Multiconcept operator Davidson Hospitality Group promoted Bill Hanson to vice president, of food and beverage within Davidson Restaurant Group, the company’s dedicated food and beverage operating vertical. He previously served as corporate director of food and beverage operations for DRG. Prior to joining DRG in 2018, Hanson launched the food and beverage division of Milkboy… read more

Diversified Foodservice Supply LLC, the leader in private branded parts and supplies for the food industry, announced a new organizational structure to best serve its growing customer base of service professionals, resellers, operators and manufacturers. Dale Barina, President & Chief Operating Officer. In this newly created role, Dale will have commercial responsibility across all customer… read more

Hatco Corp. continued to add to its portfolio as the Wisconsin-based company has acquired Food Warming Equipment Company, a manufacturer specializing in heated holding cabinets, cook and hold ovens, smokers, refrigerated cabinets, transport carts, and more, with locations in Crystal Lake, Ill., and Portland, Tenn. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. “Like Hatco,… read more

Convenience will be at the forefront of consumers’ minds in 2023, according to the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) Trendspotter Panel. The panel, comprised of culinary professionals from diverse industry segments, researches numerous specialty food items and companies to predict key emerging trends for the upcoming year. “Specialty food consumers are looking to make their meal… read more

Already an integral customer base for restaurants, Latino consumers are poised to become even more influential in driving trends and market growth. According to the Pew Research Center, Hispanic Americans accounted for more than half (52 percent) of the U.S. population growth between 2010 and 2021—surpassing any other ethnic or racial group. In a recent… read more

Chili’s Eyes Increased Profits with New Menu Brinker International CEO Kevin Hochman, with just a few months under his belt, identified excessive deep discounting as one of Chili’s most concerning issues. In the chain’s fiscal fourth quarter, discounted items mixed 37 percent, and that was simply too high for his blood. In response, the chain… read more

Applebee’s is in its “glory years,” says brand president John Cywinski. He argues the chain is in a better position now than it’s ever been across 42 years of history. No one is likely to challenge him on that take. Same-store sales grew 3.8 percent in Q3 year-over-year and 16.9 percent against 2019—the best three-year… read more

A technology supply chain company operating a wholesale food and restaurant supplies marketplace, Cheetah has maintained a relatively low profile since its founding in 2015. That, however, is now changing with the company’s rapid growth and increased market presence. Earlier this year, the Pleasanton, California-based company closed a Series C round of financing totaling $60… read more

Josh Luger and James Marcus had big ambitions to find a restaurant concept and do something “truly special” with it. Rather than start their own business, the two decided to buy an existing concept and expand it. That concept was a hole-in-the-wall taco shop in Tampa, Fla. that didn’t even have a sign on the… read more

Ghost kitchens and virtual brands in a post-pandemic world will favor more flexible, transparent business models from industry veterans like Reef and Nextbite, to newcomers like Oomi and Meal Outpost At the height of the pandemic when dining rooms were closed, the phrase “ghost kitchen” entered the public lexicon and new “hot” delivery-only concepts opened… read more