First, the good news: Food prices, with a few exceptions, have stabilized over the past few years. Now, the bad news: The price of pretty much everything else has gone up. “Food cost used to be your highest cost,” said Kelley Jones (left), president and COO of Hospitality Alliance, a restaurant consulting, operations and management… read more

Debt financing has become widely available to restaurant companies in recent years, and many operators have taken advantage of this source of capital to fund development.  This is a big difference compared with 30 years ago, when banks and other lenders shunned the industry and many companies had to grow within the limits of their cash… read more

More than a year after the company hinted at a limited-service spinoff, The Cheesecake Factory is making good on its word with plans to open a pilot fast casual later this year. The news came amid the casual-dining chain’s fourth-quarter earnings report Wednesday, February 21. As CEO and chairman of the board David Overton pointed… read more

Welbilt announces agreement to acquire Crem Internations which provides entry into hot beverage market via professional coffee machines, one of the fastest growing categories within the global beverage market. Adds highly complementary product portfolio enhancing Welbilt’s position as full-line supplier with attractive cross-selling opportunities. Supports Welbilt’s strategy to further drive growth outside the U.S., while also… read more

The Middleby Corporation announced the acquisition of Hinds-Bock Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer of solutions for filling and depositing bakery and food product, an integral part of the industrial baking and food processing line. The company is based in Bothell, Washington and has approximately $15 million in annual revenues. “For decades, Hinds-Bock has… read more

Tyson Foods said that it will launch several new products this year and modernize its $1bn brands as part of its transformation into a modern food company. Speaking at the 2018 Consumer Analyst Group of New York conference, Tyson Foods president and CEO Tom Hayes and members of the company’s enterprise leadership team shared with… read more

Scarfogliero, who has served as president and COO since 2009, joined Winholt in 1993 as v.p.-operations and IT. Prior to that, he led operations, distribution and technology for two major U.S. consumer electronics companies. Winholt Chairman Jonathan Holtz affirmed that Scarfogliero has played a major role in the company’s growth since becoming president and COO… read more

Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. named Brian Niccol as CEO as of March 5, the company said. Niccol most recently served as CEO of Irvine, Calif.-based Taco Bell Corp., the division of Yum! Brands Inc. He succeeds Steve Ells, founder and CEO of the Denver-based Chipotle, who announced in November he would step down. Niccol has… read more

Sentinel Capital Partners has sold Huddle House Inc., the companies said. Terms of the sale were not disclosed. The buyer asked not to be disclosed, according to a spokesperson. The New York City-based private-equity firm acquired Huddle House in 2012. “Sentinel has been a great partner to Huddle House and over the past six years… read more

Buffalo Wild Wings is just the first piece of a potential restaurant empire. Arby’s Restaurant Group’s $2.9 billion deal, which closed Monday, will signal the beginning of Inspire Brands Inc., chief executive Paul Brown told The Wall Street Journal. As for what’s next, Brown outlined an ambitious future that includes purchasing “brands that span multiple… read more