Last updated on August 5th, 2015 at 02:06 pm
Food Service News In Brief…
A 3 percent drop in independent restaurant unit counts compared to year ago brought the total U.S. restaurant count down by 1 percent to 630,511 units, according to a census of U.S. commercial restaurant locations compiled in the spring and fall each year by The NPD Group, a national research company. The total restaurant count decrease was offset by a 1 percent increase in chain restaurant units. Fast casual chain units increased by 7 percent, based on NPD’s latest spring study, which includes restaurants open as of March 31, 2015. The drop in independent restaurants was concentrated in the full-service segment, which includes casual dining, mid-scale family dining and fine dining. Full-service independent units were down 3 percent while quick-service independent units remained stable…
The New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association is partnering with Clark and Lavey Benefits Solutions to offer a group healthcare program designed to save business money and minimize risk…
Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill, a full-service bar and fire grill restaurant operating 66 locations and employing 3,700 people, has appointed Ryan Esko as chairman, president and CEO. Esko joins Smokey Bones from Sun Capital Partners, a private investment firm. Esko previously led several initiatives at Smokey Bones that resulted in strong improvements to sales, financial performance and guest satisfaction scores. Esko also has experience running several U.S. and international consumer and retail businesses with annual sales ranging from $170 million to nearly $1 billion.
