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APP OF THE MONTHIf you’re relying on staffers to physically record temperatures inside cold units, take a look at Versid Inc.’s Assure Wireless Remote Monitoring System, featuring Disney SyncLink Technology. The system automatically takes and logs temperatures inside cold units at predetermined intervals around the clock. If temperatures rise or fall out of the safe…

Private-equity firm Apollo Global Management wants to buy CEC Entertainment, parent of the Chuck E. Cheese’s brand, in a deal worth about $1.3 billion, including debt assumption. CEC owns and franchises 577 Chuck. E. Cheese units in 47 states and 10 other countries and territories; it owns 522 of those locations in the U.S. and…

Is India—where the fast-food market is expected to double in size to $1.1 billion over the next three years—the final frontier for burgers, coffee and doughnuts? Chains such as Burger King, Taco Bell, Starbucks, Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts started expanding in the country last year. Burger King joined forces with Everstone Group, an India-focused…

Former Stripes executive Steve DeSutter has been named president and CEO of the multi-concept franchisor Focus Brands, effective March 17. DeSutter will replace Russ Umphenour, who has served as CEO for five years and will continue with Focus Brands as a member of the board of directors. Atlanta-based Focus Brands is the franchisor of seven…

Culver’s, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2014, has hit the big 5-0-0. The Prairie du Sac, Wis., chain opened two units on the same day last month to reach the 500-unit milestone. Last year, the family-owned chain opened 28 restaurants; it expects to add another 35 restaurants in ’14. Last year also saw…

Unified Brands has become part of parent company Dover Corp.’s newly created Refrigeration and Food Equipment segment. It joins five other companies, all focused on the supermarket, food processing and packaging industries. The new segment structure will enable Dover to focus on its key markets and leverage its scale, according to Dover Pres./CEO Robert Livingston.…

The 180 U.S.-based chains with operations outside of the U.S. grew international sales 4.4% in 2013 on a net unit gain of 9%, according to the latest data from Technomic Inc.’s annual Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report, released in April. The international sales increase slipped from a 5.6% international gain reported for 2012, while unit…