N.Y. lawmaker seeks to ban salt in restaurants
In an effort to reduce the amount of sodium in consumers' diets, New York Assemblyman Felix Ortiz has introduced a bill that would ban the use of salt in the preparation of restaurant food across the state.

Burger King's sales hurt by winter storms
Burger King Holdings Inc. said same-store sales at U.S. and Canadian stores were hit hard by winter weather in January and February, but the nation's No. 2 burger chain has seen improvement in March.

Smashburger chairman adds CEO duties
Smashburger has expanded chairman David Prokupek’s role to include chief executive duties and added three outside directors to its board for greater functional expertise, the fast-casual chain said.

Chili's adds online ordering
Chili’s Bar and Grill is rolling out an online ordering system that allows customers to place and pay for to-go orders on the chain's website.

P.F. Chang's expands gluten-free options
P.F. Chang’s China Bistro has debuted a newly expanded gluten-free menu, which features beef entrees for the first time.

Ruby Tuesday upbeat on sales
Ruby Tuesday reported that third-quarter same-store sales improved at its casual-dining chain despite the negative impact of severe weather on traffic.

SLIDE SHOW: The Palm debuts airport restaurant
Palm Restaurants and concessionaire SSP America recently unveiled The Palm Bar & Grille at JFK International Airport, the upscale steakhouse chain's first airport location.

Luby's debuts coffeehouse
Luby’s has opened a coffeehouse called What's Brewing in a downtown Houston office building, a format the cafeteria operator said would help it expand its contract foodservice business.

McDonald's posts positive sales in Feb.
McDonald’s Corp. regained some of its same-store sales momentum in February, as its Olympic-theme promotions helped offset weather-related sales softness in the United States while the company’s international divisions continued to execute well.

Jamba expands food offerings
Jamba has introduced a new line of novelty ice cream bars in retail stores and added four salads to the grab-and-go menu at Jamba Juice locations as part of its plans to expand licensing and boost in-store food offerings.

Wolfgang Puck to open Asian restaurant in L.A.
Celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck will soon debut an Asian-inspired restaurant in The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, which opened recently in Los Angeles’ new downtown entertainment center, L.A. Live.