This story is part of NRN's "2011 Forecast & Trends" special report.

While many in the foodservice industry applauded the changing of the guard in Congress and state houses across the nation in the midterm elections, Washington insiders are cautioning restaurateurs not to assume that 2011 will necessarily shape up to be a much more business-friendly year.


When Buffalo Wild Wings franchisee Bobby Pancake received a call from the White House on his cell phone, he didn’t recognize the number so he let it go into voice mail.

Upon returning the call, however, he swiftly discovered that he and Steve Wheat, his partner in High 5 LLC, a six-unit franchisee of Buffalo Wild Wings based in Bear, Del., would get to meet with President Barack Obama the next day to discuss the state of restaurants and other small businesses.

The May 12 issue of The New York Times ran a nice profile of The White House’s pastry chef, Bill Yosses. 


It wasn’t a news story — Yosses has been at the White House since the Bush administration — but it painted a picture of a man who responded with alacrity to first lady Michelle Obama’s declaration that desserts at family meals would be an occasional treat rather than the norm. Some parts of that picture, however, gave me reason to pause.