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

The restaurant industry accounts for a whopping 10 percent of the entire U. S. workforce. With its 14.7 million employees nationwide, the sector is projected to add another 1.6 million jobs within the next 10 years, according to National Restaurant Association. Yet, while the forecast is promising, the industry remains more vulnerable to high turnover… read more

Remember the value wars of a few years ago, when quick-service chains tried to one-up each other with lower and lower priced offerings? Then, when it turned out those offerings only appealed to value-seeking consumers with zero brand loyalty, many chains pulled back on the strategy, and, well, it didn’t go well. Now, the value… read more

Brinker International spent the first quarter strategizing its turnaround story. The second was about implementation. Now, it’s time for results. The parent company of Chili’s and Maggiano’s Little Italy said during a May 1 conference call that it “started to see momentum with significant changes in traffic” during the third quarter, a period that ended… read more

Following a racial discrimination scandal at a Starbucks in Philadelphia, the Seattle-based coffeehouse giant said it has reached a settlement with the two men involved in the incident. The agreement made with Donte Robinson and Rashon Nelson includes an undisclosed financial settlement, and an offer to pay for their undergraduate degrees at Arizona State University… read more

The swift rise of ramen restaurants across the U.S. has inspired a new wave of Japanese concepts that are not focused on sushi. Sushi is now considered as much a part of the American culinary experience as pizza. Ramen restaurants can be found in most major cities. And now, a growing number of chains based… read more