It’s the middle of July as I write this and that means I’m neck deep in preparing our annual foodservice equipment and supplies market forecast. We present the forecast August 9 at our annual President’s Preview E&S Market Forecast meeting in Rosemont, Ill. There is still time to register and come to the meeting. Details…

Only one major global foodservice market saw traffic fall in the first quarter 2016, compared with the same quarter year prior, with consumer spending rising in every major market except Russia, according to the latest data from The NPD Group’s CREST consumer research. NPD’s foodservice research practice, based near Chicago, tracks consumer foodservice behavior in…

The University of Michigan’s preliminary Consumer Sentiment Index for mid-July came in at 89.5, a 4.0 point decrease from June’s final 93.5 reading The decrease, which marks the Index’s second-lowest level of the year, is concentrated in growing concern among high-income households, may have reflected stock-market fluctuations and widespread uncertainty in the wake of the…

Total nonfarm payroll employment increased by 287,000 in June and the unemployment rate rose to by .2%, to 4.9%, according to new data released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Job growth occurred in leisure and hospitality, healthcare and social assistance and financial activities. After showing little change in May, the leisure and hospitality sector…

Lisa Knierim is the new President and CEO Americas at Villeroy & Boch, following the retirement of Bernard Reuter. She is responsible for the entire sales and the marketing divisions of tableware, as well as bath and wellness, both for commercial and retail business for hotels and restaurants. Prior to joining Villeroy & Boch, Knierim…

Middleby Marshall Once Again Named Domino’s Pizza India’s Top Business Partner For the tenth year in a row, Middleby Marshall has been awarded the 2015 Business Partners Award from Domino’s Pizza India. “We are proud to be longstanding partners with Domino’s India, celebrating twenty years of partnership and 1,000 stores,” says Mark Sieron, President of…

Heritage Foodservice Group has tapped Roger Jorgensen for its management team as Chief Financial Officer and Senior Vice President, overseeing the Fort Wayne, Ind., company’s finance teams in the U.S. and Canada, and supporting investment in future innovation. Jorgensen began his career with Texas Instruments Materials and Controls Group as a business unit controller, and…

Despite its low profile, the North Carolina-based quick-service chain is finding its reputation on social media is leading to long lines for newly opened locations. Cook Out opened its first unit in Fredericksburg, Va., last May to lines of customers wrapped around the building, and similar anticipation was palpable for the area’s second unit, slated…

The Boston-based “better burger” chain is marking its fifth year in business by inking deals with five franchise groups to open 30 new outlets in major metro markets in California, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Ohio, North and South Carolina. Seven Wahlburgers are currently open, with three more slated to debut in Boston’s Logan Airport, Las Vegas and Philadelphia. To date, 12…

More than one in five restaurant operators say government is their No. 1 challenge, according to the National Restaurant Association. That charge was reiterated recently by the head of government affairs for a quick-service chain, who told Congress that excessive regulation is slowing entrepreneurial growth and job creation in the restaurant industry. At a July…