— By Del Williams — UVC light inactivates viruses and other airborne pathogens, improving indoor safety in commercial spaces. With commercial facilities taking precautions against viruses as never before, an effective new tool in their arsenal is a new type of “germicidal” LED fixture. This specialized, enclosed LED fixture draws in air and irradiates it with ultraviolet light (UV), significantly improving indoor safety by providing continuous disinfection of airborne viruses as well as bacteria and germs. While traditional UV fixtures have been used for many years to …
Katie Lee
— Interview with Justin Reese — Ghirardelli Chocolate Company enters its 170th year with major renovation plans for its iconic Ghirardelli Square flagship locations in San Francisco. As experiential retail returns across the country, an elevated experience like no other is currently undergoing a makeover at Ghirardelli Chocolate’s historic shops in San Francisco. The three flagship locations — the Ghirardelli Chocolate Experience Store, the Original Ghirardelli Ice Cream and Chocolate Shop, and Ghirardelli On-the-Go — will undergo phased renovations this spring and summer. R&R: Before we discuss …
Minneapolis — Restaurant Technologies has named two new executive placements as the company accelerates its growth to support new and existing commercial partnerships. Andy Dulka and Mike St. Clair join Restaurant Technologies, the top provider of foodservice cooking oil and hood and flue management solutions, with over 35 years of combined senior leadership experience. As chief information officer, Dulka will oversee the continued development of innovative, scalable and secure technologies for all of Restaurant Technologies. Previously, Dulka was the chief information officer at Starkey Hearing Technologies. Preceding Starkey, Dulka served …
Chicago — IT’SUGAR, the largest specialty and experiential candy retailer in the United States with 100 stores nationwide, will open on April 7 in Chicago. The new 11,400-square-foot candy department store will open in the former Disney Store location on North Michigan Avenue, bringing a much-needed experience-based retail attraction to the famous Magnificent Mile. Chicago is the candy capital of the world with many confectionery companies based in the area. The store will showcase notable brands from Chicago, including Nerds, Tootsie Roll, Wrigley’s Gum and Charms Blow Pops, along with …
Anaheim Hills, Calif. — WaBa Grill, one of the nation’s leading healthy rice bowl chains, is continuing to grow the brand’s California presence after inking a 13-store development deal. The deal was signed by franchisees Harsimran “Sim” Nagra and Jerry Bajwa with the Bajwa Group of Companies, which currently owns and operates 19 other WaBa Grill locations throughout Southern California. The Bajwa Group now has exclusive territory rights to develop WaBa Grill locations north of Bakersfield through Fresno, introducing WaBa Grill to many new markets including Visalia, Tulare and more. …
Columbus, Ohio — Fashion apparel retailer Express, Inc. has appointed Jason Judd as the company’s senior vice president and chief financial officer, effective April 4th. He joins Express from Big Lots and will report to CEO Tim Baxter. “I am pleased to welcome Jason to Express, Inc.,” says Baxter. “He is a seasoned, well rounded and accomplished financial executive with a proven track record of delivering results. His experience across industries and companies, combined with his passion for retail makes him a terrific complement to our extraordinary leadership team, and …
Waikīkī, Oahu, Hawaii — Royal Hawaiian Center is celebrating the reopening of Restaurant Suntory on March 27 following an extensive renovation that began in fall 2021. The enhanced restaurant presents a captivating new design, inspired by the Japanese art of minimalism as well as Honolulu’s magnificent scenery, complemented by a refreshed menu to elevate the authentic Japanese dining experience guests have enjoyed for 42 years. Most notable of the transformation is the Sushi Tokiwa, the new sushi counter that provides a luxury omakase-style indulgence. The transformation is aimed at creating …
Livonia, Mich. — Entrepreneurial business partners Aaron Young, Chad Bush and Doug DeLozier, who collectively own and operate 49 Pet Supplies Plus stores across Alabama, Michigan, Tennessee, Virginia, Wisconsin and Texas, recently signed on to add 20 Pet Supplies Plus stores to their portfolio over the next 5 years. Operating as US Retail Holdings, DeLozier, Young and Bush will open the majority of new stores across Tennessee and Texas with store #50 opening this summer. Collectively, the group’s stores employ nearly 800 team members, including local and district managers who …
Baltimore — Vulcan, a leading provider of commercial cooking equipment, has promoted Meghan Hurst to vice president of sales and marketing for Vulcan. Hurst has been with Vulcan for almost 8 years, having most recently served as marketing director. “Meghan’s analytical nature combined with her creative expertise and strong understanding of the foodservice industry and its customers made our choice easy when deciding to promote her to this important position,” says Chris Stern, vice president and general manager, North America Cooking. “We focus on promoting strong performers within our company …
— By Danny Koontz — Advantages of having worked on both sides of the same coin: on the facilities management side and the vendor side. Ever wondered when ordering something, buying something or taking a sales call, why did the person on the other side choose that particular job? Maybe they didn’t choose it; maybe circumstances did — or maybe they enjoy that job as their passion. After almost 4 decades in the restaurant facilities management side of the business, I now find myself on the vendor side, …