Nov. 17, 2010 at 11:50 a.m.
Filed under:
China,
Food,
International,
Restaurants
By Reuters
A woman walks out of a McDonald's outlet in Beijing Nov. 17, 2010. (Christina Hu/Reuters)
McDonald’s has raised menu prices in mainland China by 0.5 yuan to 1 yuan per item with immediate effect because of rising materials costs as the country grapples with accelerating food inflation.
McDonald’s, which has more than 1,000 outlets in China, was raising prices for the first time this year, while Yum! Brands, parent of KFC and Pizza Hut chains, had so far kept prices unchanged, the official Xinhua News Agency said.
“Because some materials prices have increased, we have adjusted menu prices accordingly,” a McDonald’s (China) Co. Ltd spokeswoman said. Get the full story »
Kraft CEO Irene Rosenfeld. (Tribune)
From the Financial Times | Kraft Foods Chief Executive Irene Rosenfeld appeared fourth on the Financial Times’ 2010 Women at the Top ranking of the world’s most influential female business leaders. Get the full story>>
Nov. 17, 2010 at 7:28 a.m.
Filed under:
China,
Food,
International,
Restaurants
By Dow Jones Newswires
McDonald’s Corp. said it raised prices of some food items sold at its China outlets 7 to 15 cents per item effective Wednesday because of higher costs, which come amid growing concerns about spiralling inflation.
The increase “is because of higher raw material prices and we’ve adjusted our prices accordingly,” said Sophia Luan, vice president of corporate affairs and communications at McDonald’s China. Get the full story »
Nov. 17, 2010 at 6:05 a.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food
By Associated Press
The Chicago-based manufacturer of popular caffeinated alcohol drink Four Loko said Tuesday it will remove the caffeine from its products, pulling the blend off the market just as the Food and Drug Administration is poised to ban it.
Phusion Projects said in a statement posted on its Web site that the company will remove caffeine and two other ingredients from its products going forward. The announcement came as the FDA is expected to find as early as Wednesday that caffeine is an unsafe food additive to alcoholic drinks. That finding essentially would ban Four Loko and other drinks like it.
Nov. 16, 2010 at 1:43 p.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food
By Dow Jones Newswires-Wall Street Journal
Four Loko, Joose and other caffeinated alcoholic drinks will effectively be banned soon by federal regulators due to rising concerns that they are dangerous, U.S. Sen. Charles E. Schumer announced Tuesday. Get the full story »
Nov. 16, 2010 at 12:43 p.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Restaurants,
Sports
By Ameet Sachdev
Fans line up to get into the then-new Harry Carey's Tavern on Sheffield in 2008. (Charles Osgood/Tribune)
Harry Caray’s Tavern in Lakeview will close by Monday, the operator said. Harry Carry Restaurant Group CEO Grant DePorter made the surprise announcement during a press conference at Wrigley Field.
He said the relationship between the restaurant and the owner of the building on Sheffield Avenue has been like a “bad marriage.” Get the full story »
Nov. 16, 2010 at 5:55 a.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food
By Reuters
Sara Lee Corp. will not rush to make acquisitions in the U.S. coffee market, even as it revamps its business to focus on coffee and meat, its interim chief executive said.
Speculation about deals in the U.S. coffee business has circulated since earlier this month when Starbucks Corp said it wanted to end its distribution deal with Kraft Foods Inc, which has sold bagged Starbucks coffee at supermarkets for the past 12 years. Get the full story »
Nov. 15, 2010 at 6:11 p.m.
Filed under:
Earnings,
Food,
Packaged foods,
Stock activity
By Associated Press
Lifeway Foods Inc. reported Monday that its net income fell in the third quarter as the food maker’s costs rose. Get the full story »
Nov. 15, 2010 at 6:33 a.m.
Filed under:
Chicago executives,
Food,
Packaged foods
From the Chicago Sun-Times | Former Sara Lee CEO Brenda Barnes attended the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago’s SkyRise event to give her two sons and daughters — part of Team Brenda — a medal for walking up 103 floors of the Willis Tower. “It’s been six months since my mom first had a stroke, and it’s been a long road for us,” Barnes’ daughter, Erin, said at the finish line. Get the full story >>
Nov. 14, 2010 at 8:46 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Beverages,
Food
By Associated Press
The maker of a caffeinated alcoholic drink that has been banned in four states has agreed to stop shipments to New York state.
Gov. David Paterson and the State Liquor Authority announced the agreement Sunday with Chicago-based Phusion Projects, which makes the drink Four Loko, and with the state’s largest beer distributors to stop selling caffeinated alcoholic beverages. Get the full story »
Nov. 12, 2010 at 6:00 p.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Food,
Restaurants
By Associated Press
San Francisco’s mayor has vetoed legislation that would ban toys from fast-food children’s meals, though it’s still expected to become law.
Get the full story »
Nov. 12, 2010 at 6:08 a.m.
Filed under:
Beverages,
Food
By Dow Jones Newswires
Starbucks Corp. plans to launch coffee machines in the U.S. to ensure growth in the consumer packaged goods market.
The Seattle-based coffee chain is looking to expand its presence in the U.S. consumer packaged goods arena and will sell single-service coffee machines and instant coffee pods to accompany them, Starbucks Chief Executive Howard Schultz said in an interview Friday. The timeline for the product’s rollout hasn’t yet been determined, Schultz said. Get the full story »
Nov. 11, 2010 at 8:56 a.m.
Filed under:
Advertising/Marketing,
Food,
Packaged foods
From Ad Age | Kraft Foods has pulled longtime agency DraftFCB from four key accounts: Jello, Cool Whip, A1 Steaksauce and Bull’s-Eye barbeque sauce.
Nov. 11, 2010 at 7:41 a.m.
Filed under:
Food,
Restaurants
By Tribune staff report
Tent city outside the new Wheaton Chick-fil-A. (WGN-TV)
The third and latest edition of the chicken restaurant opened at 6 a.m. in Wheaton with more than a hundred customers outside, many having spent the night and before that in sleeping bags and tents.
Some said they had been there since 4:30 a.m. Wednesday, taking advantage of the near record early November temperatures, in an effort to be one of the first hundred customers and receive a free weekly meal for a year.
Some who camped out since yesterday repeated their slumber parties when the chain opened two Chicagoland restaurants, most recently in Orland Park in October.
“This is Disneyland compared to Orland Park,” said Don Braaten, who stood in line with his older brother, Gary. Braaten was referring to the chain’s most recent opening, Oct 28.
“This is my third opening. I went to Aurora, Orland Park, and now here,” he said.
One man boasted of having hundreds of free certificates following the chain’s openings around the country.
Heidi Rewerts said she has probably eaten about 500 chicken sandwiches since the chain first opened in Atlanta 20 years ago.
“We’ve been waiting for 20 years for them to move here, and now we’re near two of them. I think it’s great,” she said. “I’ve been here since 4:30 yesterday morning.”
The chain says it has plans to open more restaurants in Chicago next year.
– Pat Curry
