Several state and city health agencies have officially launched an investigation after receiving reports of multiple cases of gastrointestinal illness among patrons who ate at the Chipotle Mexican Grill in Cleveland Circle (a neighborhood of Boston). The Boston Public Health Commission, the City of Boston Inspectional Services Department and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health launched […]
Tag: restaurants
Posted in, Northeast
Tyson Food Service Aids D.C. Capital Food Fight, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… Tyson Food Service recently sponsored DC Central Kitchen’s Capital Food Fight, a signature fundraising event. The event draws more than 1,000 guests with taste offerings from 75 of D.C.’s best restaurants and an onstage battle of four local top chefs. All proceeds from the event benefit DC Central Kitchen, which aims […]
Posted in, Northeast
Chipotle Strengthens Food Safety Practices
Chipotle Mexican Grill has taken further actions, including DNA-based testing, to implement food safety and handling practices in all of its restaurant and throughout its supply chain. The actions began after reports surfaced at the end of October that linked 11 Chipotle locations on the West Coast to E. coli cases. The company said since the […]
Posted in, Northeast
NRA To Fight New York Sodium Mandate
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) is filing suit this week against New York City’s Department of Health over its decision requiring chain restaurants of at least 15 stores to post warning icons next to menu items or combination meals containing 2,300mg of sodium or more. The NRA asserts that the mandate, which took effect Dec. 1, is […]
Posted in, Northeast
Wicked Good Cupcakes Forms Partnership With Cinnabon, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Family-owned cupcake company Wicked Good Cupcakes of Cohasset, Massachusetts, has partnered with Cinnabon to introduce the newest line of cinnamon spiced holiday treats: Wicked Good Cinnabon Cupcakes in a Jar. Wicked Good Cupcakes founders Tracey and Dani Noonan gained national attention for their cupcakes in a jar when they appeared […]
Posted in, Northeast
E. Coli Outbreak Extends To Six States, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… The Centers of Disease Control (CDC) says that three additional states have reported people infected with the E. coli. As of Nov. 20, 45 people infected with the outbreak strain had been reported from six states: California and Minnesota (two each), New York and Ohio (one each), Oregon (13) and Washington (26). […]
Posted in, Northeast
Dunkin’ Donuts Tests On-The-Go Ordering
Dunkin’ Donuts will begin testing mobile On-the-Go Ordering in Portland, Maine, and Dunkin’ Delivery in Dallas, Texas. In the coming weeks, Dunkin’ Delivery also will be available in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. In Portland, members of the DD Perks Rewards Program can download the new Dunkin’ Donuts On-the-Go Ordering app—DD On-the-Go Ordering […]
Posted in, Northeast
McDonald’s Revamps Value Meal, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… McDonald’s has redone its value menu in an attempt to bring back consumers. The redesigned discount menu will debut on Jan. 4, 2016. The new McPick 2 menu will offer only four choices: small French fries, mozzarella sticks, McChicken sandwich and the McDouble sandwich. Customers can order two of those […]
Posted in, Northeast
Shipments Of Sugar Substitutes To Foodservice Outlets Increases
Sugar is now the top item consumers are trying to avoid in their diets and is neck-and-neck with calories as the top item they look for on nutrition facts labels, according to The NPD Group, a national research and information company. In a report released this week, NPD concluded more sugar-free, unsweetened or reduced-sugar products […]
Posted in, Northeast
Boston Considers Letter Grades For Restaurant Food Safety Practices
Boston’s Inspectional Services Department is considering issuing a letter grade in rating a restaurant’s food safety practices in 2016. A letter grade of A, B, C, etc. would either be posted online or displayed in a storefront window resembling the programs used in New York and Los Angeles. Ratings would be assigned to all of the city’s […]
Posted in, Northeast
Mass. Legislative Panel Advances $15 Wage For Fast Food Workers, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… A Massachusetts legislative committee (Labor and Workforce Development) has endorsed a bill establishing a $15-per-hour minimum wage for fast food and big-box store workers. The vote came Nov. 10, the same day fast food workers rallied in favor of higher wages with a march to the State House. The bill […]
Posted in, Northeast
Kosherfest Set For Nov. 10-11 At New Jersey’s Meadowlands
Kosherfest, a Northeast kosher food and beverage industry event, will be held Nov. 10-11 at the Meadowlands Exposition Center in Secaucus, New Jersey. Three noted chefs will discuss their insights on the future of kosher, and attendees will have an opportunity to sample their culinary creations. Chef Araik Grigoryan of Marani Restaurant will showcase his […]
Posted in, Northeast
Private Equity Firm Acquires The Greene Turtle, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Stone-Goff Partners of New York has acquired Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, a 41-unit casual dining concept based in Maryland. Founded in 1976, the company has expanded throughout the Northeast with locations in Delaware, Virginia, the D.C. area, West Virginia and Long Island. The chain is described as casual […]
Posted in, Northeast
Subway Proposes ‘Footlong’ Issue Settlement
Doctor’s Associates Inc. (DAI), the franchisor of Subway Sandwich Shops, has proposed a settlement in a class-action lawsuit about the marketing of Six Inch and Footlong Subway Sandwiches. The court has not made any findings that any of DAI’s marketing or practices were improper or unlawful. In the settlement, DAI has agreed to certain practice […]
Posted in, Northeast
Aramark Transitions To 100 Percent Sustainability Sourced Tuna, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Aramark of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a provider of food, facilities management and uniforms, will transition to 100 percent sustainably sourced canned skipjack and albacore tuna in the U.S. by April 1, 2016. When the transition is complete next year, Aramark will have converted an estimated 2.5 million pounds of tuna to […]
Posted in, Northeast
New York Orders Four Papa John’s Franchisees To Pay Back Wages, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the U.S. Department of Labor have announced four settlements totaling nearly $500,000 with three current Papa John’s Pizza franchisees and one former franchisee, who together operated a total of nine restaurants in Queens, The Bronx and Brooklyn. The franchisees investigated by the Attorney […]
Posted in, Northeast
Research Finds Taste Shift And Cost Result In Restaurant Beverage Order Decline
Although consumers order a beverage 70 percent of the time when visiting restaurants and other food service outlets, beverage orders have declined 4 percent, or two billion servings, over a five-year period. Consumers changing tastes and cost consciousness are behind declines, finds a new NPD food service market research report. There are more growing beverages at […]
Posted in, Northeast
Boston Convention Bureau Hosts Restaurant Technology Panel, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau will host a Hospitality Exchange, a conversation about the current technology opportunities in the restaurant business, on Monday, Oct. 26, at the Marriott Copley Place, beginning at 3 p.m. Panelists include Christopher Coombs, chef-owner of Boston Urban Hospitality; Steve DiFillipo, CEO of Davios […]
Posted in, Northeast
Restaurants To Benefit With Latest Senate Healthcare Vote
Restaurants have scored a major victory as the U.S. Senate followed the House’s lead and passed the Protecting Affordable Coverage for Employees (PACE) Act. The National Restaurant Association (NRA) advocated for the new legislation, which will preserve the ability of restaurants and other businesses with 50-100 employees to buy health insurance plans on the more affordable large-group […]
Posted in, Northeast
Dunkin’ Donuts To Close Stores Within Speedway, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Posting a lower sales increase than expected recently, Dunkin’ Donuts plans to close nearly 100 stores within Speedway convenience stores within the next year. The announcement came during an investor presentation on Oct. 1. Speedway in the last year took over all of the Hess gas stations and renamed them […]