Howard Schultz, the outspoken executive chairman of Starbucks, will leave the company at the end of the month, bringing to an end the tenure of a socially conscious entrepreneur who turned a local Seattle coffee chain into a global giant with more than 28,000 stores in 77 countries. Mr. Schultz’s decision to retire, a plan he… read more

On a cold, clear night in March 1975, Peter Cancro knocked on his high school football coach’s front door in Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. It was just after 9 p.m. on a Sunday, but Cancro felt this couldn’t wait. He had to see Rod Smith. Smith’s wife, Janet, opened the door and ushered Cancro into… read more

After months of anticipation, Hy-Vee opens its first Wahlburgers restaurant on Tuesday, and another 25 will quickly follow over the next three years as the grocery store chain revs up its franchise partnership with Wahlberg brothers Mark, Donnie and Paul. Sitting in one of the booths in the new restaurant in Mall of America last… read more

Cava Group Inc. notified the Securities and Exchange Commission Thursday of a $35 million equity offering. Of that, it’s already raised $33,461,206 from 10 investors, according to the filing. As of last September, Cava had filed documents that indicated it raised a total of $96 million to date, the most recent being a $34.9 million raise… read more

Bravo Brio Restaurant Group Inc. has rejected an unsolicited purchase bid by Romano’s Macaroni Grill and will proceed with a sale deal announced earlier with Spice Private Equity Ltd., the company said. The Columbus, Ohio-based parent to Bravo! Cucina Italiana and Brio Tuscan Grille said its board determined that Macaroni Grill’s offer on May 9… read more

The second annual “Our Farm Salutes” grant-giving program, “Heroes to CEOs,” will open for applications on May 22. The contest runs through July 29. Each of the three veteran-owned businesses will be awarded grants of $25,000 as well as an all-expenses-paid, three-day trip for two to New York City for a half-day mentoring session with… read more

Independent restaurants are predicted to spend about $39 billion with foodservice manufacturers and broadline distributors in 2018, despite a decline in the number of restaurants across the U.S., research firm The NPD Group said. Earlier this year, NPD said the number of independent restaurants in the U.S. dropped 3 percent, compared with a year ago,… read more

Schwan’s Co. has found its sweet spot in the North Loop of Minneapolis. The Marshall-based company, known for frozen pizzas and yellow-green delivery trucks, will open its Edwards Dessert Kitchen in the renovated Lowry-Morrison building, on Washington Avenue and 2nd Avenue N., this summer. The eatery is the first retail concept for the company, which… read more

British sandwich and coffee shop chain Pret A Manger was sold for $2 billion to an investment fund of Germany’s billionaire Reimann family, as part of a global acquisition spree aimed at challenging Nestle in the coffee sector. The sale values Pret at more than 1.5 billion pounds ($2 billion) including debt and gives Pret… read more

The year was 1958. Eisenhower was president, the hula-hoop was introduced, and NASA arrived on the scene and the first Pizza Inn opened. While Pizza Inn may not have changed the world like NASA, the restaurant, which featured high-quality pizza made from three types of homemade dough and pitchers of beer, left an impression. That… read more