Foodservice Equip & Supplies News

Chicago-based Parker Restaurant Group is planning a national expansion of its female-focused concept The Hampton Social, a move designed to quadruple the group in size to 21 restaurants within the next three years. Currently with five units in Chicago — though one restaurant is closed temporarily for a relocation — Parker Restaurant Group operates three…

A new automated pizza-making robot prototype that cooks pizzas on the way to customers’ homes is set to be unveiled Tuesday at the Specialty Equipment Market Association’s annual automotive specialty products show in Las Vegas. The mobile pizza factory, residing in the bed of a zero-emission Toyota Tundra pickup, will get its debut during Toyota’s presentation at…

Fires in California raged on Monday leaving devastated communities in their path, as they destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses including locations of several quick-service chains in Northern California. As of Monday, the Woolsey fire near the posh community of Malibu, Calif., had scorched 91,572 acres and was only 20 percent contained, according to state…

Dear Loyal Readers: Here it is the middle of October, fall is officially here and here in Chicago we have had our first frost. Baseball is still trying to figure out who will play in the World Series (not as interested as my Cubs went quietly into the night) but my Bears are looking up.…

Chick-fil-A’s new test locations won’t have a drive thru or dining room. Chick-fil-A has no issue driving customers into its restaurants and through its drive thru. In fact, QSR’s 2018 Drive-through Study showed six or more cars crowding the lane 40 percent of the time. And the 2,200-plus-unit brand’s average-unit volumes of $4.1 million are tops…

Changes in how consumers search for and acquire consumer packaged goods are forcing companies like the J.M. Smucker Co., Orrville, Ohio, to rethink how they develop and market new products. Smucker, in particular, is investing in its brand building model in an effort to become more granular and agile. “…We enjoy strong positions in great…

Offering training materials in multiple languages can help break down language barriers in foodservice, and language learning opportunities can assist with employee retention and promote cultural awareness that can strengthen a restaurant’s entire team. To bridge the gap between languages, a glossary of 50 or so common words and their translations can offer a strong…

If the National Restaurant Association’s apprentice program is any indication, in the future, restaurant managers will defy the industry’s high turnover rate. The program, run by the NRA’s Educational Foundation (NRAEF), boasts a 94 percent retention rate. As it turns out, plenty of restaurant workers see themselves on the managerial track. While most apprentice programs…

Nekter Juice Bar has signed its largest area development agreement with 2ndHarvest LLC to open 30 restaurants during the next few years in existing markets of Florida and Tennessee and in two new markets, Maryland and Washington, D.C., according to a company press release. Based in Miami, 2ndHarvest LLC plans to open its first Nekter…

Mr. Martin was most recently the Sam’s team lead for Quaker products at PepsiCo, Inc. Previously, he was the Walmart director of customer management and the Sam’s director of customer management for the Frito-Lay division at PepsiCo. Before that, he held a variety of senior sales and general management roles at PepsiCo. “Tom is an…