The Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) is urging its members to contact state legislators to oppose the proposed paid leave bill under review. Five states in the country have approved such a bill, including Massachusetts, Connecticut and Vermont. According to the RIHA, the Rhode Island bill is more generous than any of the five other states. The […]
Tag: foodservice
Dunkin’ Donuts Expands Test Delivery In Metro Boston, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… Dunkin’ Donuts has expanded its test delivery service to the Boston metro area. Dunkin’ Donuts is partnering with delivery companies DoorDash and delivery app Favor to launch the service. Product delivery is aimed at less than 45 minutes. The company is continuing to evaluate a possible national rollout in the future. […]
Ben’s Soft Pretzels Franchise Eyeing Expansion Through Retail Partnerships
by Alissa Marchat/staff writer Growing from its first humble location in a farmers market booth to a budding national—and maybe even international—brand, Ben’s Soft Pretzels is taking the next steps in its development by partnering with Meijer and Walmart to open in-store locations. Founded in Indiana in 2008 by Ben Miller, an Amish baker; Brian […]
TravelCenters Of America Closes On Quaker Steak & Lube Purchase, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… TravelCenters of America has completed the purchase of certain assets of Quaker Steak & Lube Restaurant for nearly $25 million. The assets purchased include 10 locations that will be operated as Quaker Steak & Lube by the TA Restaurant Group. The acquisition also includes 40 locations operated by franchisees or licensees. […]
Ginsberg’s Foods Upgrades Routing Solutions, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… Ginsberg’s Foods, a family-owned and -operated independent foodservice distributor in the eastern U.S., is upgrading its fleet routing, scheduling, web reporting and GPS tracking capabilities by implementing Appian DirectRoute and DRTrack Operations solutions from TMW Systems. Ginsberg’s Foods serves customers across a six-state region from its Hudson, New York, headquarters and […]
Sodexo Creates Self-Serve Smoothie Bar At Colby College
Sodexo followed up on a suggestion by a Colby College Dining Student Advisory Committee to create a smoothie bar for the school’s student dining commons areas. “We take student feedback seriously and, when the students asked us for a smoothie bar, we developed the new smoothie station to be fast and affordable,” said Larry Llewellyn, […]
Boston’s Taste Of The North End Set For April 29, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… More than 40 North End restaurants and bakeries as well as area wine vendors will participate in A Taste of the North End beginning at 7 p.m. Friday, April 29, at the DCR Steriti Memorial Rink in Boston. The event benefits several local nonprofit organizations, schools and senior programs, including North […]
Sodexo Contributes $3.22M Through Vermont First
Sodexo reports that it spent $3.22 million with Vermont food purveyors for its Vermont clients. This is the result of the first full year for Vermont First, a program the company launched with the governor and state officials to increase the amount of local food purchased by Sodexo. “Sodexo is working to drive positive growth […]
RIHA, NRA Issue Alert On Proposed National Overtime Regulations
The Rhode Island Hospitality Association (RIHA) and National Restaurant Association (NRA) recently issued an action alert on proposed national overtime regulations, urging members to contact legislators to support the “Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act.” The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) recently proposed significant changes to the nation’s overtime regulations. If the DOL regulations go into effect, […]
Olive Garden To Host Spirit Night Celebrations For Local High Schools, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… Olive Garden and the NFHS Network, a national high school sports media company, are teaming up to recognize team mothers and the high school athletes they support. To celebrate this partnership, on select dates in April, every Olive Garden restaurant nationwide will host a Spirit Night event to celebrate a local […]
Restaurateur Danny Meyer: Foodservice Industry Must Find Balance Between Technology, Personal Connection
Restaurateur Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group, founder of Shake Shack and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2015, sat down for an interview with Food Marketing Institute President and CEO Leslie Sarasin at this year’s FMI Midwinter Executive Conference in Miami Beach. During their discussion of “The Future of […]
Starbucks To Locate Large Roastery In New York City
Starbucks’ next Roastery location will be in New York City, in the heart of the Meatpacking District at 61 Ninth Avenue. Scheduled to open in 2018, the 20,000-s.f. location will get inspiration from the first Starbucks Roastery and Tasting Room that debuted in December 2014 in the company’s hometown of Seattle, Washington. Starbucks officials describe the […]
Not Your Average Joe’s Creates New Mobile Guest Experience
Not Your Average Joe’s (NYAJ), an East Coast casual dining restaurant chain featuring chef-prepared, made-from-scratch food with local ingredients, has partnered with MyCheck, a mobile payment technology platform, to develop its first branded mobile payment app to further elevate customer convenience and engagement. “Not Your Average Joe’s has created a special dining experience—casual, but with […]
FDA Delays Menu Labeling Again, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has pushed enforcement of its menu-labeling regulations until 2017. As part of the Affordable Care Act passed in 2010, the rules mandate that restaurants and retailers selling prepared foods in 20 or more U.S. locations place […]
Five Restaurants To Raise Funds For No Kid Hungry Drive, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… On April 11, five Massachusetts restaurants will participate in Massachusetts Restaurant Day for No Kid Hungry. Tremont 647 of Boston, One Eleven Chop House of Worcester, The Quarterdeck Restaurant of Falmouth, East Bay Grille of Plymouth and Cobblestones of Lowell have agreed to prepare a multi-course meal for patrons with all […]
C&S To Acquire Hawaii-Based Foodservice Company
In one of its first foodservice purchases, C&S Wholesale Grocers, through its subsidiary Hawaiian Housewares Ltd., has signed an agreement to acquire the operations of Edsung Foodservice Co. of Honolulu, Hawaii. The sale is expected to close in late April, at which point the Edsung business will be consolidated into the Hansen Distribution Group, a division of […]
Study: Retail Foodservice Gaining Ground In ‘Food Fight’
As the battle for share of stomach rages on, the retail foodservice industry continues to grow. An updated study released by Technomic—the 2015 Retailer Meal Solutions (RMS) Consumer Trend Report—finds that consumers are purchasing RMS more often; 84 percent now purchase RMS at least once a month compared to just 79 percent in 2012. This […]
Gov. Baker Touts Foodservice Trade During NEFS Keynote
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker stopped by the New England Food Show (NEFS) on Monday at the Boston Convention Center and praised the foodservice industry for its creativity, diversity and flexibility to adapt to many challenges. Long-term friend Joe Piantedosi Jr. of Piantedosi Baking Co. personally invited Baker to the show. Baker was called a friend of […]
NECSEMA’s First Convention Begins Wednesday
Jerry Weiner, recently retired veteran foodservice expert from Rutter’s, will be the keynote speaker at the first New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA) convention, set to begin at 9 a.m. Wednesday, March 16, at the DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. Weiner will share his experiences from more than 40 years in the foodservice […]
Federal Menu Labeling Regulations Delayed Again
The FDA is delaying the Dec. 1 date for enforcement of the government’s menu-labeling regulations. The agency issued a statement March 9 indicating federal menu-labeling requirements will not be enforced until one year after the FDA publishes its final guidance on the rule. The rule will require restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 […]
