The dog days of summer? Not this year. Despite the volatility on the world’s stock exchanges, consumers are in holding pattern of feeling confident, if wary.What does that mean? You can look at the new numbers this way: Despite a dip in late August due mostly to the recent volatility in stock prices, any wavering…

After 17 consecutive months of rising menu prices, consumers’ dining-out tab was unchanged in July. That stability is notable because since early 2014, menu prices had grown at least 0.2% every month, according to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Despite the July slowdown, menu prices were up 2.7% in the 12 months ended…

Sanford “Sandy” Hahn, CEO of Perfection Equipment, died August 25 in Evanston, Ill. He was 78. Hahn helmed the Gurnee, Ill., maker of beverage and condiment dispensers for more than 47 years. He was a longtime board member of NAFEM, and served as the association’s president in 1996. He is survived by his wife, Kay;…

Two major appointments have been announced at St. Louis-based Star Mfg./Middleby. Lorne Deacon has been promoted to V.P.-Sales for the Star brands, comprising Star, Holman, Lang and Toastmaster. Christian Yungbluth has been promoted to V.P.-Business Development for these same brands. Both will report directly to Division President Brian Kearins. Deacon will be responsible for domestic…

MVP Group, the Miami-based manufacturer and distributor of prep, cooking and refrigeration equipment, has added four executives. R. Wyatt Dendy, CFSP, has joined the company as V.P.-Business Development. The 30-year industry veteran comes to MVP from Moffat/Ali Group, where he served as national sales manager. He is based in MVP’s Texas office. Art Dunham, CFSP,…

JH Carr, the Kent, Wash., furniture manufacturer and upholsterer serving the foodservice and hospitality industries, has named Shane Patrick as its new General Manager. Patrick joins Carr, a division of Foldcraft Co., from BiNW, a Seattle-based Herman Miller dealer, where he spent 26 years, most recently as supervisor-operations. Foldcraft, headquartered in Burnsville, Minn., is an…

Stoelting Foodservice, the Kiel, Wis., division of The Vollrath Co. and maker of frozen-dessert equipment, has selected The Viola Group as its new manufacturers’ representative for sales of its frozen-dessert equipment in New England. The Madison, Conn., firm, led by David Viola, will cover Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.

For many of us, it’s back-to-school time. Jan and I took our 19-year-old son, Sam, back to Ohio University, in Athens, Ohio, last week. He’s in the Scripps College of Communication there; he wants to write screenplays, not be a journalist, but who knows? He worked for Gill Ashton Foodservice Media Group this summer, updating…

Accurex’s new Energy Recovery Filter System captures the waste heat produced by cooking appliances that would otherwise be exhausted from a kitchen hood and uses it to preheat a portion of the incoming water supply that is directed into the patented energy recovery filters. The water flowing through the filters captures the waste heat from…

Overnight cooking in an Alto-Shaam Cook & Hold oven can save labor costs. Because the oven automatically switches to holding, chefs like David Sorensen from Sendik’s Food Market in southeast Wisconsin can start work in the morning with a fresh load of ham, roast beef or pork shoulder waiting for service. Sorensen oversees the deli…