NEW YORK The co-owners of the five-unit Heartland Brewery brew-pub chain have sold a 49 percent stake in the company to its employees through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Jon Bloostein, Heartland’s founder, CEO, and leader of the...

CALABASAS HILLS Calif. The Cheesecake Factory Inc. logged a 0.8-percent uptick in year-over-year systemwide same-store sales for its fourth quarter ended Jan. 2, driven mainly by a 7.8-percent gain at secondary concept Grand Lux Café and a 0.4...

MARYVILLE Tenn. Ruby Tuesday Inc., operator or franchisor of 926 namesake casual-dining restaurants, recorded a 4.1-percent drop in second-quarter profit on revenues that rose 14.2 percent to $336.8 million. For the quarter ended Dec. 5...

CHICAGO Celebrity chef and restaurateur Charlie Trotter is working with United Airlines to develop dishes bearing his name for premium-level service on the carrier’s transcontinental flights, starting this summer. The branded selections...

SAN DIEGO Jack in the Box has added the Bacon Breakfast Jack, a sandwich featuring bacon, a fried egg and American cheese, served on a warm bun. With a price starting at $1.29 and ranging upward in some markets, the sandwich is a variation...

GREENWOOD VILLAGE Colo. Red Robin Gourmet Burgers, Inc., the more 345-unit chain based here, has hired industry veteran Wes Garnett as vice president of Team Member Resources. Garnett, who has more than 25 years of experience in human...

SACRAMENTO Calif. Restaurateurs in California who employ more than 10 people would be required either to provide health insurance or pay 4 percent of their payroll to a special fund under a proposal aired Monday night by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger...

LOS ANGELES Industry veteran Arich Berghammer has been named president of the three-unit Pink Taco casual-dining chain, officials announced Wednesday. Berghammer was previously chief operating officer of SBE Restaurant and Nightlife Group...