Restaurant customer traffic increased in the second quarter 2012, if only slightly, in most of the 10 markets The NPD Group surveys. Still, except for China and Canada, most countries saw anemic gains at best. Traffic in the U.S. market rose less than 1%, with all of the gains going to large quick-service concepts. Independents…

The fiscal cliff looms, worries about the fate of the Euro and European sovereign debt continue and everyone is uncertain about political environments everywhere. But American consumers clearly became more upbeat in September, according to both major research groups tracking consumer confidence. The Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Consumer Sentiment Index rose to 78.3 in the…

Consumers may be more upbeat, but according to the Business Roundtable’s third-quarter survey, chief executive officers’ confidence plummeted to its lowest level in three years, putting it on a par with that immediately following the U.S. recession. The group’s CEO Economic Outlook Index fell to 66 in the quarter from 89.1 in the second quarter.…

California Gov. Jerry Brown has vetoed a bill that would expand food-safety laws to cover indoor and outdoor playgrounds at quick-service restaurants. Brown cited a lack of evidence that the sanitation problems require a new state law and stated that current regulations enforced by local health jurisdictions are sufficient. Under AB1513, restaurants would have been…

Equipment testing just got easier—and more professional—in China. NSF Int’l. has achieved ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation from the China National Accreditation Service for its laboratory in Shanghai. The accreditation enables the lab to provide local, accredited third-party testing and certification services to foodservice equipment manufacturers with production facilities in China and throughout Asia. In addition to…

The rights of Jewish prisoners to kosher meals in Texas correctional facilities are at the forefront of a court case that began Oct. 1. The Texas correctional system is one of the few state prison systems restricting access to kosher meals. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans heard oral…

TriMark USA announced on Sept. 28 that it had acquired Century Concepts, a Suwanee, Ga., dealer/fabricator. The company joins TriMark’s South division to create a new branch: TriMark Century Concepts. Century Concepts was established in 2000 by Gregg Adams, a 19-year industry veteran. The company supplies customer-oriented, turnkey services with start-to-finish capabilities including design, custom…

Bargreen Ellingson, Tacoma, Wash., and Mobile Fixture, Mobile, Ala., have been named winners of Foodservice Equipment Reports’ first Management Excellence Awards in the dealer category. Bargreen receives the award for dealers with more than $40 million in sales: Mobile Fixture takes home the award for dealers with sales less than $40 million. The award winners…

Opportunity awaits dealer middle-management professionals seeking career advancement in the distribution field. They can apply for one of 20 FEDA Education Foundation scholarships to attend The University of Industrial Distribution program, March 10-13, 2013, at the JW Marriott Indianapolis. Program participants create their own curriculum that will earn them CEU credits that can be applied…

The FEDA Education Foundation has more than one scholarship program. It just awarded two more ServSafe Scholarships. Lanie Bolinger and Emilio Valdovinos from Ace Mart Restaurant Supply of San Antonio, Texas, were given ServSafe scholarships to help defray the costs of earning these professional designations. Additional scholarships are still available. FEDA members can access the…