spot-on technology, not to mention speed and versatility, that creates the best toast in town. Hatco’s new Intelligent Toast-Qwik holds up to 18 product settings for everything from bagels to Texas toast to hash browns. The ITQ features individually controlled top and bottom heating elements, and a multispeed two-directional conveyor belt with Hatco’s patented…

In a sign that the interest in the foodservice market is only growing bigger, Singapore’s most established food and hospitality trade show has become the first event to occupy all 10 exhibition halls and Max Atria at the Singapore Expo. The 2014 edition of Food&HotelAsia and Wine&SpiritsAsia has filled every square meter of the center,…

The days leading up to next month’s Internorga 2014 will provide attendees with a high-quality conference program with the 33rd International Food Service Forum: “Moving Forward with Passion.” The forum at Europe’s biggest international conference for professional foodservice, will present the key drivers in professional foodservice, with a special emphasis on human resources marketing and…

Globetrotting E&S professionals who make the trek to Hotelex Shanghai, March 31-April 3, will find more than 1,500 exhibitors from around the world set up for business at the Shanghai New Int’l. Expo Centre. The first day of the show will once again feature the Foodservice Forum, a day-long program co-sponsored and organized by Foodservice…

The growing market for its ventilation systems for the kitchens in Singapore’s hotels, casinos and sports venues has led Halton Group to open an office there, the 30th country in which it operates. Halton had been handling its sales from Malaysia, but created the new, separate Singapore branch to better organize its service and oversee…

Taste Holdings, the South African-based holding group, expanded its quick-service portfolio in late January when it acquired Cape Town-based Zebro’s Chicken. The 15-year-old chain has 40 outlets, mainly situated in the Western and Eastern Cape, as well as one store in Namibia. Taste Holdings CEO Carlo Gonzaga said there was significant opportunity for expansion of…