It’s been a very tough slog for foodservice operators the past two years in Britain. The austerity regime of tax increases and benefit cuts put in place by the current Conservative/Liberal Democrat government has cut consumers’ disposable income and confidence, led to higher unemployment and kept interest rates at rock bottom.But Peter Backman, managing director…

The anticipated increase in the capital gains tax at the federal level combined with generational factors, several years of depressed values, and record low-interest rates to prompt a rash of mergers and acquisitions by foodservice equipment and supplies manufacturers and distributors in the last two months of 2012. A tally of the noteworthy deals for…

Unless you spent the holidays on another planet or at least on a remote island paradise with no media access, you are aware that Congress and the Obama Administration cobbled together in early January a package that made permanent the Bush-era income tax cuts for all but the wealthiest Americans. This will almost certainly reverse,…

The two indicators in the National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index that track recent and future capital spending by restaurant operators took big hits in December, even as other measures in the index rose, pushing up the overall index by half a point. It now rests at 99.9, just shy of the 100 level that…

Los Angeles has many architectural and historical landmarks but few hold the kind of memories created in the original Der Wienerschnitzel outlet. Last month, the L.A. City Council added the nondescript, flat-roofed drive-through, the first of more than 350 opened by the Wienerschnitzel chain, to its registry of historic-cultural monuments. While admitting it is a…

Gordon Oates Jr., a second-generation member of the foodservice equipment industry, died Dec. 5 at age 62, following an illness. He was 62 years old. The Kentucky native spent his first decade in business working for IBM in Louisville, then joined his father, Gordon Sr., in the foodservice equipment industry. Over his long management career,…

After a successful IPO in October, the Chicago-based Potbelly Sandwich Shop chain continued humming along in its fiscal third quarter when nine new shops opened, including eight company-operated units and one franchised store. Overall, 29 new Potbelly’s—all but four company-operated—opened during the first three fiscal quarters of 2013. The Chicago chain anticipates revving up its…

Two regional posts have been filled at Unified Brands. The Jackson, Miss., company has promoted Dan Monfort to regional sales manager-northeast, and hired Bryan Spencer for the same post, overseeing the southeast. Both Monfort and Spencer will manage the local representatives for Unified’s core business in the eastern United States and maintain and develop relationships…

Moffat US Convection Ovens has appointed Danielle Brach as its westernregional sales manager. She joins the company after serving as a senior marketing and communications coordinator for Ice-O-Matic. Moffat US is a division of Milan, Italy-based Ali Group; its North American operations are based in Winston-Salem, N.C., with sister brand Champion Industries. The Ali Group…

The National Restaurant Association has released the 2013-14 edition of its Restaurant Operations Report. The report, produced in collaboration with Deloitte & Touche LLP, offers restaurateurs operational comparisons to better detect potential problems, manage costs and become more efficient. The report, based on financial data from more than 630 restaurants, provides data on cost of…