Personnel Update
Au Bon Pain named Katherine See Corporate Executive Chef, replacing Stefano Cordova, who left to join Starbucks.
Bob Evans Farms Inc. announced the resignation of CEO Steve Davis, effective immediately. The position will be run by CFO Mark Hood and Bob Evans Foods President, Mike Townsley, until a replacement is named.
Bruegger’s Bagels announced the promotion of Paul Carolan to President.
Bruxië Gourmet Waffle Sandwich chain named Dave Barrows as its first President.
Burger King named José Cil as brand President; Alex Macedo, President, Burger King North America; Bruno Lino, President, Burger King Europe, Middle East, and Africa; David Shear, President, Burger King Asia Pacific; José Dias, President, Burger King Latin America and the Caribbean; Axel Schwan, Global Chief Marketing Officer; Rodrigo Musiello, Executive VP of Operations; and Paulo Barbosa, Executive VP of Finance.
Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group appointed Fred Schwartz as VP of Owner Relations, Americas.
Chick-fil-A Inc. named Brent Ragsdale as CFO, Jon Bridges as Chief Marketing Officer, and Andrew Cathy as Senior VP and Chief People Officer. Also, joining the company is General Counsel Lynn Chastain and Senior VP of Field Operations Cliff Robinson.
Churchill Downs Incorporated (CDI) announced that Mike Ziegler has been named Executive Director of Racing, effective 01/26/15.
CiCi’s promoted two execs: Steven Jones as COO and Quinn Newhall as VP of Brand Excellence, Field Operations, and Franchisee Relations.
Corner Bakery Café appointed Salil Bapat as CFO.
Delaware North announced multiple personnel changes: Louis Jacobs and Jeremy Jacobs Jr. have been named as Co-CEO’s; Charlie Jacobs as CEO for Delaware North’s Boston Holdings; and Charles E. Moran, President and COO of Delaware North, announced his desire to retire in December 2015.
DiamondRock Hospitality Company named Dustin Resnick as VP of Acquisitions and Investments, effective immediately.
El Torito Founder Larry J. Cano passed away. He was known for popularizing Mexican food in the U.S.
Fiesta Restaurant Group, Inc., parent company to Taco Cabana, Pollo Tropical, and Cabana Grill, announced the promotions of several of its top executives: CFO Lynn Schweinfurth is promoted to Senior VP; Chief Counsel Joseph Zirkman to Senior VP; Chief Development Officer John Todd adds a Group VP designation to his title; and Ryan Nowlin to VP of Information Technology.
Golden Corral named Lance Trenary as President and CEO.
Hyatt Hotels Corporation announced the appointment of Maryam Banikarim as Global Chief Marketing Officer effective 01/26/15.
InnVest Real Estate Investment Trust announced the appointment of Andrew C. Coles as President and CEO of InnVest, effective late January 2015.
International Franchise Association added Michael Layman as VP of Regulatory Affairs.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts announced the executive committee appointments of Laura E. FitzRandolph as Executive VP and Chief Human Resources Officer and Erica H. Hageman as Executive VP and General Counsel.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. announced that Price Cooper will join the company as Executive VP later this month and will become CFO in April 2015. Mr. Cooper will succeed Douglas Muir, Krispy Kreme’s current CFO, who announced his retirement plans last year. The company also announced that former CEO James H. Morgan will transition from Chairman to non-executive chairman, effective 01/29/15.
Logan’s Roadhouse Inc. named Michelle Zavolta as the company’s first Chief People Officer.
Marshall Hotels & Resorts‘ founder and chairman emeritus, Charles “Chuck” L. Marshall, passed away unexpectedly 12/27/14. Marshall founded the company in 1980.
Montage Hotels & Resorts appointed Jason Herthel as President and COO.
National Restaurant Association announced that John G. (Jack) Crawford, President and CEO of Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative (IOC), was elected Chairman until January 2016. Also, Joseph J. Kadow, Executive VP and Chief Legal Officer of Bloomin’ Brands, Inc., was elected Vice Chair; and Jeffrey W. Davis, Chairman of United States Beef Corporation, an Arby’s Franchisee, was elected Treasurer.
Orange Leaf Frozen Yogurt appointed Geoff Goodman to serve as President.
Penn National Gaming, Inc. announced the appointment of Chris Sheffield as Senior VP and Managing Director I-Gaming.
Performance Food Group, Inc. (PFG) announced that Dr. Brad Morgan has been named Senior Director of Protein.
Quiznos named Doug Pendergast President and CEO, following the resignation of Stuart Mathis, who has left to pursue other opportunities.
Red Mango Founder and Chief Concept Officer Dan Kim announced he is stepping down to start his own consultancy.
Restaurant Brands International announced senior leadership team: Alexandre Behring as Chairman; Marc Caira as Vice-Chairman; Daniel Schwartz as CEO; Elías Díaz Sesé as President of Tim Hortons Brand; José Cil as President of Burger King Brand; Scott Bonikowsky as Chief Communication and Corporate Affairs Officer; Heitor Gonçalves as Chief People and Information Officer; Jill Granat as General Counsel and Corporate Secretary; Josh Kobza as CFO; and Cara Piggot as Senior VP of Supply Chain.
Shaner Hotels appointed William Hoy as VP of Construction, Design, and Facilities Management.
Starbucks Corp. appointed Stefano Cordova as VP of its Food Category, Evenings and Food Business Development. The company also announced that COO Troy Alstead is taking an extended unpaid leave from the company with his last day being 03/01/15.
Target Corp. announced that CEO and President Gregg Steinhafel resigned, effective immediately. Target CFO John Mulligan will lead the company on an interim basis until a replacement is named. Additionally, Target promoted Casey Carl to Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer; Jason Goldberger as President of Target.com and mobile; Dawn Block as Senior VP of Target.com and Mobile Merchandising; Laysha Ward as Executive VP and Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer; and John Hulbert as VP of Investor Relations.
Texas Roadhouse, Inc. announced that Price Cooper, CFO, has resigned to take on an expanded CFO position for Krispy Kreme Doughnuts, Inc. Scott Colosi, President of Texas Roadhouse, will serve as Interim CFO.
The Krystal Co. named Omar Janjua as President and CEO, effective 01/21/15.
The Wendy’s Company’s Chief Marketing Officer Craig Bahner is stepping down early next year and Brandon Solano, Senior VP of Marketing, will succeed Mr. Bahner as CMO. Additionally, the company promoted Brandon Rhoten as VP of Digital Experience; Todd Penegor as Executive VP, CFO, and International; Bob Wright as Executive VP, COO; and Abigail Pringle as Chief Development Officer.
The Wigwam announced the addition of two new hires: Bob Nee as VP of Resort Sales and Marketing and Maureen Holden as Director of Marketing.
Tim Hortons named Elías Díaz Sesé brand President; David Clanachan, President and COO of Tim Hortons Canada; David Blackmore, President of Tim Hortons U.S.; Peter Nowlan, Chief Marketing Officer; Alexandra Cygal, Chief Communication Officer and Chief Corporate Affairs Officer; Tammy Sadinsky Martin, Senior VP of Retail; Felipe Athayde, Executive VP of U.S. Development; and Sami Siddiqui, Executive VP of Finance.
TravelCenters of America LLC appointed Homer Hogg to a newly created role of Technical Development Manager for the TA Truck Service and Petro-Lube Truck Service business.
Wayback Burgers parent company, Jake’s Franchising LLC, announced Jade Giamattei as Marketing Coordinator.
White Lodging announced Jason Druso as its new VP of Restaurants.
Mergers & Acquisitions
GPS Hospitality Partners announced last week the purchase of 36 Burger King restaurants located in MD, PA, and NJ from Twoton Inc.
InterContinental Hotels Group (The Americas) parent company, InterContinental Hotels Group PLC, has agreed to acquire Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants Group LLC for $430 million in cash.
Lark Creek Restaurant Group sold a minority stake in its restaurants to Moana Restaurant Group, effective 01/01/2015.
Meritage Hospitality Group Inc. announced it has completed the acquisition of 9 Wendy’s restaurants located in Tallahassee, FL.
Morgans Hotel Group Co. announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to sell its 90% controlling interest in The Light Group to Hakkasan Group for a total enterprise value of $36 million.
Restaurant Brands International announced the successful completion of Tim Hortons and Burger King transaction.
Wendy’s of Montana sold all 18 of its Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers locations to another franchisee, Wenspok Resources of Spokane, WA.
Financial Focus
Ark Restaurants Corp. reported financial results for the fourth quarter and full year ending 09/27/14 with total revenues for the year at $139,357,000. This includes revenues of $8,753,000 related to The Rustic Inn Crabhouse, which was acquired on 02/24/2014 and $2,621,000 related to Broadway Burger Bar, which was opened in June 2013.
Caesars Entertainment Corp. entered its largest unit, Caesars Entertainment Operating Co., into bankruptcy after the company and 80% of bondholders agreed to the restructuring plan. Caesars executives say neither the bankruptcy nor the restructuring plan will affect day-to-day operations at Caesars properties and programs.
Shake Shack filed for its IPO trading NYSE under “SHAK.” The 63-unit NY-based chain is poised to raise $100M in its IPO.
Industry Updates
AC Hotels by Marriott announced its debut in Denmark.
Auntie Anne’s Pretzels opened its first location at Universal Orlando Resort in FL.
Blake’s Lotaburger announced the company is working on opening its third El Paso, TX, location; the only units located outside of the company’s home state NM.
Bruegger’s Bagels announced it will be relocating its HQs to Dallas where leadership team members join management from Le Duff America, Inc. and its sister brand la Madeleine at the Dallas offices. No exact time table was given on the move.
Chipotle stopped serving pork at a third of its restaurants after suspending a supplier that violated its standards. The company learned of the violations during a routine audit, which mainly concerned the housing for pigs, and did not have a timeline for when carnitas would return to the affected stores.
CKE Restaurants Inc. (parent company of Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr.) showcased a self-order kiosk solution running on Windows 8 devices that enables Hardee’s customers to customize and place their own orders. The Dell Optiplex 3030 All-in-One devices are currently deployed as a pilot test in 30 restaurants, including a newly redesigned kiosk-featured restaurant in Nashville, TN. The company also announced plans to open 150 Carl’s Jr. restaurants in Tokyo in the next 10 years, with its first location opening in 2015.
Dairy Queen announced plans to expand the brand’s presence in the Middle East with a multiunit development deal for DQ Grill & Chill restaurants and DQ Treat stores in Kuwait with the first of 20 set to open mid-2015.
Galardi Group Inc. closed its Two Madres Mexican Kitchen restaurant in Mission Viejo and ended its foray into fast-casual Mexican-style food.
Hilton Worldwide and DoubleTree by Hilton announced the opening of The Hollis Halifax, the brand’s first property in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
HMSHost signed an agreement to bring four new restaurants to Los Angeles International Airport’s Terminal 6 with the first restaurants scheduled to open in June of 2015 and the last being completed in May 2016.
Host Hotels & Resorts, Inc. announced that The Powell Hotel in San Francisco will be converted to a new independent identity, renamed as the Axiom Hotel, and will reopen after renovations in the fall of 2015.
In-N-Out Burger opened its 300th store.
InterContinental Hotel Group (IGH) celebrated the grand opening of the Holiday Inn in Manhattan-Financial District, which, at 50 stories and more than 452-ft. tall, is the tallest Holiday Inn property to date.
Interstate Hotels & Resorts announced six new hotels recently signed in the U.K.
Jamba Inc. will expand into Taiwan opening its first location in Taipei as early as summer 2015.
Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. has opened its 100th store in South Korea. Krispy Kreme seeks to have 900 stores in international markets by the end of fiscal 2017.
Live Nation announced a multi-year agreement with the Hollywood Casino in St. Louis, which is owned and operated by Penn National Gaming, to be renamed as the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre.
Mama’s Fish House Restaurant & Inn was named among the 100 best in the country by reviews on the reservation website OpenTable.com.
Marble Slab Creamery opened its first Marble Slab Creamery in Pakistan.
Marriott International, Inc. announced plans to open three properties in Greater China and one hotel in India by summer 2015 with expectations for 105 JW Marriott properties worldwide by 2020. The company also announced the expected April 2015 opening of AC Hotel Miami Beach will be AC Hotels’ first property in South FL following the lifestyle brand’s debut in New Orleans and its growing portfolio of over 50 hotels expected to open in the next few years.
McDonald’s opened a hipster cafe called The Corner in the inner-city Sydney suburb of Camperdown, Australia. Described by the fast-food titan as a “lab,” it will serve as a test run for new menu items which may then start being sold in other stores.
Mexican Restaurants Inc. changed the name of its Mission Burrito concept to Überrito Mexican Grill; all four locations were changed.
Papa John’s International, Inc. announced the 2015 U.S. Development Incentive Program for new and existing franchisees effective January 2015. New and existing franchisees who sign a new Development Agreement during 2015 can receive industry-leading incentives including: no franchise fee ($25,000 value), a set of Middleby-Marshall WOW ovens and reduced royalties for four years.
Pizza Hut will offer 10-inch gluten-free pizzas starting 01/26/15 in 2,400 of its 6,300 domestic locations.
Pizza Inn Holdings, Inc. changed its name to RAVE Restaurant Group, Inc. on 01/07/15. The new name and a new “RAVE” trading symbol will be reflected on NASDAQ on 01/09/15. The renamed company includes Pie Five Pizza Co. and Pizza Inn.
Pizzeria concept slated to open in the Middle East in the United Arab Emirates. In addition to the Middle East markets, the company is in early discussions with developers in Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, and China.
Potbelly plans major European expansion starting with 10 London locations over the next five years.
RAM International LLC announced that its RAM Family of Restaurants and Breweries has become an employee owned company.
Russo’s Restaurants announced plans to open its fourth out of 28 Russo’s New York
Schlotzsky’s opened its first location in Russia, part of a plan that will add more than 50 restaurants throughout the country over the next 10 years.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. opened its first Tajikistan location.
Sun Holdings LLC announced plans to bring Krispy Kreme back to the Houston market along with a BK Whopper Bar at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
Target Corporation shuttered all of its 133-unit Canadian store locations.
TGI Fridays division in the United Kingdom sold 66-units to London-based private-equity firm Electra Partners.
Real Estate
Another Broken Egg Cafe is targeting South FL for growth in 2015 with plans to open 36 additional locations throughout the state.
Applebee’s is seeking growth opportunities throughout Fairfield, CT, during the coming 18 months.
Baskin-Robbins is seeking entrepreneurs in Southern CA who would like the exclusive scoop on how to own their very own Baskin-Robbins franchise. The brand is currently seeking qualified candidates who are interested in owning and operating a new or existing ice cream shop in the San Diego and Los Angeles areas. The company also announced that it is expanding its presence in Louisville and Lexington, KY, and seeking franchisees in the Toronto area.
Blaze Fast Fire’d Pizza opened its first NC location in Morrisville, and announced expansion plans for Canada targeting Toronto, Edmonton, and Calgary.
Boloco is seeking growth opportunities throughout New England and DC during the coming 18 months.
Boomtown Entertainment, parent company of Toby Keith’s I Love This Bar and Grill, announced its growth plans to strengthen its presence in the United States which includes plans for restaurants to open in Phoenix, AZ; College Station, TX; and Lansing, MI, in the first quarter of 2015.
Bruster’s Real Ice Cream plans 25 new locations in 2015.
Bruxië Gourmet Waffle Sandwich announced plans to open in the Los Angeles market later this year.
Burger 21 announced plans to open 10 new units in 2015 while entering three new states – IL, MI, TX – and five new franchised restaurant locations – AZ, NY, VA.
Capriotti’s Sandwich Shop announced the opening of its first GA location in Duluth.
Carvel announced plans for adding locations in Orlando, Tampa-St. Petersburg, and Miami markets.
Chipotle Mexican Grill announced plans to take its ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen and Pizzeria Locale concepts to new markets this year.
Concord Hospitality Enterprises announced plans to develop and operate NC’s first AC Hotel in Raleigh and is expected to open in 2016.
Corner Bakery Cafe announced a 5-restaurant deal in VA throughout Richmond and Fredericksburg, and 9 CA locations are being planned between Stockton and Bakersfield and Cross, with several different sites planned for Fresno.
Dairy Queen announced plans to develop more than 20 DQ Grill & Chill restaurants and DQ Treat stores throughout the country of Kuwait over the next five years
Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, plans to add between 410 and 440 new U.S. Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants and 5 to 10 new Baskin-Robbins U.S. restaurants in 2015.
Dunkin’ Donuts announced that it has signed a franchise agreement with Dunkin’ Donuts franchisee and the Mexican subsidiary of Sizzling Platter, LLC, to begin developing more than 100 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants throughout Mexico as well as the states of Hidalgo, Morelos, Jalisco, and Queretaro, over the coming years. The company also entered into a long-term master franchise agreement to open and operate more than 1,400 Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants across China over the next 20 years. The joint venture has exclusive rights to expand Dunkin’ Donuts in new territories, including Beijing, Chongqing, Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Hong Kong, Hunan, Jiangxi, Jilin, Macau, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin and Yunnan. The opening of the first restaurant is expected in Q4 2015. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts is on track with its plan to open approximately 250 new restaurants in CA over the next several years, with the long-term goal of having 1,000 restaurants in total throughout the state. Dunkin’ Donuts also signed agreements in 2014 with franchisees to open new future restaurants in markets, including Northern, Central, and Southern CA; Oklahoma City, OK; Louisville, KY; Phoenix, AZ; Greensboro, NC; and Wichita, KS, among others.
Famous Dave’s of America, Inc. announced that it has closed its three restaurants in the Richmond, VA.
First Watch Restaurants entered into an exclusive franchise development agreement to develop at least 15 restaurants in Dallas-Fort Worth, TX, during the next five years. The first restaurant is expected to open in late 2015.
Fuddruckers will debut its first ME location this May 2015.
Great Wraps is seeking additional leases throughout the Austin, TX, area and in the Boston, MA, area. The company also signed a deal to develop restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth market and another to enter OK for the first time.
GRILLiT, Inc. announced that it has executed a franchise agreement to establish a GRILLiT restaurant location in Tampa, FL.
Habit Restaurants, Inc. announced an international franchise agreement for the development of up to 50 new Habit Burger Grill locations in six countries in the Middle East over the next 10 years exclusively targeting UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Oman. This is The Habit Burger Grill’s first international agreement with plans to open the first restaurant in the United Arab Emirates in the second half of 2015.
Hale and Hearty Soups opened its first MA location in Boston.
Handel’s debuted its first NV location in Las Vegas.
Heartland Brewery is seeking growth opportunities throughout the greater New York, NY metropolitan area during the coming 18 months.
Hooters of America, LLC announced a new domestic development agreement to build multiple Hooters restaurants in the Palm Springs, Indio, Coachella, and Cathedral City, CA, areas with the first location is slated to open in late summer of 2015. Additionally, Hooters remodeled 17 of its TX-area locations in Dallas (9), Houston (5), and San Antonio (3), in 2014, and is implementing remodel projects in several key markets throughout the country, investing an average of $450,000 per location. The remodeling growth plan includes 30 remodels, at least 5 new corporate restaurants, and upwards of 24 franchise openings internationally.
Ikea announced plans to open its first TN store in Memphis, which could open as early as fall 2016.
In-N-Out will begin construction on its first OR location in Medford during summer 2015.
Juice It Up! signed an agreement to bring the brand to OR. The Area Development Agreement includes three franchise locations in the Portland area, with the first scheduled to open in Hillsboro in early 2015.
Just Salad stated it will open its first restaurant in Chicago in March.
La Madeleine announced a multiunit agreement in Little Rock, AR.
Mod Pizza plans to add 50 corporate stores this year and expand into eight new US markets. The company also plans to bring on three to four more franchise partners in 2015.
Mooyah Burgers, Fries and Shakes signed its first FL deal with plans to bring the brand to Jacksonville first.
Moxie’s Restaurants Inc. announced plans to open its first of many TX locations in Dallas and will soon expand to Fort Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio.
Native Grill and Wings announced expansion plans for 8 new restaurant openings in 2015 with 14 restaurants under development throughout AZ, CO, ID, MS, MT, SD, UT, and WY and plans for a total of 100 locations nationwide by 2020.
Newk’s Eatery announced it is expanding its AR footprint with the first of four locations scheduled to open in the northwestern corner of the state by 2016.
Noble Investment Group announced it has broken ground on its first AC Hotel, AC Buckhead, in Atlanta which is scheduled to open early 2016.
Papa Murphy’s said it is eyeing expansion into Papa John’s hometown of Louisville, KY, with an additional 25 locations in the city with plans to open a new Papa Murphy’s every six months.
Peet’s Coffee and Tea closed or will close locations in downtown Baltimore, MD; Alexandria and Bristow, VA; PA; and MI due to store performance. The company also closed all six of its remaining stores in OH, and plans to shift its focus to Chicago, Boston, Washington DC, and CA. It’s also opening stores in IL, WI, and VA.
Pie Five Pizza Co. announced that it has awarded up to 55 franchise units in MI and WI beginning in 2015. Additionally, the company opened its first FL location in Orlando and announced plans to open its first KY location in Lexington summer 2015.
Pieology Pizzeria announced it will open 8 new locations throughout Southern CA by April. The new locations include Culver City, Westlake Village, Korea Town, La Mirada, Whittier, Carlsbad, Cerritos and Monrovia. Pieology is set to open a total of 180 restaurants by the end of the year.
PizzaRev announced an agreement to bring Los Angeles’ build-your-own pizza concept to Boston with freshly inked deal calling for at least 10 PizzaRev locations to open throughout Boston in the next four years.
RedBrick Pizza announced, after opening its first KY location in Louisville, that the company is launching an expansion campaign to add more than a dozen restaurants in KY over the next three years. Additionally, RedBrick Pizza announced that the company is launching an expansion campaign to add more than a dozen restaurants in NE over the next three years.
Rita’s Italian Ice awarded a franchise and area development deal for more than 14 stores within NE, including Lincoln, Omaha and surrounding areas. The first store will open in Lincoln in July 2015.
Romano’s Macaroni Grill shuttered all five of its restaurants in the MO market (Branson, Columbia and St. Louis) as parent company Ignite Restaurant Group Inc. continues to close underperforming units of the brand.
Shake Shack announced plans to open at least 10 new domestic company-operated Shacks each year, beginning in fiscal 2015, for the foreseeable future.
SONIC announced a new agreement for franchise development of 8 new drive-ins in the Albany, NY, area over the next seven years, with the first restaurant opening in Latham this spring.
Starbucks projected about 1,650 new unit openings in fiscal 2015, including 650 locations in the Americas region that includes the US, Canada, and Latin America. Also, the company opened a ‘flagship store’ in Chengdu, China.
The ONE Group Hospitality, Inc. announced plans to open a STK in Disney Springs at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, FL.
Tokyo Joe’s inked its first franchise deal with plans to open the Tuscon, AZ, location later this year. Tokyo Joe’s also announced it is working on closing deals in Austin, San Antonio, and Kansas City.
Tom+Chee signed a franchise deal to bring five stores to southeast TX initially targeting Sugar Land and Katy.
Tony Roma’s opened its first restaurant in Myanmar, formerly known as Burma.
Uncle Maddio’s Pizza Joint opened its first CO location in Aurora with plans for five more restaurants to open in the Denver area. The company is also set to open three units across three states this month: Omaha, NE; Charleston, SC; and Cary, NC.
Village Inn announced expansion plans with new restaurants in AZ, FL, and VA.
Wyndham Hotel Group signed a deal to open seven properties in Peru in 2015.
Zaxby’s opened its first OK restaurant in Tulsa.
Green Initiatives
Dunkin’ Donuts plans to have 100 new DD Green certified restaurants across the US by the end of 2016.
Ikea plans to install solar energy panels on its 380,000-sq-ft. St. Louis store, due to open in fall 2015.
Panera Bread released company milestones on its ongoing quest to source responsibly raised livestock and poultry as part of its “clean food” policy. Here are some milestones the company is disclosing this week:
- Pork: During 2014, 91% of the pork used in Panera menu items came from farms that shun the use of gestation cages for sows and that feed pigs with a vegetarian diet. By next month, its entire supply — 8 million pounds annually — should meet those conditions.
- Beef: 80%, or more than 2 million pounds, comes from grass-fed cattle allowed to graze at pasture.
- Poultry: All chicken served in sandwiches and salads meet its antibiotics-free and vegetarian diet pledges. Turkey items are also antibiotics-free. When it comes to eggs, 18% of the more than 70 million used in Panera kitchens come from hens in cage-free environments — this is clearly an area for improvement.
