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January 31, 2011
Anatomy Of A Pod
Healthcare kitchens are adopting lean manufacturing practices, tearing out tray lines and implementing pod assembly systems with excellent results.
January 31, 2011
Cheesecake Factory Goes Global, Plans 22 Middle East Units
The Cheesecake Factory is making its first international foray, inking an exclusive licensing agreement with the Kuwait-based Alshaya group of companies to build and operate restaurants in the Middle East. The agreement covers the development of 22 restaurants over the next five years in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It includes provisions…
January 31, 2011
NPD Says Food-Price Increases Will Affect Consumer Behavior
The NPD Group has some interesting insights on how the increase in wholesale food prices may not only affect the actions of food retailers and foodservice operators, but also consumers. In a recent release citing its more than three decades of research into consumer eating behaviors, both at- and away-from-home, the research firm noted the…
January 31, 2011
Arby’s Up For Sale, Wendy’s Signs Big Deal For Argentina
Wendy’s/Arby’s Group is planning to focus on its burger business. The nation’s third-largest quick-service restaurant company said last week it was exploring strategic alternatives for the 3,700-unit Arby’s chain. A sale was not ruled out. The company added a few details at its Jan. 27 investors’ conference, stating that selling the Arby’s chain would help…
January 31, 2011
Meanwhile, U.K. Operators Struggle With A Soft Economy, Snow, Tax Increases And Government Cutbacks
Our friend Peter Backman, principal at Horizons for Success, the London-based research firm, sent us his review of foodservice in the United Kingdom in 2010 and the outlook for 2011. Last year wasn’t easy for foodservice operators in the U.K. either, though the market improved from a dreadful ’09. Backman mentioned the negative impact of…
January 31, 2011
McDonald’s Outlines Asia Push
McDonald’s is laying out some big plans for China and Korea to compete with chains both American and homegrown. In China, McDonald’s plans to raise capital spending by 40% over 2010 levels. It will build as many as 200 new stores across the country, more than in any previous year, and swap out the old…
January 31, 2011
Restaurant Counts. Traffic Down 1% During 2010, NPD Reports
The NPD Group said the number of U.S. restaurants fell 5,551 in net terms, or less than 1%, for the year ending September 30, 2010, as the foodservice recession continued to impact operators, especially independents. The Port Washington, N.Y.-based research firm also reported that restaurant traffic fell 1% for the year ending November. NPD’s highly…
January 31, 2011
NRA Reschedules 2011 Forecast Release For Feb. 1
The snow on the East Coast is goofing up everyone’s schedule. The National Restaurant Association will now release its annual forecast of the restaurant industry Feb. 1. Hudson Riehle, senior v.p. of the Research & Knowledge Group at NRA, will unveil the group’s annual forecast during a webinar for the news media at noon, EST,…
January 31, 2011
Food Prices Continue To Rise, Putting Pressure On Operator Margins
Rising food and gasoline prices are continuing to worry operators. McDonald’s last week said it may have to raise some prices to cover the increase in commodity costs. At a time when customer demand is still weak, the higher costs are putting operators, reluctant to raise prices, in a bind. The Bureau of Labor Statistics…
January 24, 2011
IN MEMORIAM: GORDON OATES SR., PATRIARCH OF VULCAN-HART
Gordon F. Oates Sr., an industry leader and a 38-year veteran of Vulcan-Hart Corp., died Jan. 16. He was 86. Oates’ career in the foodservice equipment industry was dedicated to Vulcan-Hart. He joined the manufacturer in October 1955 as sales manager and served as its president from ’78 until his retirement in October ’88. He…
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