A pilot program is giving some Phoenix-area restaurants more responsibility for their own food safety and cutting back on the number of full inspections of those eateries.The voluntary program unofficially went into effect in February but Maricopa County officials say it is just now getting into full swing. It’s designed to encourage a cooperative approach…

Restaurant-grading systems have been in place in Los Angeles County for a decade and in New York City for the past year. Pittsburgh’s foray into using a similar letter-grading system for health inspections, however, is on hold. It’s a collision of state regulations versus county food code. The Allegheny County Health Department has tabled the proposal,…

The National Restaurant Association hit a milestone in its effort to be the restaurant industry’s leader in training and certification solutions. On July 8, it held its one millionth training class and exam administration—a ServSafe Manager course in Nashville, Ind. The nation’s nearly one million restaurants and 13 million employees have benefited from the association’s…

If you’ve been on a steady news diet lately, you might want to push away from the table and see how much better you’ll feel. News being news, the emphasis is generally on the negative, and there are good arguments to be made for that. But the relentless rehash can make you want to throw…

The Legacy Cos., the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., manufacturer, exporter and importer of foodservice equipment, retail appliances and kitchen utensils, has acquired Blakeslee, the Chicago-based commercial warewashing and preparation equipment manufacturer. Blakeslee was founded in 1880. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Since their founding, Blakeslee has become a leader in the commercial dishwashing and…

The general economy is weak, consumers are tentative and foodservice operators continue to worry about their prospects, but there is no question operators are buying more equipment and supplies, said Foodservice Equipment Reports Publisher Robin Ashton at the magazine’s annual E&S Market Forecast President’s Preview meeting held in Evanston, Ill., on July 27. “The hard…

Check your plane tickets and update your hotel reservations: The

American Creative Solutions, a Savannah, Tenn., manufacturer and custom fabricator of front-of-the-house cabinetry, kiosks, carts, serving counters, and custom refrigerated counters, is now an affiliated company of the Eagle Group. Larry McAllister, president of Clayton, Del.-based Eagle, said the affiliated company, known as American Creative Solutions LLC, will focus on strengthening marketing and sales with…

The Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association has extended its deadline by two weeks for the 2011 Profit Survey. FEDA members need to fill out and submit their survey by Aug. 15. The annual report, which is free to FEDA members, provides a financial and operating profile of the entire E&S industry, complete with financial benchmarking information…