FER editors share the trends and innovations they saw on the show floor in 2025. Product smarts were on full display Feb. 26-28 at The NAFEM Show in Atlanta, as foodservice manufacturers showed off their latest rollouts all across the 332,000-square-foot exhibit space. This year, 633 exhibitors and an estimated 20,000 attendees descended upon the… read more
Global Foodservice News
Global Foodservice News – March 1, 2025
Foodservice Equipment Cooking Equipment Specialist Adds New Role The service provider taps internal talent to lead a new branch. As CES East Supervisor, Eddie Singleton is heading up a new service area zone for Cooking Equipment Specialist, which says it experienced “exceptional growth” in 2024. Singleton will support the customer and service technicians on… read more
Hooters is reportedly preparing a bankruptcy filing
The casual-dining chain has hired a law firm to prepare a filing, Bloomberg reported. The chain has been struggling for years. Hooters has also been falling behind on its bills. In 2024, the company took about 4 times longer to pay its vendors than the average restaurant chain, according to data from credit report company… read more
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf adds Starbucks Veteran Hinkle to Exec Team
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf appointed Tara Hinkle to serve as its president and head of Americas for the global specialty coffee and tea house. Before joining The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Hinkle served as senior director of franchise finance and strategy at Taco Bell, where she led the brand’s franchise finance and… read more
Just Salad Raises $200 Million to Speed Up Growth
The capital raise values the company at $1 billion. Just Salad has raised $200 million to aid investment in menu innovation, advanced technology, and the customer experience, the company announced Monday. The capital raise values the fast casual at $1 billion. Funds came from an investor group led by Wellington Management, alongside D1 Capital Partners,… read more
Denny’s adds an egg surcharge at some locations
The move by the diner chain comes as egg prices continue to skyrocket due to a nationwide shortage caused by avian flu. Some Denny’s customers will have to start paying a little extra for their eggs. The 1,500-unit diner chain said Monday that it is adding a temporary surcharge to all meals that include eggs… read more
Starbucks Lays Off 1,100 Corporate Employees
The coffeehouse chain is also eliminating several hundred open and unfilled positions. Starbucks plans to lay off 1,100 corporate employees globally as new Chairman and CEO Brian Niccol streamlines operations. In a letter to employees released Monday, Niccol said the company will inform employees who are being laid off by mid-day Tuesday. Niccol said Starbucks… read more
KFC U.S. is moving out of Louisville
The fast-food chicken chain is moving its corporate headquarters to Plano, Texas, and is telling all remote workers to relocate to the cities in which their work is based. KFC has been associated with Kentucky since Colonel Harland Sanders first started serving his fried chicken there nearly a century ago. But the fast-food chicken chain… read more
How the Labor Shortage is Impacting the Cleaning Industry
The cleaning industry, like many others, has been severely impacted by the ongoing labor shortage. Lack of workers has raised costs while negatively impacting quality, and the longer it goes on the more pressure it puts on existing staff. If the industry does not find solutions, this labor shortage could spiral out of control as… read more
Imperial Dade Acquires Athens Janitor Supply Company and Chittom Industries, Strengthening Presence in Georgia
Imperial Dade, a leading North American distributor of foodservice packaging supplies, industrial products, and janitorial supplies, today announced the acquisition of Athens Janitor Supply Company, Inc. and Chittom Industries, Inc. (collectively “AJS” or the “Company”). The transaction represents the 97th acquisition for Imperial Dade under the leadership of Robert and Jason Tillis, Chairman and CEO… read more