Restaurant

Chicago - Easy2Find is a new online analytics tool designed to simplify food industry research and intelligence at the unit level. It is a joint service offering that joins foodservice data analytics provider CHD Expert and research and consulting firm Technomic.

Easy2Find lets chains see and understand a restaurant's footprint in any given geographic market and restaurant segment. It is designed to allow users to find where competitors are opening new unit locations and how they impact sales, helping to uncover market expansion potential.

Orlando, Fla. -- Darden Restaurants on Friday said it has reached an agreement to sell its struggling Red Lobster chain to private equity firm Golden Gate Capital for $2.1 billion.

"Red Lobster is exactly the type of company in which we seek to invest given its great brand profile and strong management team,” said Josh Olshansky, managing director at Golden Gate Capital. “We see significant opportunities for future growth by partnering with Kim Lopdrup and the management team to support the long-term success of Red Lobster."

Dallas — Redevelopment has begun at Victory Park in Dallas.

The initial phase of redevelopment, scheduled to finish up late this year, aims to improve the pedestrian experience and connect American Airlines Center/Victory Plaza and the southern area of Victory Park.

Seattle -- Starbucks Coffee Company is expanding its presence in Latin America, with plans to open locations in Colombia, Bolivia and Panama.

Starbucks said it is on track to open its first store in Colombia, in the city of Bogota, in mid-summer 2014 through a joint venture between two of its longest-term business partners in the Latin America region – Alsea and Grupo Nutresa. During the next five years, the joint venture plans to expand aggressively in Bogota and to other major cities in Colombia.

Winston-Salem, N.C. – Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. has named Anthony N. (“Tony”) Thompson, 47, as president and CEO, effective June 1. Thompson joins the company from Papa John’s International Inc., where he most recently served as president and COO.

Los Angeles -- The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf has named Karen Cate as CFO and Jeff Schroeder as VP operations.

Cate most recently served as the VP controller of Trader Joe's Company, where she was responsible for the integrity of financial processes and reporting for the retail grocery store, warehouses, and distribution operations.

Schroeder brings more than 30 years of experience with large multi-unit operations in the restaurant industry. He most recently served as VP brewery restaurants for Karl Strauss Brewing Company.

Ann Arbor, Mich. – Domino’s Pizza has developed the Group Ordering Tool as an online feature that calculates an estimate of the number of pizzas needed to feed a specific amount of people. Domino's customers who use the Group Ordering Tool will also receive a discount on the menu price of their pizzas.

Chicago - The fast-casual segment continues to obtain share from full-service chains and drive limited-service growth, making up 15% of the $231 billion limited-service restaurant segment. The “Top 150 Fast-Casual Chain Report” from Technomic shows that fast-casual sales increased 11% in 2013, while all limited-service chains grew by only 3.5%.