Taxes and Big Macs weren’t adding up for McDonald’s Corp., leading the chain to persuade Russian authorities that its outlets are supermarkets rather than restaurants. The Oak Brook, Ill. company’s lawsuit blocked an attempt by Russian tax authorities to almost double its tax bill.The chain, which opened its first outlet in the then-Soviet Union in 1990 (and…

In a region where the average daily temperature measures three digits, Dairy Queen has opened its largest store, a 7,500-sq.-ft. unit seating 240 customers. The DQ Chill & Grill in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, is the chain’s first two-story restaurant. The Minneapolis company, which also operates stores in Bahrain, Oman and Qatar, will build five more…

It’s National Ice Cream Month, and the nation’s other giant ice cream chain is busy as well. Baskin-Robbins launched its first store in Singapore in early June, which not only marked the chain’s 4,000th international location, but also unveiled the company’s new international store design. The company has been testing elements of the new design…

Manitowoc Foodservice has hired business veteran Dennis O’Toole as v.p.-marketing for its North America Ovens and Advanced Cooking Technology (ACT) operating company. O’Toole’s marketing responsibilities will cover the five companies which comprise ACT: Cleveland, Convotherm USA, Garland convection ovens, Lincoln and Merrychef USA. O’Toole’s two decades in sales and marketing includes his most recent position…

Ice-O-Matic has appointed Terry Hoelle, CFSP, as its director of sales. Hoelle will focus on leading U.S. sales efforts in distribution and channel development. Hoelle joins the Denver-based company after nine years with Structural Concepts, where she served as director of sales and helped build its foodservice division from the ground up. She has extensive…

Training its eye on accelerating worldwide growth, especially in China, Starbucks Corp. is creating a third regional division. The Seattle company is currently structured as Starbucks U.S. and Starbucks Coffee International, which encompasses 54 markets outside the U.S. It will move to a three-region system. John Culver, president-SCI, takes the reins of the China and…

These are busy times at the Dietary Managers Association. Members of the St. Charles, Ill.-based organization for nutrition and foodservice professionals have approved a name change, effective Jan. 1, 2012. The new moniker, Association of Nutrition and Foodservice Professionals, is the outgrowth of an 18-month strategic rebranding effort to more accurately reflect members’ professional responsibilities.…

There’s news from two of the 76 countries serving the Whopper. Burger King Restaurants of Canada has opened three new restaurants built in the company’s 20/20 global restaurant design. The locations, all LEED-certified and all located at service plazas, are the latest in a major expansion plan across Canada. During the next three to five…

Sonic’s newest unit will be the first of the chain’s 3,500 restaurants to offer beer and wine on its menu, along with burgers, hot dogs and cherry limeades. The Homestead, Fla., City Council gave the chain approval to serve alcohol at the Sonic Beach Experience, a variation on the drive-in chain’s standard unit and the…

You must register now for Foodservice Equipment Reports‘ E&S Market Forecast President’s Preview meeting, scheduled for Wednesday, July 27, at the Hotel Orrington, in Evanston, Ill. This annual meeting offers manufacturers, operators, dealers and others in the industry an early look at the foodservice equipment and supplies industry next year and beyond, in time for…