Commodities update - Week of July 27, 2009

July 26, 2009

Block cheese prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange averaged $1.17 per pound for the trading week ended July 24, up six cents from the previous week. …

Pizza Fusion Mesa receives LEED certification

July 26, 2009

Organic pizza chain Pizza Fusion has been awarded LEED Silver certification by the United States Green Building Council for its Mesa, Ariz., restaurant. The…

Print still relevant to the pizza business

Despite the growing popularity of online marketing techniques, print continues to be an effective sales-building tool.

N.Y. Chuck E. Cheese in game license controversy

July 23, 2009

In a 3-3 vote, the Amherst, N.Y., Town Board failed to approve a game license renewal for a local Chuck E. Cheese restaurant, according to a story in the…

Minimum wage takes a hike today

July 23, 2009

The federal minimum wage increases today from $6.55 to $7.25. U.S. Rep. George Miller, D-Calif., chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, said the…

Pizza Pizza opens second British Columbia restaurant

July 23, 2009

Canadian chain Pizza Pizza has opened its second traditional restaurant in British Columbia in the city of Burnaby. The company opened its first B.C. store in…

Mellow Mushroom opens 100th store

July 22, 2009

Mellow Mushroom will open its 100th store in Covington, La., on July 26. Mellow Mushroom now operates in 14 states.   Founded by three Georgia college…

Pizza Patron Q2 comps up 4.15 percent

July 22, 2009

Comparable-store sales at Latino pizza brand Pizza Patron were up 4.15 percent for the 2009 second quarter, the company has announced. The company has posted…

Toppers Pizza launches new prototype

July 22, 2009

The 26-unit Toppers Pizza chain has unveiled a new prototype restaurant to help the company in its plans to expand beyond its home state of Wisconsin. …

Survey reveals working consumers skipping meals

July 21, 2009

According to a new study conducted by WorkPlace Media, 76 percent of workers surveyed have made cuts to their food and beverage consumption. Overall, 3…

Franchisors ask for more time on N.Y. tax rule

July 21, 2009

The International Franchise Association is asking the State of New York to postpone the implementation of a new rule that requires franchisors to report…

Restaurants ask Congress for broader menu labeling

A group of 21 restaurant chains has asked Congress to enact more extensive national menu labeling rules.

New York eateries now trans-fat free

July 20, 2009

Reuters: Nearly two years after the New York City health department banned artificial trans fats from restaurant menu items, all city restaurants have cut the…

NPD report: U.S. restaurant traffic decline steepest in 28 years

July 19, 2009

CHICAGO — Restaurant traffic, still feeling the impact of rising unemployment and thrifty consumers, declined during the spring quarter ended May 2009…

Papa John's to shut down N.Y. food plant

July 19, 2009

The Daily Gazette (Schenectady, N.Y.): Papa John's subsidiary PJ Foods will shut down its plant in Rotterdam, N.Y., in October, and could lay off up to 5…

Commodities update - Week of July 20, 2009

July 19, 2009

CHICAGO -- Block cheese prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange averaged slightly above $1.11 per pound for the trading week ended July 17, virtually…

History tops the menu at Alongi's

The small-town restaurant has developed a big-city following.

Pizzeria denies access to customer with service dog

July 16, 2009

Gazette.net (Maryland): Dennis Walters, a wheelchair-bound paraplegic who uses a service dog, has filed a complaint with the Maryland Commission on Human…

NRA names educational foundation director

July 16, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation has named Barbara Sido as its executive director, the organization has…

White Paper: Four steps for protecting pizza delivery services

Delivery is a crucial part of the pizza industry, but it can leave an owner liable.