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January 6, 2014
In Memoriam: Gordon Oates Jr.
Gordon Oates Jr., a second-generation member of the foodservice equipment industry, died Dec. 5 at age 62, following an illness. He was 62 years old. The Kentucky native spent his first decade in business working for IBM in Louisville, then joined his father, Gordon Sr., in the foodservice equipment industry. Over his long management career,…
January 6, 2014
Gasoline Prices Spiking Earlier Than Usual, Yet Again
This is getting to be like a broken record. Once again average gasoline prices are increasing earlier than is typical, with the national average for a gallon up nearly 40 cents in the past month alone. Foodservice operators are worrying that the spike, on top of the increase in the payroll tax Jan. 1, will…
January 6, 2014
Sentiment Falls As Consumers Worry About Long-Term Outlook
Consumer sentiment fell sharply in the preliminary April reading by Thomson Reuters/University of Michigan Surveys of Consumers, surprising many economists. Combined with the decline in overall retail sales, the decline had forecasters worrying again about the negative impact of the payroll tax increase and the cutbacks in federal spending. The preliminary April Consumer Sentiment Index…
January 6, 2014
E&S Sales Growth Slowed To 2.4% In First Quarter, Reads MAFSI Barometer
Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies grew a modest 2.4% in the first quarter of 2013, versus the comparable quarter last year, according to the quarterly Business Barometer maintained by the Manufacturers’ Agents Association for the Foodservice Industry. It was the slowest growth in any quarter since the Barometer signaled recovery in the fourth quarter…
January 6, 2014
General Economic Forecasts Continue To Show Slow But Improving Growth
Since we’re in the middle of preparing our annual equipment and supplies market forecast, we thought we’d share the latest key macro-economic forecasts from Blue Chip Economic Indicators. In the latest survey of the 50 economic forecasting groups who participate in the newsletter, conducted July 2 and 3, the consensus forecasts slipped for 2013 and…
January 6, 2014
Wholesale Food Prices Drop Again, Menu Prices Up Slightly
Overall food prices at the wholesale level fell for the second month in a row, according the latest data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Producer Price Index, released Sept. 13. While the index for so-called finished foods rose 0.6% in August, the index tracking prices of intermediate foods and feeds dropped 2.3%, while the…
January 6, 2014
Wholesale Food Prices And Retail Gas Prices Trend Lower
Wholesale food prices fell 0.5% in September, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, while gasoline prices at the consumer level continued to fall. Both trends typically are positive for foodservice. In other economic news, consumer food and menu prices rose only slightly while eating- and drinking-place sales hit a new monthly record…
January 6, 2014
NYC Resumes Inspections In Operations Hit By Hurricane Sandy
Hundreds of New York area restaurants estimated to have been damaged by late October’s Hurricane Sandy were granted a two-month respite from the city’s letter-grade inspections. But on Jan. 2, the New York City Department of Health began sending out inspectors to perform letter-grade inspections in city neighborhoods affected by the storm. During the two-month…
January 6, 2014
The Details (And Delays) Add Up In Menu Labeling Law
It looks like it’s going to be a while until chain operators have to follow the mandate to post calorie counts on their menus. The Food and Drug Administration says it’s finding the task of writing up menu-labeling regulations to be a very tricky one. The requirement to include calorie counts on menus and in…
January 6, 2014
Chains Getting Shown The Exit Door In Many Communities
Are quick-service and fast-casual restaurants becoming as frightening and onerous to vacation communities as the shark in “Jaws” was to Amityville’s image? In March, the Town of Eastchester, N.Y., amended its zoning regulations to ban restaurants with 15 or more locations, a stand-up counter or menus on the wall. City officials disparaged quick-service outlets’ cookie-cutter,…
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