5 must-know restaurant news stories: April 17, 2014

Starbucks claims 'Duncan' ads predate Taco Bell’s 'Ronald' campaign (Consumerist)
The industry is three weeks into the most contentious ad war over quick-service breakfast in years, and Starbucks is keeping things interesting with the claim that its commercials poking fun at rival Dunkin’ Donuts debuted before Taco Bell’s ads pitting its new breakfast menu against McDonald’s. Like the Taco Bell spots, in which men named Ronald McDonald are interviewed about how much they prefer Taco Bell’s breakfast items to standard Egg McMuffins and the like from the Golden Arches, Starbucks’ commercials feature several men named “Duncan,” who say they prefer Seattle’s Best House Blend as their coffee. The spots also say Seattle’s Best’s coffee beat Dunkin’ Donuts’ Original Blend in a national taste test.
—Mark Brandau

Cosi leaving Chicago area for Boston (Chicago Tribune)
President and CEO RJ Dourney said that it would be easier to move the company forward and recruit in Boston than it has been in Deerfield, Ill.
—Marcella Veneziale

3-D food printing reaches for the stars (FutureFood 2050)
Will 3-D food printers one day become as commonplace as toasters and blenders? According to mechanical engineer Anjan Contractor, the answer is yes. Contractor developed a 3-D food printer with a grant from NASA to provide pizza to astronauts in space. The technology is now gaining buzz on earth.
—Bret Thorn

Philly gets a pay-in-advance, ticketed restaurant (Philadelphia Inquirer)
Chef Jose Garces’ Volvér opened Wednesday in Philadelphia as the city’s first prepaid, ticketed restaurant. Alinea in Chicago has succeeded with a similar reservations system. About 40 percent of the available seats have been sold through mid-June, said Scott Steenrod, vice president of restaurant operations for the Garces Group. 
—Ron Ruggless

Guy Fieri distances himself from Times Square restaurant (Grub Street)
Guy Fieri verbally backed away from his involvement in his New York City restaurant Guy's American Kitchen & Bar, which received one of the harshest reviews in the history of The New York Times. Speaking to the Las Vegas Weekly about his new restaurant, Guy Fieri's Vegas Kitchen and Bar, the celebrity chef basically said the Times Square restaurant was a licensing deal and his influence over it was limited.
—Bret Thorn