HARRISON N.Y. Apple-Metro Inc., a 28-unit franchisee of Applebee's International, has hired a former high-ranking official of the franchisor to help in acquiring company-operated locations. All 508 corporate Applebee's stores would be sold...

IRVINE Calif. An investor in Terra Chips and other mid-sized growth companies has acquired a 70-percent interest in the privately held Yard House casual-dining chain with intentions of expanding the 16-unit operation into a national brand...

BOCA RATON Fla. Pano Karatassos, founder and chief executive of Atlanta-based Buckhead Life Restaurant Group and one of the country’s most successful restaurateurs, hinted months ago that he was interested in extending his Florida holdings beyond...

STAMFORD Conn. Centerplate Inc., a sports and entertainment concessions specialist, has won a contract to provide foodservice management at the new Louisville Arena in Louisville, Ky., when it opens in 2010. Terms of the deal were not...

NEW YORK In a potential crackdown on how restaurants handle grease, New York City officials plan to investigate how authorities enforce regulations on the collection and disposal of the common foodservice waste, the New York Sun reported this week...

CARPINTERIA Calif. CKE Restaurants Inc., parent of the Hardee’s and Carl’s Jr. brands, Wednesday reported a 2.6-percent year-to-year jump in same-store sales at all corporate restaurants for the four weeks ended Aug. 13 and said Carl’s Jr. had...