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	Raving taps Moe’s vet to grow two younger chains ATLANTA (Jul. 20) — Multi-concept franchisor Raving Brands has promoted Seth Salzman to senior vice president, with responsibility for strategy development, marketing and operations for two of the company’s youngest brands, The Flying Biscuit Café and Boneheads Grilled Fish & Piri Piri Chicken.
	Red Lobster reportedly shifting upstream with new look ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 28) - Red Lobster is embarking on a concept repositioning that president Kim Lopdrup said will shift the 680-unit chain upscale and open the way for renewed growth, the Orlando Sentinel reported.
	Red Robin to buy 18 franchises for $47.5M, with $4M sales kicker GREENWOOD VILLAGE, Colo. (Jun. 1) — Red Robin Gourmet Burgers Inc. said its Red Robin International Inc. holding has agreed to buy 18 franchises of the parent company's namesake casual-dining concept for $47.5 million in cash from Top Robin Ventures Inc. and Morite, both of California.
	Report says Roberts left over succession dispute OAK BROOK, Ill. (Aug. 25) - Mike Roberts resigned as president and chief operating officer of McDonald’s Corp. because the company refused to give him a definite timetable for succeeding chief executive Jim Skinner, the Chicago Tribune reported this morning, citing unnamed sources
	Report suggests Yum is mulling over purchase of Wendy’s NEW YORK(July 13) - While many analysts expect Wendy’s International Inc. eventually will be purchased by a private-equity firm, speculation of a union between Wendy’s and Yum! Brands Inc. circulated Friday based on a report from a news service specializing in mergers and acquisitions.
	Report: BK to test $1 double cheeseburger MIAMI (Nov. 20) — Burger King will try cutting the price of its double cheeseburger to $1 in an attempt to trump one of McDonald’s most popular bargains, the Associated Press reported Tuesday.
	Restaurants look to hike prices in a trying sales environment NEW YORK(July 29) Higher menu prices and lowered earnings expectations are in the cards for many restaurant companies, judging from their experiences in the second quarter and an increasingly challenging business environment.
	Restaurants shave prices, plump menus; Casual-dining chains try to woo spending-conscious August 25, 2006 Friday - In the face of a meltdown in same-store sales and falling customer counts, some of the biggest names in casual dining -- from Outback Steakhouse to Applebee's to T.G.I. Friday's -- are taking serious actions to try to salvage 2006. Some are even chopping prices.
	Restaurants take precautions amid E.coli outbreak NATIONAL REPORT (Sept. 16) - Restaurants yanked spinach from their salad bars and stopped using it in salads as authorities warned that an E.coli contamination of the green had spread to 20 states.
	Restaurants Test Table Card Readers [2007-07-06] It's become routine for customers to swipe their credit or debit cards at consoles in fast-food joints, gas stations and grocery stores.
	Rude service tops list of customer no-no's OMAHA,, Neb. (Jun. 29) — A restaurant's reputation is damaged more by rude servers than by any other customer turn-off, including bad food, according to a consumer survey conducted by Opinion Research.
	Runco replaces Moody as Metromedia CEO PLANO, Texas (Jan. 18) — Jeff Moody has been replaced as chief executive of the 800-unit Metromedia Restaurant Group, based here, by Vince Runco, formerly chief operating officer and executive vice president of the division that operates MRG’s Bennigan’s and Steak and Ale chains. The company said Moody resigned to pursue other opportunities.
	Ryan's agrees to settle shareholder suit GREER, S.C. (Oct. 2) - Ryan's Restaurant Group Inc. here, the grill-buffet operator and franchisor with 338 Ryan’s and Fire Mountain restaurants, agreed to settle a shareholder lawsuit filed July 28 in connection with its pending acquisition by a holding of New York-based private equity firm Caxton Iseman Capital Inc., owner of Eagan, Minn.-based Buffets Inc.
	Ryan’s shareholders approve buyout by Buffets GREER, S.C. (Oct. 5) - Ryan’s Restaurant Group Inc. said its shareholders agreed Thursday to sell the 333-unit operation to Buffets Inc. for $16.25 per share in cash, or $876 in total with the assumption of debt.
	Safeway tries a free-standing restaurant PLEASANTON, Calif. (Jun. 29) — Supermarket giant Safeway Inc. has opened a stand-alone fast-casual restaurant in Redwood City, Calif., called Citrine New World Bistro.
	Sale of Compass division raises questions about Kofi Annan LONDON (Aug. 31) - The sale of Compass Group’s Select Service Partners travel-concessions division has raised questions about a possible conflict of interest following the discovery that EQT Partners, which acquired the operation with Macquarie Bank last April for $3.2 billion, is said to be owned by the family of Nane Annan, wife of United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan.
	Sale process over for Champps LITTLETON, Colo. (May. 18) — Champps Entertainment Inc., the operator or franchisor of 61 namesake casual-dining restaurants, said Friday its board of directors has ended the company's sale process, which began earlier this year.
	Sbarro agrees to purchase by Jenny Craig’s parent MELVILLE, N.Y. (Nov. 26) - The Sbarro family has agreed to sell its 1,000-unit namesake pizzeria chain to the private-equity firm that owns the Jenny Craig diet-foods business, MidOcean Partners. The purchase price was not disclosed.
	SEC launches inquiry into CEC's stock option granting practices IRVING, Texas (Aug. 14) - IRVING, Texas - CEC Entertainment, owner of the Chuck E. Cheese’s brand, on Friday disclosed that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission had begun an informal inquiry into the history of CEC’s stock option granting practices, and said the company was missing the Aug. 11 deadline for filing results for the quarter ended July 2 because its audit committee had not completed a previously reported internal review of those practices.
	Second equity co. looking to buy Shoney’s BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (July 21) - BRENTWOOD, Tenn. - Centrum Equities here, a unit of Chicago-based Centrum Properties, is negotiating to acquire Shoneys Restaurants from Dallas-based Lone Star Funds, which took the 291-unit Nashville-based family dining chain private in 2002.
	Senate rejects wage-hike proposal WASHINGTON (Aug. 4) - WASHINGTON - The U.S. Senate rejected a bill that would have increased the minimum wage by some 40 percent over three years and cut the federal estate tax. Proponents of the bill required 60 votes to advance the measure, but fell four short.
	Shakey's set to launch new prototype ALHAMBRA, Calif. (Aug. 24) - Shakey's Pizza & Grill, a new prototype for the 52-year-old fast-casual pizza-and-games concept, is scheduled to open in Covina, Calif., Sept. 7. The new test unit is part of a five-year revitalization plan for the 60-unit brand operated and franchised by Shakey's USA, based here.
	Smith rejoins Captain D's as marketing VP NASHVILLE, Tenn. (Mar. 15) — Sandra Clingan Smith has rejoined Captain D's Seafood as vice president of marketing, a job she held there from 1995 to 1999.
	Sonic Increases Purchase Price [2006-09-25] In addition to increasing the purchase price to no less than $19.50 per share, Sonic is extending its expiration of its 'modified dutch auction' tender offer.
	Sonic Reports Second Quarter Performance [2007-03-30] Results include 29 new drive-ins and an eight percent increase in total revenues.
	Sonic: 4th-Q sales will propel EPS into high end of range OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 7) — Sonic Corp., the operator or franchisor of 3,300 namesake drive-ins, said this month that strong same-store sales in the August-ended fourth quarter have made the company confident that it would hit the higher end of its fourth-quarter earnings target.
	Soup Kitchen taps new president and COO NEW YORK (Oct. 19) - Soup Kitchen International Inc. named Keith Lyon to the posts of president and chief operating officer. SKI is the concept founded in 1984 by Al Yeganah, who gained national attention when he was portrayed in the “soup episode” on the hit television show “Seinfeld.”
	Stakeholder challenges Applebee’s compensation policies GREENWICH, Conn. (Jan. 27) — Breeden Partners LP, a hedge fund that holds a 5-percent stake in Applebee’s International Inc., criticized the restaurant company’s compensation practices, alleging that such practices as executives’ liberal use of the corporate jet was part of a “broader set of problems at the top of the company,” according to a letter from Breeden to Applebee’s filed with regulators late Friday.
	Starbucks 2Q Profits Rise 18 Percent [2007-05-05] Despite flat traffic in U.S. stores, Starbucks' aggressive global expansion helped second-quarter profits jump 18.5 percent.
	Starbucks Goes Low Fat 2007-05-31 — Starbucks Coffee Company (Nasdaq:SBUX) today announced plans to adopt a new dairy standard for all espresso-based drinks, switching from whole to reduced fat (2%) milk in all Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada by the end of 2007. At the same time, Starbucks is assessing options for conversion to lower fat dairy in the 39 markets we operate in outside of North America.

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