Foodservice Management

RIDGELAND, Miss. — Viking Culinary Group announced that it has introduced a new line of branded outdoor grills from celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse.

Products in the Emeril grill line include:

Chicago -- A Tuesday report by NPD Group said that U.S. restaurant unit counts declined by 2%, which translates to a loss of 9,450 restaurants since last year.

According to the report, most of the total unit declines were independent restaurants. Chain restaurant unit counts remained relatively stable, according to NPD research.

Washington, D.C. — Grosenor Americas announced that tapas restaurant Boqueria will open a 5,331-sq.-ft. restaurant in a former Penang Malaysian Cuisine space in Washington, D.C.

Boqueria, which operates two New York City locations, is slated to open fourth quarter 2011.

Grosvenor Americas also announced that Irish Whiskey will open a 3,815-sq.-ft. bar in the adjacent former Porters Dining Saloon space.

Dallas -- Web-based hiring assessment provider PeopleAnswers said Tuesday that The Cheesecake Factory will use the PeopleAnswers HR solution in its 164 restaurants to pre-screen and select hourly staff.

The objective is to fill each position with individuals who will help maintain The Cheesecake Factory’s quality brand.

Brooklyn, N.Y. -- Winick Realty Group announced that Fushimi, an Asian fusion restaurant, will open its third New York City location, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

The restaurant leased 7,200 sq. ft. and is set to open in the next few months.
 

Au Bon Pain is updating its brand experience with a new customer-centric design that gives the store a more distinct personality. It also makes the space easier to navigate, with the layout redesigned to speed service.

“We’re taking the customer experience to the next level,” said Sue Morelli, CEO for Au Bon Pain, which operates 318 locations in the United States and internationally. “The response we’ve been getting to our new prototype has validated our decision to accelerate our growth, including going to new markets nationally.”

ROANOKE, Va. — Advance Auto Parts announced that Jim Durkin will join Autopart International as president. 

“Jim is an experienced executive with a great track record of success in delivering results by building and developing strong teams that sustain their performance over time. We are very excited about the leadership skills he will bring as we continue our growth,” said Roger Patkin, CEO of AI.

Minneapolis — Mill Valley Kitchen, a new restaurant concept from former Excel Bank CEO, Craig Bentdahl, is opening on Tuesday, June 7, in the Ellipse on Excelsior development in St. Louis Park, Minneapolis. 

The design of the 5,000-sq.-ft., farm-to-table restaurant was handled by Minneapolis based design firm, Shea Inc. 

Milford, Conn. -- Subway Restaurants said Friday that more than 2,000 franchisees are actively searching for locations slated for 2011 openings.

In order to reach its development goals, the chain said that a contingent of Subway representatives will be manning the brand’s booth at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon convention, May 23 to 25, in Las Vegas.

Kansas City, Mo. -- Einstein Noah Restaurant Group announces partnership with Service Management Group, a leading customer analytics agency focused on loyalty and service improvement, to increase customer loyalty and drive same-store sales.

Through this partnership Service Management will identify new business opportunities through customer analyses that integrate guest experience metrics with transaction data and Einstein restaurant attributes.