http://www.hospitalitymagazine.com.au/
15 January 2009
The Foodservice Suppliers Association Australia is calling for entries to its newly launched awards aimed at recognising the efforts and achievements of some of the country's top suppliers to the foodservice industry.
The national FSAA Awards for Excellence will cover a variety of categories recognising the valuable work that suppliers and distributors do across areas from food and beverages to equipment and furnishings.
The categories include: FSAA Foodservice Distributors of the Year in each state and nationally; FSAA Food Supplier of the Year; FSAA Beverage Supplier of the Year; FSAA Foodservice Equipment Supplier of the Year; FSAA Bakery Equipment Supplier of the Year; FSAA Tabletop and Furnishings Supplier of the Year; FSAA Service Supplier of the Year.
The awards also include the Innovation of the Year award which will recognise the most exciting new developments in the industry from across the various categories.
The deadline for companies to enter is the end of March.
The awards will be judged by a panel selected by the FSAA who will select the winner based on the quality of the answers provided. The awards will be presented at a dinner in Sydney on May 27.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
International barista judges prepare for World Championships
http://www.foodweek.com.au/
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Box Hill Institute will host thirty-five national and international barista judges at the World Barista Championship Judges workshop on January 14 and 15.
Successful participants will be qualified to judge the 2009 World Barista Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, US in April.
The coffee lovers will have travelled from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand and other states in Australia to earn the chance to judge at the competition.
This is the first time that the judges' training has been held outside of the country where the championships are taking place, with training held in four international regions. Box Hill Institute was selected as the host of the Asia-Pacific training.World barista judge and Box Hill Institute trainer, Justin Metcalf, will teach the Australian and international contingent how to judge the world's best coffee makers.
"By breaking the judges' training into international regions, the World Barista Championships is trying to give people the opportunity to study in their own region for these critical roles. It will also increase the quality of the training by breaking it into smaller groups, rather than one mass training just prior to the competition," said Metcalf.
"This is a great opportunity to develop barista experience in the Asian-Pacific region. The Asian market is quite an untapped espresso market. So, by developing skills in the region we are not only increasing the pool of judges but also equipping these judges to take the skills back to their own countries."
The participants will attend a variety of workshops and judge baristas in real-life competition simulations.
"Box Hill Institute as a completely independent training facility, free from coffee company sponsorship, is a terrific place to train barista judges in Australia. There is no product push, only quality training in barista and barista judging," said Metcalf.
Thursday, January 08, 2009
Box Hill Institute will host thirty-five national and international barista judges at the World Barista Championship Judges workshop on January 14 and 15.
Successful participants will be qualified to judge the 2009 World Barista Championships in Atlanta, Georgia, US in April.
The coffee lovers will have travelled from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, New Zealand and other states in Australia to earn the chance to judge at the competition.
This is the first time that the judges' training has been held outside of the country where the championships are taking place, with training held in four international regions. Box Hill Institute was selected as the host of the Asia-Pacific training.World barista judge and Box Hill Institute trainer, Justin Metcalf, will teach the Australian and international contingent how to judge the world's best coffee makers.
"By breaking the judges' training into international regions, the World Barista Championships is trying to give people the opportunity to study in their own region for these critical roles. It will also increase the quality of the training by breaking it into smaller groups, rather than one mass training just prior to the competition," said Metcalf.
"This is a great opportunity to develop barista experience in the Asian-Pacific region. The Asian market is quite an untapped espresso market. So, by developing skills in the region we are not only increasing the pool of judges but also equipping these judges to take the skills back to their own countries."
The participants will attend a variety of workshops and judge baristas in real-life competition simulations.
"Box Hill Institute as a completely independent training facility, free from coffee company sponsorship, is a terrific place to train barista judges in Australia. There is no product push, only quality training in barista and barista judging," said Metcalf.
Yoshinoya to Add 100 Restaurants
Yoshinoya to Add 100 Restaurants as Consumers Seek Budget Meals
By Maki Shiraki and Kazue Somiya
Jan. 15 (www.Bloomberg.com)
Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Japan’s largest operator of beef-bowl restaurants, plans to add a record 100 outlets in its home market next fiscal year as demand for budget meals increases from recession-hit consumers.
The Tokyo-based company aims to increase restaurants in Japan to at least 1,194 by February 2010 and accelerate an expansion in China, adding 60 outlets to the 185 already open there, President Shuji Abe said.
“The market is harsh but conditions for investing and opening new stores are positive,” Abe said in an interview broadcast today on Bloomberg Television.
The chain is increasing sales as Japanese consumers, facing bleaker job prospects and stagnating wages, seek budget dining options. The company, which prices a regular serving of its signature beef-on-rice dish at 380 yen ($4.25), yesterday posted its third straight gain in Japanese sales.
Meanwhile, restaurants classified as “fine dining” by the Japan Foodservice Association have posted eight months of declining same-store sales.
Yoshinoya, which has outlets in the U.S., Singapore, the Philippines and Australia, plans to open its first Russian restaurant next fiscal year, Abe said. The company opened its first restaurant in Tokyo in 1899 and now has a total of 1,444 Yoshinoya outlets.
The company, which last year bought a controlling stake in Japanese steakhouse chain Don Co., will consider further acquisitions, he said.
Yoshinoya’s Japan same-store sales gained 4.2 percent in December, following a 4.8 percent gain in November.
By Maki Shiraki and Kazue Somiya
Jan. 15 (www.Bloomberg.com)
Yoshinoya Holdings Co., Japan’s largest operator of beef-bowl restaurants, plans to add a record 100 outlets in its home market next fiscal year as demand for budget meals increases from recession-hit consumers.
The Tokyo-based company aims to increase restaurants in Japan to at least 1,194 by February 2010 and accelerate an expansion in China, adding 60 outlets to the 185 already open there, President Shuji Abe said.
“The market is harsh but conditions for investing and opening new stores are positive,” Abe said in an interview broadcast today on Bloomberg Television.
The chain is increasing sales as Japanese consumers, facing bleaker job prospects and stagnating wages, seek budget dining options. The company, which prices a regular serving of its signature beef-on-rice dish at 380 yen ($4.25), yesterday posted its third straight gain in Japanese sales.
Meanwhile, restaurants classified as “fine dining” by the Japan Foodservice Association have posted eight months of declining same-store sales.
Yoshinoya, which has outlets in the U.S., Singapore, the Philippines and Australia, plans to open its first Russian restaurant next fiscal year, Abe said. The company opened its first restaurant in Tokyo in 1899 and now has a total of 1,444 Yoshinoya outlets.
The company, which last year bought a controlling stake in Japanese steakhouse chain Don Co., will consider further acquisitions, he said.
Yoshinoya’s Japan same-store sales gained 4.2 percent in December, following a 4.8 percent gain in November.
Catering listed among risky sectors for 2009
www.ausfoodnews.com.au
January 15, 2009
James Ferre
Amidst global financial meltdown and looming job losses, businesses - and employees - are apprehensive about what’s in store for 2009. Business information analysts IBISWorld have compiled a list of the “riskiest” industries this year, as well as those which are likely to be safe despite turbulent economic times.
While the risk forecasts take historical data into account, they largely look ahead and consider vital information about the dynamic business environment and influencing factors which will be critical to each industry’s future performance.
Factors taken into account include an industry’s life cycle, level of competition, trade exposure, external assistance, growth risk, macroeconomic variables and non-economic sensitivities.
Top 10 Riskiest:
Catering and food service contractors
IBISWorld believes lower demand for catering services from the financial and resources industries will hit this sector hard, as well as a prediction of poor demand for catering at sports and other major events as attendances fall in 2009. A predicted slump in Australian tourism will curb demand from airlines, while tighter budgets will see scaled-down or cancelled company events such as parties, conferences and off-site meetings.
January 15, 2009
James Ferre
Amidst global financial meltdown and looming job losses, businesses - and employees - are apprehensive about what’s in store for 2009. Business information analysts IBISWorld have compiled a list of the “riskiest” industries this year, as well as those which are likely to be safe despite turbulent economic times.
While the risk forecasts take historical data into account, they largely look ahead and consider vital information about the dynamic business environment and influencing factors which will be critical to each industry’s future performance.
Factors taken into account include an industry’s life cycle, level of competition, trade exposure, external assistance, growth risk, macroeconomic variables and non-economic sensitivities.
Top 10 Riskiest:
Catering and food service contractors
IBISWorld believes lower demand for catering services from the financial and resources industries will hit this sector hard, as well as a prediction of poor demand for catering at sports and other major events as attendances fall in 2009. A predicted slump in Australian tourism will curb demand from airlines, while tighter budgets will see scaled-down or cancelled company events such as parties, conferences and off-site meetings.
Acquisition of TurboChef Technologies
www.pr-inside.com
http://www.pr-inside.com/the-middleby-corporation-completes-acquisition-r998322.htm
The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) and TurboChef Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVEN) today announced that Middleby has completed its acquisition of TurboChef for $3.67 in cash and 0.0486 shares of Middleby common stock for each outstanding share of TurboChef common stock in accordance with the terms of an agreement and plan of merger entered into August 12, 2008 and amended November 21, 2008.
The acquisition closed on January 5, 2009. Middleby financed the transaction under its senior revolving credit facility. TurboChef is a leader in speed-cook technology, one of the fastest growing segments of the commercial foodservice equipment market.
TurboChef's user-friendly speed cook ovens employ proprietary combinations of heating technologies to cook a variety of food products at speeds faster than that of conventional heating methods. Having created the speed cooking category, TurboChef is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand in this segment.
The addition of TurboChef's line of products will complement Middleby's existing industry leading brands and portfolio of innovative technologies, and further strengthen Middleby's position as a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry.
Selim A. Bassoul, Middleby Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "TurboChef has done an exceptional job of taking revolutionary cooking technology and successfully commercializing it. We believe this technology is in the early stages of gaining a broader market acceptance. This merger provides TurboChef with access to Middleby's global sales and service capabilities to support longer-term growth opportunities."
Mr. Bassoul further commented, "In the near term, we will focus on improving the profitability of this business. We will quickly move to reduce redundant corporate overhead expenses and reorganize the residential business to bring costs in line with the current revenues. Additionally, we will implement cost reduction initiatives to realize synergies in the commercial oven business."
Richard Perlman, former Chairman of TurboChef, and Jim Price, its former President, commented, "We have long admired and respected The Middleby Corporation and its management team and are pleased that we have been able to bring this transaction to a successful closing."
Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to Middleby regarding its business which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Middleby cautions investors that such statements are estimates of future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements.
Such factors include the risks that Middleby and TurboChef businesses will not be integrated successfully; the risk that Middleby and TurboChef will not realize estimated cost savings and synergies; costs relating to the proposed transaction; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, distributors or suppliers; the level of end market activity in Middleby's and TurboChef's commercial and residential markets; unpredictable difficulties or delays in the development of new product technology; results of pending and future litigation; access to capital; actions of domestic and foreign governments; variability in financing costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing and related market conditions; the timely development and market acceptance of Middleby's products; the availability and cost of raw materials; and other risks detailed herein and from time-to-time in Middleby's SEC filings.
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing.
The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Carter Hoffman®, CTX®, frifri®, Giga®, Holman®, Houno®, Jade®, Lang®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster®, and Wells®.
The company's leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. The Middleby Corporation was recognized by Business Week as one of the Top 100 Hot Growth Companies of 2007, by Crain's Chicago Business as one of the Fastest 50 Growth Companies in 2007, and by Forbes as one of the Best Small Companies in 2008.
http://www.pr-inside.com/the-middleby-corporation-completes-acquisition-r998322.htm
The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ: MIDD) and TurboChef Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: OVEN) today announced that Middleby has completed its acquisition of TurboChef for $3.67 in cash and 0.0486 shares of Middleby common stock for each outstanding share of TurboChef common stock in accordance with the terms of an agreement and plan of merger entered into August 12, 2008 and amended November 21, 2008.
The acquisition closed on January 5, 2009. Middleby financed the transaction under its senior revolving credit facility. TurboChef is a leader in speed-cook technology, one of the fastest growing segments of the commercial foodservice equipment market.
TurboChef's user-friendly speed cook ovens employ proprietary combinations of heating technologies to cook a variety of food products at speeds faster than that of conventional heating methods. Having created the speed cooking category, TurboChef is uniquely positioned to capture the growing demand in this segment.
The addition of TurboChef's line of products will complement Middleby's existing industry leading brands and portfolio of innovative technologies, and further strengthen Middleby's position as a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry.
Selim A. Bassoul, Middleby Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, said, "TurboChef has done an exceptional job of taking revolutionary cooking technology and successfully commercializing it. We believe this technology is in the early stages of gaining a broader market acceptance. This merger provides TurboChef with access to Middleby's global sales and service capabilities to support longer-term growth opportunities."
Mr. Bassoul further commented, "In the near term, we will focus on improving the profitability of this business. We will quickly move to reduce redundant corporate overhead expenses and reorganize the residential business to bring costs in line with the current revenues. Additionally, we will implement cost reduction initiatives to realize synergies in the commercial oven business."
Richard Perlman, former Chairman of TurboChef, and Jim Price, its former President, commented, "We have long admired and respected The Middleby Corporation and its management team and are pleased that we have been able to bring this transaction to a successful closing."
Statements in this press release or otherwise attributable to Middleby regarding its business which are not historical fact are forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.
Middleby cautions investors that such statements are estimates of future performance and are highly dependent upon a variety of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from such statements.
Such factors include the risks that Middleby and TurboChef businesses will not be integrated successfully; the risk that Middleby and TurboChef will not realize estimated cost savings and synergies; costs relating to the proposed transaction; disruption from the transaction making it more difficult to maintain relationships with customers, employees, distributors or suppliers; the level of end market activity in Middleby's and TurboChef's commercial and residential markets; unpredictable difficulties or delays in the development of new product technology; results of pending and future litigation; access to capital; actions of domestic and foreign governments; variability in financing costs; quarterly variations in operating results; dependence on key customers; international exposure; foreign exchange and political risks affecting international sales; changing market conditions; the impact of competitive products and pricing and related market conditions; the timely development and market acceptance of Middleby's products; the availability and cost of raw materials; and other risks detailed herein and from time-to-time in Middleby's SEC filings.
The Middleby Corporation is a global leader in the foodservice equipment industry. The company develops, manufactures, markets and services a broad line of equipment used for commercial food cooking, preparation and processing.
The company's leading equipment brands serving the commercial foodservice industry include Blodgett®, Blodgett Combi®, Blodgett Range®, Bloomfield®, Carter Hoffman®, CTX®, frifri®, Giga®, Holman®, Houno®, Jade®, Lang®, MagiKitch'n®, Middleby Marshall®, Nu-Vu®, Pitco Frialator®, Southbend®, Star®, Toastmaster®, and Wells®.
The company's leading equipment brands serving the food processing industry include Alkar®, MP Equipment®, and RapidPak®. The Middleby Corporation was recognized by Business Week as one of the Top 100 Hot Growth Companies of 2007, by Crain's Chicago Business as one of the Fastest 50 Growth Companies in 2007, and by Forbes as one of the Best Small Companies in 2008.
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