McAlister’s Deli executive chef David Groll likened battling commodity costs today to guerilla warfare.

Indeed, concerns over rising costs continue to plague restaurant operators, and most have said they will work to abate the challenges with increased menu pricing. Some restaurants also plan to focus on menu engineering, whether with differing portion sizes or food items. Almost all agree that fighting commodity increases today is a battlefield.

Phil Friedman plans to step down as chief executive of McAlister’s Deli in the fall, intending to “look for something new,” he told Nation’s Restaurant News on Friday.

Ridgeland, Miss.-based McAlister’s, a more than 300-unit fast-casual sandwich chain, has hired a search firm to find a replacement, he said.

When asked why he decided to make the move, Friedman said, “There are a lot of reasons. I’ve been with McAlister’s for 11 years, and it’s a good time to do something else.”