Retail & FoodService

This morning, nearly 1,000 Dollar General employees and their families, company executives and government officials celebrated the grand opening of the discount retailer’s 12th distribution center in Bethel, Pennsylvania. Located in Berks County, the distribution center represents a local investment of approximately $100 million and the creation of 500 local jobs. …

Gordon Food Service, North America’s largest family-controlled broadline foodservice distributor, announced today that it will open a new distribution center in Aberdeen, Maryland before the end of the year. The facility will serve foodservice operators in the Baltimore, Washington DC, and Philadelphia areas. The company signed a long-term lease agreement for 242,000-square feet of space within an existing distribution center. The facility is expected to employ approximately one hundred fifty people within the first three years of operations. …

"We are deeply disappointed by the vote today by the House Appropriations Committee to roll back school meal nutrition standards that benefit the health of millions of American children. However, we believe the spirited one and one-half hour debate on an amendment offered by Rep. Sam Farr to protect school meal standards shows that the waiver provision in the current bill is flawed." …

It’s the middle of the dinner rush, and the French fries are coming out of the fryer darker than usual. What’s an operator to do when a potato preparation crisis arises? Head to the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) All Things Potatoes page. As the potato industry’s best resource for product information (varieties, handling, storage) and usage (preparation tips and recipes), the IPC collected targeted solutions and recommended recipes for five potato menu standards: All Things Au Gratin Potatoes, All Things, Baked Potatoes, All Things Mashed Potatoes, All Things Potato Salads, and All Things French Fried Potatoes. …

Earlier this year, McDonald’s committed to start buying verified sustainable beef by 2016. At the time, the company didn’t have a definition for sustainable beef. Now it appears that the fast-food chain will let suppliers in various regions find ways to source sustainable beef–the idea being that sustainable beef production looks different depending on where a restaurant is located. …