The future of corporate dining technology gets a closer look next month at the Society for Foodservice Management’s Critical Issues Conference. The one-day meeting, April 26 at TimesCenter in New York, brings together SFM members with leaders of onsite foodservice operations for sessions on creating social media strategies, workplace solutions for customer engagement and managing…

Bargreen Ellingson is expanding its presence in the 49th state by opening a full-service operation, including a showroom and warehouse in Anchorage. The new facility also will serve Canada’s British Columbia territory. Alaska is the eighth state to host a Bargreen Ellingson operation; when it opens next month, it will be the Tacoma, Wash., dealer’s…

Schlotzsky’s has signed its largest franchise agreement in more than 40 years; the partnership calls for 170 Schlotzsky’s locations throughout California, including Los Angeles, Riverside, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. Each of the new restaurants will feature a new, contemporary design; an upgraded table-service model; and dessert counters as part of Schlotzsky’s co-branding deal with…

More than 1,200 exhibitors from Germany and abroad will be in Hamburg, Germany, this weekend for

The International Foodservice Manufacturers Association has announced the recipients of the 2013 Silver Plate Awards, which recognize individual excellence in eight segments of foodservice operations. From among these recipients, one will be honored as the Gold Plate Award winner at the 59th Annual

SoCalGas’ Food Service Equipment Center is hosting a fry-off next week. Registrants for the hands-on seminar can learn how to save money and produce higher-quality fried food with Energy Star high-efficiency fryers. The fryer challenge is slated for March 12, 9 a.m.-noon. A similar program will held the next day at NorCalGas in San Ramon.…

The National Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation have elected officers to their boards of directors and trustees, respectively. Both organizations have named several industry leaders to join their respective boards for terms lasting until the end of 2015. The NRA’s 2013 officers are: Chair: Philip Hickey Jr., CEO-Jocks II Inc., Atlanta.…

Nearly a decade after its franchisees bought the chain out of Chapter 11, casual-dining chain Ground Round is making a comeback. The 27-unit chain has rolled out a new family-dining/sports-lounge prototype in Waconia, Minn., and is opening a smaller sports-themed concept in nontraditional sites. Ground Round also has inked deals for five units in New…

Heritage Food Service Group has acquired Toronto-based R.G. Henderson & Sons Ltd., one of Canada’s largest foodservice equipment repair and OEM parts distributors. Heritage, based in Fort Wayne, Ind., is the foodservice equipment industry’s largest independent distributor of OEM service and replacement parts in North America. Henderson, founded in 1986, is the biggest firm of…

Ignite Restaurant Group, which operates 129 Joe’s Crab Shack and 15 Brick House Tavern+Tap restaurants, is adding Romano’s Macaroni Grill to its casual-dining stable. Ignite is purchasing the 210-unit chain from Golden Gate Capital; the $55 million acquisition includes Brinker International’s minority share in Romano’s. The casual-dining Italian food chain was founded in 1988 and…