The Commercial Food Equipment Service Association (CFESA) gathered for its fall conference in beautiful Colorado Springs in September, and over breakfast one morning we all learned some sobering facts. During the next five years, more than a million veterans returning from duty in Iraq and Afghanistan will have trouble finding jobs. The U.S. unemployment rate…

By now, we hope you’ve noticed that we’ve established a new awards program that will honor the very best of our diverse audience of foodservice operators, dealers, consultants and service agents. We’ve now named, with the help of our Selection Advisory Boards and association friends, all the winners of our Management Excellence Awards, Industry Service…

India is no longer an untapped market for Starbucks. Earlier this month, the coffee chain debuted in Mumbai, its first outlet in the world’s second most populous country. The flagship Mumbai store was the first of three grand openings in October under a joint-venture agreement Starbucks signed with Tata Global Beverages Ltd. last January. Tata…

ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen is going bicoastal. The concept, which parent Chipotle Mexican Grill debuted in Washington, D.C., in 2011, will open its first unit in Los Angeles early next year. The West Coast store will be the chain’s third ShopHouse location; Chipotle is currently building a second store in the nation’s capital. “While building…

Candle Lamp has successfully completed its previously announced acquisition of The Sterno Group. The combined companies, led by Candle Lamp’s current executive team, will be known as SternoCandleLamp. Sterno, founded in 1893 as S. Sternau & Co., is synonymous with gelled portable heat used in food warmers. Riverside, Calif.-based Candle Lamp makes liquid-wax table lighting…

Burger King Worldwide has plans to get bigger in Colombia and expand into Siberia. The chain has inked an exclusive development deal with Fondo Escala Capital and Promotora to further its brand in Colombia by more than 100 new stores within the next five years. The home of the Whopper entered Colombia in 2008 and…

There are fewer than 100 days until NAFEM `13. Booked your rooms and tickets yet? Found a seat for the closing night banquet’s headliner, Jimmy Buffett? If not, hop to it. The show, Feb. 7-9, 2013, is just around the corner. And Florida in February (especially with a side trip to Margaritaville) is a popular…

Made good? Achieved your goals? It’s a good time to tell your story, or share the details of someone else’s accomplishment. The National Restaurant Association is looking for operators across the country to apply or nominate a fellow industry professional for its 2013 Faces of Diversity Award. The award, sponsored by PepsiCo Foodservice, recognizes the…