May 29, 2013
This Week in Foodservice: Technomic Trims Expectations for This Year but Forecasts a Brighter 2014 
Technomic projects foodservice industry revenues to increase 3.8 percent in 2013 and 4.1 percent in 2014. Leading next year’s growth spurt will be a variety of non-commercial foodservice operators.
Ollie Wilkes Receives Inaugural FE&S Lifetime Achievement Award
Foodservice Equipment & Supplies presented its inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award to Ollie Wilkes, vice president of Meridian, Miss.-based Hotel and Restaurant Supply. Wilkes accepted the award during FE&S’ Dealer of the Year and Industry Awards Gala, which took place May 18 at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago.
Restaurant Traffic Holds Steady in First Quarter and Spending Increases
Visits to U.S. restaurants were stable in the first quarter of 2013 compared to the traffic gains encouraged by mild winter weather in the first quarter last year, reports The NPD Group. NPD forecasts that restaurant traffic will be flat and spending will increase by 2.7 percent by year end.
Remembering Reps McCarthy and Sabatino
Long-time independent manufacturers’ reps and MAFSI members Ed McCarthy, retired owner of the North Star Agency in Medina, Minn., and Joseph Sabatino, founder of High Sabatino Associates in Jessup, Md., passed away on May 22.
Hobson Promoted to SVP of Operations at Jack in the Box
Jack in the Box Inc. promoted Elana M. “Lani” Hobson to senior vice president of operations from vice president of operations.
Cousins Subs Names New Franchise Sales Manager
John “JJ” Palmert was named franchise sales manager for Cousins Subs.
Military Foodservice Awards Winners Announced
The National Restaurant Association Military Foundation (NRAMF) announced the winners of its annual awards given to service members and military establishments of the U.S. Marine Corps, the U.S. Air Force, the Air National Guard and the Air Force Reserves. Also announced were the winners of the John L. Hennessy Award for Excellence in Foodservice.
Henny Penny Names New Corporate Chef
Benjamin Leingang was named the new corporate chef for Henny Penny Corporation.
Case Study: Croc’s 19th Street Eco-Bistro
Now in its 20th year, Croc’s 19th Street Bistro in Virginia Beach, Va., is a popular restaurant among tourists, locals and those visiting the nearby convention center. But it has also made huge strides as the first green-focused restaurant in the state, as recognized by the state’s tourism department and its Virginia Green program, a self-certifying initiative geared toward conserving the state’s natural resources through waste reduction, recycling and energy and water efficiency, among other sustainable efforts.
KOLD-DRAFT Sold to Legacy Companies
The Legacy Companies has acquired a controlling interest in KOLD-DRAFT.
Foodservice Equipment and Supplies Sales Fall Short of Projections but Keep Growing
Sales of foodservice equipment and supplies increased 2.4 percent for the first quarter of 2013, according to the Manufacturers Agents’ Association for the Foodservice Industry’s Business Barometer. While this represented the tenth consecutive quarter of growth, tempering the news was the fact that the increase fell shy of the reps’ forecasted level of 3.6 percent.
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