After a disappointing fall-back in November, the Restaurant Performance Index maintained by the National Restaurant Association posted a strong 1.1 point gain in the December survey, moving to 101, clearly ahead of the 100 point that marks the difference between industry expansion and contraction. The index has shown gains for three of the past four…

The National Restaurant Association predicts the foodservice industry will reverse three consecutive years of real declines in sales and post nominal sales growth of 3.6% and real growth of 1.1% in 2011. Menu-price inflation is forecast at 2.5%. The group released its annual forecast during a media webinar Feb. 1. “As the national economy is…

Technomic Inc. revised up, slightly, its 2011 forecast for the foodservice industry, though the Chicago-based research firm continues to predict a fourth consecutive year of real declines in foodservice sales. The changes moved the forecast for total foodservice up to -0.1% in real terms, from the original -0.3% released last fall. The firm made only…

Bob Norlander has assumed a new role at Manitowoc Foodservice as area v.p.-sales. In his new role, Norlander will be responsible for a regional sales team covering the Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, North and South Dakota territories. The 30-year industry vet had been with Cleveland Range since 1990, most recently as v.p. of marketing. Manitowoc is…

There’s a new rep group in Chicago. Culinary Equipment Group has been formed by Ed Sutryk and Janice Dziuban (formerly of Elite Marketing) and James Carr, Sam Franklin and Christina Raab (formerly of Tech Rep) to market brands including InterMetro, Follett, Meiko, Structural Concepts and Unified Brands. Culinary Equipment Group’s new offices in Wood Dale,…

Vanco, a 40-year-old provider of parts and repairs for commercial foodservice and refrigeration equipment, has been acquired by service industry veteran Gary Allen and his son, Jeremy. The Indianapolis-based company provides operators with complete facility maintenance; it recently added HVAC repair to its menu of refrigeration, cooking, and installation services. Allen spent 27 years as…

A note from the Foodservice Equipment Distributors Association: Issues with a newly installed server have affected online registration for the association’s March convention. If you registered online for the FEDA 2011 Convention any time between Jan. 19 through now, the FEDA office may not have received your registration. The association is asking its members and…