Food & Beverage News

The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF) has been awarded a $450,000 grant from the private sector to ease restaurants’ shortage of cooks. The funds will be used to create an apprenticeship program with twin purposes, both aimed at addressing the mismatch between the industry’s labor needs and the availability of personnel.  By providing a…

Up to 90 percent of U.S. restaurants lack proper insurance coverage, exposing them to significant risk in the event of a foodborne illness outbreak. According to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, a single foodborne outbreak could cost a restaurant millions of dollars in lost revenue, fines, lawsuits,…

U.S. employers added a modest 136,000 jobs in September, enough to help lower the unemployment rate to a new five-decade low of 3.5%. Hiring has slowed this year as the U.S.-China trade war has intensified, global growth has slowed and businesses have cut back on their investment spending. Even so, hiring has averaged 157,000 in…

Through its educational foundation, the National Restaurant Association is serving up opportunity to active members of the military. The association recently hosted service members during its first-ever Advanced Culinary Training Program (ACTP), held at the campus of the Culinary Institute of America Texas campus in San Antonio. The quarterly program, which will continue into 2020,…

McDonald’s said that will sell the PLT, or the plant, lettuce and tomato burger for 12 weeks in 28 restaurants in Southwestern Ontario by the end of the month. McDonald’s says it developed a special recipe using burgers from Beyond Meat, a California-based startup that makes “meat” from pea protein, canola oil, beet juice and…

Dine Brands International has opened three IHOP restaurants in Ecuador continuing its expansion in Latin America. Two IHOP restaurants are located in the port city of Guayaquil and one in the city of Ambato. 12 IHOP restaurants are expected to open throughout Ecuador by 2024 through an agreement with new franchisee Corporación El Rosado. Dine…

To honor the legendary Loretta Lynn for blazing a trail for women in country music, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store named the icon its 2019 Cracker Barrel Country Legend Award recipient. The award was presented to Loretta by Cracker Barrel’s “Five Decades, One Voice” partner artist Trisha Yearwood at Lynn’s beloved ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee. “Loretta has played such an integral role…

Private equity firm L Catterton has completed the acquisition of Del Frisco’s Restaurant Group Inc. for approximately $650 million or $8 per share, as first announced in June. As part of the transaction, L Catterton will be selling two of the restaurant group’s brands — Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse and Del Frisco’s Grille — to hospitality company,…

Jimmy John’s Sandwiches, which has grown to more than 2,800 shops since its founding in Charleston, Ill., 36 years ago, is getting sold to the owner of Arby’s, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic Drive-In and Rusty Taco. Financial terms of the deal with Atlanta-based Inspire Brands, announced early Wednesday, were not disclosed. After the transaction closes,…

First up is expected to be Lowell Café, one of eight restaurant and lounge concepts that will allow onsite cannabis smoking, vaping and consumption of edibles. The restaurant is scheduled to open in September. Lowell is one of 16 businesses planning to combine cannabis and foodservice in some form that have won a first round…