The Homer Laughlin China Co. has elevated Katie McIlvain to the position of Foodservice and General Marketing Manager. A six-year veteran of HLC, McIlvain takes responsibility for end-user commercial and non-commercial foodservice communications and comprehensive support of the largest dealer community in the professional dinnerware category. HLC comprises Homer Laughlin China, Kenilworth, and Hall China.…

Glacier Restaurant Group is buying the 51-unit Max & Erma’s restaurant chain from American Blue Ribbon Holdings. The casual-dining concept has a presence in 10 states, primarily in the Midwest. The sale was announced in January, not long after ABRH announced the closing of 13 underperforming Max & Erma locations. ABRH, among the largest full-service…

Dunkin’ Brands will develop its two brands in South Africa under a new master franchise agreement with Grand Parade Investments Ltd. GPI will develop more than 250 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and more than 70 Baskin-Robbins shops, with an initial focus on Cape Town and Johannesburg. The multiyear agreement also includes the introduction of Baskin-Robbins ice…

Donald E. King, longtime NAFEM member and chairman of AyrKing Corp., Louisville, Ky., has died. He was 76. King, a mechanical engineer, founded AyrKing in 1972. He would go on to earn patents in the U.S. and Canada. His first innovative designs were for ventilation, but he expanded the company’s product line to drive-thru windows,…

Thomas Slack, a member of AR Repairs Baker’s Kneads team for 32 years, died January 27 at age 55. Slack was the Center Line, Mich., service company’s training manager and was a mentor to all of its new technicians. He also served as a certified trainer for CFESA. Survivors include his wife, Lois. Service have…

Industry members have until fewer than eight business days to comment on the Department of Energy’s “notice of proposed rulemaking” (NOPR) that would require importers of a variety of products and equipment to provide the department a certificate of admissibility for each shipment of covered products or equipment before their arrival at a U.S. port…

The NRA is pushing back against a new scheduling proposal in Washington, D.C., that it says could reduce job growth for the District’s restaurant industry. The Hours and Scheduling Stability Act of 2015 pending in the district’s City Council would apply to restaurant chains with 20 or more stores and retail operations of at least…

A San Antonio restaurant has found that popularity has its price. After demand for charbroiled chicken skyrocketed at Pollos Asados los Norteños, so did complaints about the smoke from its charcoal grills. A local homeowner suing the restaurant cited the EPA’s warnings on smoke and particulate matter and the resulting health effects. At the center…