Friendly’s Ice Cream, the operator of Friendly’s restaurants and a manufacturer of ice cream products, has opened its first drive-thru in western Massachusetts, located at the Friendly’s restaurant at 21 Southampton Road in Westfield, right off exit 3 from the Mass Pike. This is a test concept and, if successful, could create new growth for the […]
Tag: restaurant
Posted in, Northeast
Restaurant Performance Index Declines In August, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) declined in August. The RPI—a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry—stood at 101.5 in August, down 1.2 percent from July and the lowest level in 11 months. Despite the decline, August represented the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Sysco To Supply Kroger Prepared Foods, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… National food service distributor Sysco will provide Kroger with sandwiches and salads for its delis. Sysco will supply 2,800 delis, six fresh kitchens and 800 convenience store locations… The Massachusetts Restaurant Association will host a free webinar on wealth management for business owners Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 10-10:45 a.m. For […]
Posted in, Northeast
National Restaurant Association Marks Hispanic Heritage Month
In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) is recognizing the significant contributions Hispanic people make to the restaurant industry, the economy and individual communities. During Hispanic Heritage Month (Sept. 15-Oct. 15), NRA is recognizing Hispanic leaders through a series of videos, profiles and social media and digital content, all housed on the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Third Boston-Area Wahlburgers Opens Friday, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Mark, Donnie and Paul Wahlberg will officially open their third Boston-area Wahlburgers on Friday, Oct. 2, bringing their brand to Boston’s historic Fenway neighborhood. The new Wahlburgers will be located at 132 Brookline Avenue, just three blocks away from Fenway Park. The Fenway restaurant joins Wahlburgers in Hingham and Lynnfield—with […]
Posted in, C-Store News, Northeast
Sheetz’s New State College Store Focusing On Food And Bev Debuts
Sheetz opened a new restaurant/grocery concept store for the students and local community of State College, Pennsylvania, Monday. The location, at 129 S. Pugh Street, is focused on food and beverage offerings, according to the Altoona-based company. During the grand opening event, activities included a ribbon-cutting and celebration featuring free self-serve coffee, fountain drinks and samples […]
Posted in, Northeast
Judge Rejects NYC Foam Food Container Ban
New York City’s ban on polystyrene food containers lasted only a few months before a state Supreme Court judge struck it down. The judge took issue with the city’s position that recycling foam food containers “was neither environmentally effective nor economically feasible.” The judge is requiring the New York City sanitation department to re-evaluate the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Blount Fine Foods Names West Coast Exec, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Blount Fine Foods, the Fall River, Massachusetts-based maker of handcrafted soups, entrées, sauces and side dishes for retail and food service, has appointed Ian Lofton director of business development for the food service channel on the West Coast. Company officials said Lofton’s position was created to meet continued growth on […]
Posted in, Northeast
Chick-fil-A’s Largest Restaurant Coming To NYC In October
Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A has a grand opening date set and a local franchise owner for its first full free-standing restaurant in New York City. The restaurant, located at the corner of West 37th Street and 6th Avenue in the city’s Garment District in Lower Manhattan, is set to open Oct. 3 and will be the largest for […]
Posted in, Northeast
NRA To Partner With Groups For Presidents Conference, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The National Restaurant Association will join the International Foodservice Distributors Association as co-host for the 53rd Annual Presidents Conference. The by-invitation-only forum will include leaders from the operator, manufacturer, distributor and allied partner communities. The Presidents Conference takes place Nov. 1-4 in Scottsdale, Arizona. This year’s theme is “Transformative Change, […]
Posted in, Northeast
Chipotle Gives Away Free Food In Interactive Online Game
Through August, Chipotle is giving customers a chance to win a free meal by playing the fast-casual chain’s “Friend or Faux” online game. The interactive contest’s goal is to educate participants about the differences between Chipotle’s ingredients and those commonly used by fast food chains. “Friend or Faux” also is designed to reinforce Chipotle’s “Food […]
Posted in, Northeast
US Foods Names Guberman Chief Merchandising Officer, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… US Foods has named Steve Guberman chief merchandising officer, promoting him from his previous position of SVP of merchandising and marketing operations, which he had held since January 2012. Guberman, who has more than 30 years of industry experience, formerly was responsible for the deployment and adoption merchandising and marketing […]
Posted in, National
Menu Labeling Rule Compliance Date Extended For One Year
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has provided a one-year delay to the date restaurants—and those deemed by FDA to be “similar retail food establishments”—would be required to apply the final chain restaurant menu-labeling rule. The menu labeling rule requires chain restaurants and similar retail food establishments with 20 or more locations to list calorie information […]
Posted in, Northeast
Dairy Queen Adds Hot Food Items To Menu, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Dairy Queen is introducing an updated menu that it’s calling “the largest new menu rollout in its 75 years,” adding new hot sandwiches and hot desserts. In a major change for the purveyor known for frozen treats like Blizzards, Dairy Queen has added ovens to its locations to create its […]
Posted in, Northeast
Institute Of Culinary Education Moves To Lower Manhattan
The Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) has opened its new location at Brookfield Place in Lower Manhattan. The historic move marks the school’s 40th anniversary and follows record-high career student enrollment. It also is the largest culinary education facility built in a major American city in more than a decade. The new 74,000-s.f. facility is considerably […]
Posted in, Northeast
New York City May Require Salt Warning On Menus, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The New York City Department of Health is moving closer to requiring restaurant chains to label menu items that are deemed high in sodium. New York City could become the first U.S. city to require salt warning labels. A health department vote is expected later this year. If passed it […]
Posted in, Northeast
Snapchef Founder Is Mass. Small Business Person Of The Year, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Chef Todd Snopkowski, owner and founder of Snapchef in Boston, was named the 2015 Massachusetts Small Business Person of the Year. Snapchef provides culinary staff, both temporary and permanent placement, to food service companies in New England… Sid Wainer & Son is adding repack capabilities to its newly built manufacturing […]
Posted in, Northeast
Egg Prices Increase Because Of Avian Flu, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Texas chain Whataburger is limiting its breakfast serving hours, citing egg shortages due to the Midwest flu crisis. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has confirmed outbreaks of the avian flu, which have cost chicken and turkey producers more than 44 million birds. As a result, egg prices across the country […]
Posted in, Northeast
Subway Marks Milestone With 5,000th Opening Of C-Store Truck Unit
Subway, headquartered in Milford, Connecticut, marked its latest developmental milestone in the brand’s growth with the opening of its 5,000th convenience store and truck stop location in Lima, Peru. The Subway brand now has 10,498 restaurants in non-traditional locations—nearly a quarter of the brand’s global portfolio falling under the category. “The c-store and truck stop […]
Posted in, Northeast
N.H. Senate To Vote On Major Tourism Restoration Vote, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The New Hampshire Senate will vote the first week of June to restore $3.7 million in tourism promotion spending. Thanks to a grassroots communication effort by members of the New Hampshire Lodging and Restaurant Association, a Senate committee approved the spending and to send it for approval to the full […]