Dirty dishes and the subject of weight charges for the machines that clean them never seem to go away. Our friend, Tim Walsh, vice president at ReTrans Freight, tipped us off that dishwashers are back on the docket for class change consideration at next week’s Commodity Classification Standards Board. The public meeting will consider proposals…

After years of reporting the chain’s soaring sales, the headlines about

Champion Industries has appointed Erik Nommsen as president of the Champion Group, which includes the Champion, Moyer Diebel and Bi-Line brands. Nommsen, whose appointment was announced January 14, will formally join the Winston-Salem, N.C., warewasher manufacturer on January 18. The appointment marks Nommsen’s second tenure as president of the Champion Group. He previously served in…

Given continuing favorable macroeconomic trends and near-record operator capital-spending activity in the latter part of 2015, Foodservice Equipment Reports has held to its 2016 forecast for current-dollar growth of the foodservice equipment and supplies market in the U.S. and Canada at 4.6%. Factoring out anticipated price increases by manufacturers, the magazine predicts real growth of…

Seven of the 11 foodservice markets tracked by the NPD Group’s CREST consumer research experienced traffic gains in the second quarter 2015 vs. the same quarter year prior, the latest quarter for which NPD has publicly released data for the 11 major foodservice markets it tracks worldwide. “Optimism, though cautious, abounds throughout the global foodservice…

In its 2016 outlook for the foodservice market in the United Kingdom, Horizons FS Ltd., the London-based foodservice research firm, posits that rapid unit growth in the country during the past decade and a half has created overcapacity that will hold down same-store sales for the foreseeable future. “Relentless growth amongst group operators has driven…

A favorable macroeconomic environment in the U.S. is driving operator-sales growth rates to levels not seen since 2007, according to the 2016 foodservice industry forecast revision released by Technomic Inc. on Jan. 12, just as we uploaded this newsletter. The Chicago-based foodservice research firm predicts total 2016 industry real sales will grow 2.4%, after factoring…

Updated data from Technomic is on the way.

Pizza Express is a major presence in the U.K. and Ireland—where it has more than 450 restaurants, including 19 opened last year. Now it has stepped up its footprint in Asia after being sold to Chinese investment group Hony Capital in 2014 for around £900 million (US$1.3 billion). The fast-casual chain has opened eight units…

Casual-dining brand Pancake House is expanding to the United Arab Emirates as part of the global expansion plan of its parent, Max’s Group Inc. The deal was signed with Abu Dhabi-based Lulu Group to build at least eight of the concept’s units in the UAE in the next five years. The Pancake House, like parent…