Popeyes parent posts jump in 4Q profit
AFC Enterprises Inc. reported a jump in fourth-quarter profit on cost cutting and improved sales at its Popeyes chicken chain.

Domino's opens 9,000th store
Domino's Pizza celebrated hitting the 9,000-store milestone with the openings of two units on opposite sides of the world.

Lark Creek makes expansion plans
Saying now is the time to be “nimble” with expansion, Lark Creek Restaurant Group said it plans to open four new concepts by 2011, including the San-Francisco-based company's first in Los Angeles.

Panera to post calorie counts
Panera Bread Co. will post calorie information in all 585 of its company-owned bakery-cafes by April and expects similar disclosure at its 795 franchised branches by year-end, the company said Wednesday.

Restaurants shift blame to weather for sinking sales
As the latest same-store sales reports come in, the effects of the severe winter weather that hit most of the country in January and February are becoming clear, and in some cases it isn’t pretty. Some analysts have begun to question, however, whether the talk of weather is only an excuse from brands that were already suffering.

NYC wins Tavern on the Green name
New York City owns the rights to the Tavern on the Green name, a U.S. district judge ruled Wednesday. The decision ends a bitter dispute between the city and the restaurant's former operator, the LeRoy family, which lost its contract to run the iconic establishment last year.

Recalls grow over contaminated flavor enhancer
As predicted by federal officials, food processor recalls are starting to mount in the case of a flavor enhancer that may be contaminated with salmonella, including three in the foodservice space since March 8.

Jamba narrows 4Q loss
Jamba Juice's parent company said incremental sales of food and hot beverages provided relief during the traditionally slow fourth quarter and may help shift same-store sales back into positive territory in 2010.

Quaker Steak names new CEO
John H. Longstreet has been named president and chief executive of the Quaker Steak & Lube casual dining chain, replacing Ken Cole, who stepped down to become a franchisee of the 37-unit chain.

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.