Food & Beverage News

It was November 1919 when Gary Mitchell’s maternal great grandmother Ma Edelstein opened S&S Restaurant in Cambridge, Mass. The name was a not-so-veiled reference to the Yiddish maternal expression “es and es,” or “eat and eat.” The warm sentiment set the welcoming tone for what has become an institution that has spanned five generations in…

Dine Brands International announced the first IHOP restaurant opening in Lima, Peru through an agreement with Percapitals S.A.C., which calls for 25 IHOP restaurant openings in Peru through 2028. The openings are projected to bring more than 600 new jobs to the regional economy. “South America is an important growth market for Dine Brands and…

Buddy’s Pizza lays claim to creating Detroit-style pizza in 1946. Now, the brand is looking to take its signature pies beyond its 16 units—all of which are in Michigan—and recently named Nando’s veteran Burton Heiss chief executive officer. Heiss is expected to oversee the goal of transforming Buddy’s into a 50-plus unit brand within the…

Restaurant gift cards appeal to 72% of people, according to a new survey from the National Restaurant Association. About 47% of U.S. adults say they plan to give a restaurant gift card this season, according to Hudson Riehle, the Washington, D.C.-based trade association’s senior vice president of research and knowledge. That number rises to 60%…

Fazoli’s has joined forces with Impossible Foods, Inc. to offer spaghetti dishes featuring plant-based meat sauce. The Italian fast-casual chain is debuting Impossible meat sauce, made with ground Impossible Burger, and testing it at five locations near its headquarters in Lexington. Fazoli’s will incorporate the meat alternative, made with soy protein, into two Italian menu…

The Mexican fast-food chain Tuesday said it will expand its dollar menu with the return of one of its most successful $1 offerings, Double Stacked Tacos. The company will offer three flavors of the taco: Nacho Crunch, Chipotle Cheddar and Reaper Ranch. The item features both a hard shell and a soft tortilla. The tacos bring to 21 the number of…

Jack in the Box has sold its San Diego headquarters to the city’s local school district for $21.5 million.San Diego Unified School District approved the purchase of the property last week after initially making an offer to the quick-service chain on March 12. The property, at 9330 Balboa Avenue, includes a 15,000-square foot building on…

JAB Holding Company is combining two of its coffee brands — Dutch beverage group Jacobs Douwe Egberts and Berkeley, Calif.-based Peet’s Coffee & Tea — and exploring an initial public offering outside of the United States with the merged company, JDE Peet’s. Jacobs Douwe Egberts announced the merger Dec. 17, adding Berkeley, Calif.-based Peet’s Coffee…

When it opened last year, the Lynchburg, Virginia, location of East Coast Wings + Grill launched with a charity day instead of a grand opening. Franchisees Mike and Leah Morrell donated 10 percent of their sales from the day, and the corporate office in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, matched their gift. The result? A $2,000 donation…

The Dinex Group Tuesday announced the appointment of Sebastien Silvestri as its first Chief Executive Officer. A respected authority in the hospitality industry, Silvestri comes to Chef Daniel Boulud’s award-winning restaurant group with more than 25 years of proven experience focused on development of bold marketing strategies, effective partnerships and branding tactics.  In this newly…