{"id":18204,"date":"2013-07-31T11:19:12","date_gmt":"2013-07-31T11:19:12","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/newsroom.chainstoreguide.com\/?p=3097"},"modified":"2013-07-31T11:19:12","modified_gmt":"2013-07-31T11:19:12","slug":"industry-news-restaurant-foodservice-july-2013-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.chainstoreguide.com\/offthechain\/2013\/07\/industry-news-restaurant-foodservice-july-2013-2\/","title":{"rendered":"Industry News: Restaurant & Foodservice \u2013 July 2013"},"content":{"rendered":"

Personnel Updates:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Allied Buying Corporation<\/strong> named Tom Venetis as Executive Director, succeeding Tom Wilhelm.<\/p>\n

American Gaming Association<\/strong> named Geoff Freeman as CEO\/President.<\/p>\n

Applebee’s<\/strong> named Peter Czizek VP of Culinary and Menu Strategy; he was most recently at Dave & Buster’s, Applebee\u2019s Senior VP of Marketing and Culinary Becky Johnson resigned her position.<\/p>\n

Barnes & Noble, Inc.<\/strong> announced the resignation of CEO William Lynch. The Company also announced the following organizational changes: Michael P. Huseby was appointed CEO of NOOK Media LLC and President of Barnes & Noble, Inc. as well as the promotions of Allen Lindstrom to CFO and\u00a0 Kanuj Malhotra to CFO of NOOK Media LLC.<\/p>\n

Buffet Partners LP<\/strong> named Barry M. Barron, Sr., CEO.<\/p>\n

Buffets Inc.<\/strong> named Chip Romp as VP of Training and Jay Allen as Senior VP of Real Estate and Development.<\/p>\n

Burger King Worldwide<\/strong> named Daniel Schwartz CEO, succeeding Bernardo Hees who is now Vice Chairman.<\/p>\n

Chicken Salad Chick<\/strong> hired Jim Thompson as VP of Operations and Jessica Claussen as Corporate Trainer.<\/p>\n

Commercial Food Equipment Service Association<\/strong> named Heather Price as its Executive Director.<\/p>\n

Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Inc<\/strong>. announced the appointment of Glenn Lunde to the position of Chief Concept Officer; Mr. Lunde previously served as Senior VP, Chief Guest Officer for Panda Restaurant Group, Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Famous Brands International<\/strong> (dba Mrs. Field’s<\/strong> and TCBY<\/strong>) named James J. Zenni Chairman and Neal Courtney as CEO.<\/p>\n

First Watch Restaurants<\/strong> named Paul Hineman CFO.<\/p>\n

Golden State Foods<\/strong> named John Broekhuis Group VP, International.<\/p>\n

Great Wraps<\/strong> recently brought on Matthew DeBusk as VP of Brand Development to lead its rebranding efforts and franchise expansion.<\/p>\n

Guckenheimer<\/strong> named Steve Selcer as CFO.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Huddle House<\/strong> hired Tyrone Counts as COO.<\/p>\n

Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants<\/strong> promoted Mike DeFrino to COO.<\/p>\n

Kings Family Restaurants<\/strong> named Chris Whalen as President.<\/p>\n

Las Vegas Sands Corp<\/strong>. hired Grant Chum as Senior VP of Global Gaming Strategy.<\/p>\n

Liquid Nutrition Group Inc<\/strong>. announced the appointment of Greg Chamandy to CEO, succeeding Glenn Young; Chamandy also retains his role as Chairman.<\/p>\n

Long John Silver\u2019s<\/strong> named Paula Ashley-Rogness as VP of Media and Field Marketing; she returns to LJS from Wendy\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

National Amusements<\/strong> promoted Tad Jankowski to Exec VP and Joe Mollo to CIO\/Senior VP of Information Technologies.<\/p>\n

Pinnacle Entertainment Inc.<\/strong> reported the resignation of Geno M. Iafrate, Exec VP, Regional Operations.<\/p>\n

Romacorp, Inc<\/strong>. announced the appointment of John Brisco as Executive VP and Chief Development Officer for the brand. Prior to joining Tony Roma\u2019s, Brisco was the President of International Development for Ruby Tuesday<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Ruby Tuesday, Inc<\/strong>. announced the appointment of Todd Burrowes as President, Ruby Tuesday concept and COO. Burrowes joins Ruby Tuesday from LongHorn Steakhouse<\/strong>. The company also reported the departure of its President \u2013 Ruby Tuesday Concept and COO, Kimberly Grant.<\/p>\n

The Second Cup<\/strong> announced the resignation of CFO Robert Masson.<\/p>\n

Sonny\u2019s Real Pit Bar-B-Q<\/strong> hired Brandon Manly as COO and VP of Marketing; he was most recently VP of Franchising at Rib Crib<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Taco John\u2019s International<\/strong> hired Dan James as Chief Development Officer and Van Ingram as VP of Franchise Development; both men were most recently at Arby\u2019s<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

TRUFOODS LLC<\/strong> appointed Stew Stolz as Executive Director of Operations for the Ritter\u2019s Frozen Custard<\/strong> brand.<\/p>\n

White Lodging<\/strong> named Laura Presnol as Senior Director of Talent Acquisition.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Financial Focus:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Morgans Hotel Group Co.<\/strong> announced that it is exploring selling the company.<\/p>\n

Smashburger<\/strong> closed on a $35 million round of financing to assist in ongoing growth plans.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Mergers & Acquisitions:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

AMF Bowling Worldwide, Inc.<\/strong> and Strike Holdings LLC<\/strong> announced the completion of their merger. The new company, known as Bowlmor AMF,<\/strong> is the largest operator of bowling centers in the world with 7,500 employees, 272 bowling centers and combined annual revenue of approximately $450 million.<\/p>\n

Blackstreet Capital Management<\/strong> announced that it has completed its acquisition of Jerry\u2019s Systems Inc.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Bow Tie Cinemas<\/strong> reported the completion of its previously announced acquisition of Clearview Cinemas <\/strong>from Cablevision Systems Corporation.<\/p>\n

Cineplex Inc.<\/strong> plans to purchase 24 Empire Theatres<\/strong> in Atlantic Canada and two in Ontario; closing is expected in approximately 60 days.<\/p>\n

Friendly\u2019s Ice Cream LLC<\/strong> acquired The Johnny Rockets Group<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Heartland Food Corp<\/strong>. sold its Canadian Burger King restaurants to Redberry Investments, master franchisee of Burger King in Canada.<\/p>\n

MTY Tiki Ming Enterprises Inc<\/strong>. stated it plans to purchase the majority of the assets of Extreme Brandz<\/strong>\u2014franchisor of Extreme Pita, PurBlendz and Mucho Burrito<\/strong>. The transaction is scheduled to close by mid-September.<\/p>\n

Pizza Fusion<\/strong> announced that it has terminated its Definitive Agreement with Unique Pizza & Subs Corporation<\/strong> providing for the acquisition of Pizza Fusion Holdings by Unique Pizza & Subs.<\/p>\n

Pizza Hut\u2019s<\/strong> largest franchisee, NPC International<\/strong>, is acquiring Wendy\u2019s<\/strong> restaurants which will operate as NPC Quality Burgers Inc.<\/p>\n

Roark Capital Group<\/strong> acquired Miller\u2019s Ale House<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Sun Capital Partners<\/strong> is seeking buyers for its Captain D\u2019s<\/strong> seafood restaurant chain.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Industry Insight:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Beef ‘O’ Brady’s<\/strong> signed a franchise agreement to open several restaurants in Jordan over the next few years; the company opened its first Saudi Arabian location.<\/p>\n

Bennigan\u2019s<\/strong> has opened a restaurant in Cyprus.<\/p>\n

Burger King<\/strong> opened its first restaurant in South Africa.<\/p>\n

Cold Stone Creamery<\/strong> is expanding into Turkey.<\/p>\n

Della Notte Ristrorante<\/strong> in Baltimore closed after 15 years.<\/p>\n

Dippin\u2019 Dots<\/strong> opened its first location in Greece.<\/p>\n

Doc Holliday Casino<\/strong> closed 6\/13\/13.<\/p>\n

Good Times Restaurants Inc<\/strong>. announced that it has entered into a five-year distribution agreement with Food Services of America <\/strong>that covers distribution of over 95% of the company\u2019s products.<\/p>\n

Isle of Capri Casinos<\/strong> opened its newest location, Lady Luck Casino Nemacolin.<\/p>\n

Jake\u2019s Wayback Burgers<\/strong> announced a deal for new locations throughout 28 countries in the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n

L&L Drive-In<\/strong> opened its first store in China.<\/p>\n

Piccadilly Restaurants, LLC<\/strong> announced a new division within its restaurant and food service company, Piccadilly Emergency Services; the new division allows the company to streamline efforts to conduct mass feedings during post-disaster situations.<\/p>\n

Sbarro<\/strong> plans to expand its operations in India.<\/p>\n

Schlotzsky\u2019s<\/strong> signed a franchise agreement for 55 restaurants throughout seven of the former Soviet countries, including Russia, Belarus, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Lithuania and Ukraine.<\/p>\n

Starbucks<\/strong> plans to open 100 stores in Malaysia over the next five years.<\/p>\n

Taco Tico\u2019s<\/strong> company-owned restaurants have closed.<\/p>\n

White Castle<\/strong> is adding two food trucks to its operations in Columbus and Louisville; they will only be available for special occasions initially.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Real Estate:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Blaze Fast-Fire’d Pizza<\/strong> announced agreements to develop eight stores in Detroit & Grand Rapids, MI, seven stores in Columbus, OH, six stores in Indianapolis and 10 stores in the East Bay & South Bay regions of Northern CA.<\/p>\n

Chipotle<\/strong> plans to add five ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen locations in the DC market and four in the Los Angeles area.<\/p>\n

Chuy’s Holdings<\/strong> Inc. has opened the doors to its first location in NC.<\/p>\n

Cici\u2019s Pizza<\/strong> is planning four new restaurants in the St. Louis market; the company is also planning new stores in Los Angeles, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Washington D.C. and Miami.<\/p>\n

Dunkin’ Donuts<\/strong> plans to open 600 restaurants by the end of this year.<\/p>\n

Dunkin\u2019 Brands<\/strong> announced the signing of a multi-unit store development agreement for eight traditional Dunkin\u2019 Donut <\/strong>restaurants and one Dunkin\u2019 Donuts\/Baskin-Robbins<\/strong> combination location in Houston, TX.<\/p>\n

Firehouse Subs<\/strong> plans to open 52 restaurants targeting the areas of St. Louis, Jefferson City and Columbia, MO, Southeastern IL and Paducah, KY.<\/p>\n

Huddle House<\/strong> plans to open 135 restaurants throughout the Southeast and TX over the next five years; the company is specifically targeting San Antonio, Waco, and Fort Worth.<\/p>\n

Jersey Mike\u2019s<\/strong> is planning 10 stores within the next 18 months in Minneapolis-
\nSt. Paul.<\/p>\n

Krispy Kreme Doughnut Corporation<\/strong> entered into a letter of intent for Sun Holdings LLC<\/strong> to further develop the Dallas market.<\/p>\n

McAlister\u2019s Deli<\/strong> has franchise agreements for 21 new restaurants in FL, IN, KY, NY, NC, SC, and TN. McAlister\u2019s Deli is also targeting Buffalo, NY, for expansion.<\/p>\n

Papa John\u2019s Pizza <\/strong>announced that NFL pro Jerome Bettis has joined the Bajco Group to operate restaurants in the Pittsburgh market.<\/p>\n

Pie Five Pizza Co.<\/strong> has awarded 15 additional franchise units in the Florida market. The expanded agreement now calls for 25 total units in Florida, with new markets including Orlando, Gainesville, Melbourne, Daytona Beach, St. Augustine, and Jacksonville.<\/p>\n

Smoothie King<\/strong> is targeting Jacksonville FL for franchise growth.<\/p>\n

Sonic Drive-In<\/strong> is seeking growth in small towns throughout the central U.S. Sonic <\/strong>also announced an agreement for five new restaurants in the Rochester NY market over the next four years and 15 new restaurants in southern CA.<\/p>\n

Wingstop<\/strong> will develop 15 restaurants in Pittsburgh through new franchisee, NFL pro Shawntae Spencer.<\/p>\n

Zaxby\u2019s<\/strong> plans to open 18 Utah locations in the next five years. Other target markets for Zaxby\u2019s expansion include NV, AZ, Indianapolis, IN.; Dayton and Cincinnati, OH; TX, and LA.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Green Initiatives:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Chipotle Mexican Grill<\/strong> plans to serve more than 15 million pounds of locally grown produce in its restaurants this year, up from its 2012 goal of 10 million pounds.<\/p>\n

Dunkin’ Donuts<\/strong> new store design includes LED light fixtures, no VOC paints, and wall tile with 35% pre-consumer recycled materials. The company also announced in its corporate social responsibility (CSR) report that it will phase out foam cups in the next two to three years and start testing a more eco-friendly paper cup with recycled content. During the transition, it will recycle the foam cups at restaurants it owns.<\/p>\n

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters, Inc<\/strong>. (GMCR) has been named a 2013 \u201cNortheast Business Leader for Energy Efficiency\u201d for its commitment to lowering energy use.<\/p>\n

MGM Resorts International<\/strong> has partnered with NRG Energy on the planned installation of a large rooftop solar photovoltaic array at the Mandalay Bay Resort Convention Center in Las Vegas.<\/p>\n

Wyndham Worldwide<\/strong> said it achieved an 8% reduction in energy use in the first full year of the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Better Buildings Challenge. Wyndham reduced its energy through:<\/p>\n