Uncategorized

KFC is spiffing up its stores and image in the U.S. with a $100 million investment this year in its kitchens and remodeling programs as well as another $85 million in 2016-17, according to top Yum! Brands executives. The financial package also includes $20 million a year in advertising. In an April 22 call with…

Ali Group has named Robert Gehl as Group Commercial Director for Europe, Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and Asia Pacific (APAC), effective immediately. The April 28 announcement was made by Luciano Berti, Ali Group Chairman/CEO, to whom Gehl will directly report. Gehl will work closely with the Ali Group brands to support the development of commercial…

The National Restaurant Association hosted more than 650 operators from 42 states at its Public Affairs Conference in Washington, D.C., earlier this month. They came armed with a full agenda of issues, including healthcare, labor, wages and taxes. Lawmakers who spoke to the group also covered immigration reform, patent abuse, data security, menu labeling, food…

Last week, one proposed megamerger fell apart and Comcast walked away from buying Time Warner. Meanwhile, the largest megamerger ever proposed in the foodservice industry is winding its way into court. Sysco Corp. filed a memorandum April 21 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia arguing that there is no national market…

Interior Designer Protection Consulting, a watchdog group that monitors legislative activities that may affect the ability of interior designers, including kitchen designers, to bid on contracts needs input—immediately—on a bill being introduced in Illinois.  Pressure is needed to kill SB 1270, a bill to license interior designers that is to be heard before the Illinois…

The Canadian foodservice market has been outperforming many other developed foodservice markets around the globe. Two major groups forecasting the market, the national foodservice association Restaurants Canada and U.S.-based Technomic Inc., see another year of decent growth in 2015. Technomic’s recently released 2015 forecast has nominal growth for the industry up slightly to 4.1% from…

Consumer sentiment rose in the preliminary April reading, according to the University of Michigan’s Surveys of Consumers, exceeding analysts’ expectations. The UM Sentiment Index reached 95.9 mid-month, up from a final March reading of 93. The indexes for current conditions and consumer expectations also rose more than analysts had expected. Consumer sentiment has been running…