While chain equipment and supplies purchases in the U.S. remained healthy in the third quarter, the recession in Europe once again pulled down sales at both ITW’s Food Equipment Group and Manitowoc Foodservice. As a result, combined sales for the seven publicly reporting E&S companies were flat in the third quarter 2012 compared to the…

A pronounced slowdown in restaurant operator traffic and sales in September pulled down the Restaurant Performance Index maintained by the National Restaurant Association. On the other hand, operators are a bit more optimistic about the short-term future. The overall index fell 0.3 point to 100.3, but remained above the 100 tipping point the separates expansion…

Midscale and casual dining restaurants continued to see traffic declines in the second quarter of 2012, according to The NPD Group’s CREST data. Both segments have now seen four consecutive years of quarterly traffic declines, the research group reported. A 1% gain in visits to quick-service concepts kept overall traffic flat in the quarter. QSR…

The forecasts for key economic drivers of foodservice remained weak in the early November survey of 50 leading economic forecast groups, according to Blue Chip Economic Indicators. The forecast for real gross domestic product in the U.S. rose slightly to 2.2% for 2012, thanks to a stronger than expected advance GDP number for the third…

In the aftermath of SuperStorm Sandy, the National Restaurant Association has posted tips for restaurant insurance. East Coast operators affected by the recent hurricane and snowstorms can follow a few basic steps to make the insurance-claims process easier, according to a recent client alert from the insurance recovery experts at the Pillsbury law firm. Among…

The New York State Restaurant Association is providing its members with phone numbers and official information from New York’s city health commissioner on dealing with the storm’s aftermath. Everything from the how-to’s of re-opening a restaurant without electrical power to extended liquor-license deadlines to food donations can be found at the association’s website. Among the…

Scotsman Industries is joining The Ali Group, the Italian-based foodservice equipment conglomerate. Ali will acquire Scotsman and all of its brands, including Ice-O-Matic, in a deal announced Nov. 6. The companies did not disclose terms of the transaction, but The Wall Street Journal reported it as a $575 million deal. The Vernon Hills, Ill., company…

As we all now know, Sandy wasn’t just a storm or even a hurricane; it was a “superstorm.” Calling around to our friends to see how everyone fared, it’s clear the storm and its aftermath created severe challenges for those who equip and supply foodservice operators in the Northeast. Several major dealers in New York,…

The vibrant East Coast foodservice industry took a terrible hit last week with Hurricane Sandy. Operators, dealers, service agents and manufacturers are pulling together and responding energetically to the devastation. Dealers, including M. Tucker and Total Food Service, have created a comprehensive Hurricane Foodservice Relief website, which includes vital information, such as city health department…

Veteran’s Day is Monday, Nov. 12. We received a note from SC Equipment Funding noting that it will close its offices in Placentia, Calif., that day in observance of it. The editors here at FER thought we’d pass it along. SC Director Bruce Braviroff wrote: “We at SC Equipment Funding want to honor and show…