News You Can Use

By FES Staff -- Foodservice Equipment & Supplies, 7/31/2008 9:05:00 AM

Starbucks Reverses Plans, Keeps Sandwiches
Starbucks announced plans to continue selling warm breakfast sandwiches at its stores, but will be tweaking recipes, The Wall Street Journal reported. The plans were announced despite that Howard Schultz, chairman and chief executive officer, said earlier this year he would phase out all sandwiches.

Starbucks spokeswoman Valerie O’Neil said the company only plans to use a new type of cheese, less butter in the eggs, and attempt to control the smell of the sandwiches while cooking in addition to improving their quality, according to The Wall Street Journal. Since earlier this year, the sandwiches accounted for about 3 percent of revenue at stores where they were sold. 

Franchising Important for Sales Growth
Many top restaurant chains grew their 2007 sales through signing more franchisees, instead of relying on same-store sales increases, according to a report published by Technomic, a Chicago-based research firm. This held true for both limited-service and full-service sectors.

The top 400 restaurant franchisees generated $31 billion in sales in 2007, about 8.5 percent of the total restaurant industry’s $364 billion. NPC International, a major franchisee of Pizza Hut, was the largest franchise company that year, with sales of $679 million, up 12.9 percent since 2006. 

Burger King, Taco Bell and McDonald’s were the restaurant brands that franchised the most. 

Webcast to Forecast the Foodservice Industry
Leveraging data collected from the foodservice operator and equipment and supplies dealer segments, this FE&S webcast will report on the industry's 2008 fiscal performance to date. The magazine will also provide an early glimpse at the foodservice equipment and supplies industry’s economic outlook for the first half of 2009, followed by a Q&A at the conclusion of the webcast. Click to register.

Tankless Water Heaters Save Energy
Tankless water heaters, also known as instantaneous or on-demand water heaters, provide hot water without using a storage tank. Like tank water heaters, tankless water heaters use either gas or electricity to operate, but unlike conventional water heaters, tankless water heaters are very efficient because they do not have standby losses incurred by continuous use of energy to maintain water in a tank to a set temperature.

CORRECTION
In the June issue of The Specifier, FE&S incorrectly stated that LEED professionals earn certifications, when in fact, they earn accreditations. Only buildings receive LEED certification. 

In addition, FE&S seeks to clarify that Ray Soucie was not asked to assist in the development of the LEED for Retail category section, but rather that he was asked by the head of the committee to review their draft of criteria for establishing a baseline for commercial kitchens as well as offer input. The LEED for Retail 2009 committee is doing the work, according to Soucie.