Denny’s To Offer Free Breakfast On Feb. 9

Denny’s is once again offering a free meal as it will offer a Free Original Grand Slam on Tuesday, Feb. 9 from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The offer was made in Super Bowl ads on Sunday, Feb. 7.
“We are leveraging the power of Super Bowl once again to connect with our customers to keep Denny’s in their ears and minds by communicating our Original Grand Slam offer," said Nelson Marchioli, chief executive officer and president of Denny’s. “We know that times are still tough and a free hot breakfast helps a lot of folks and their families. We heard from thousands last year who thanked us. This year Denny’s will go even beyond one day of free meals by offering a number of every day affordable programs all year.” Other programs include an online sweepstake for a Free Original Grand Slam every week, free burger and fries for the first 500,000 who sign up for the new Denny’s Rewards Program, endless pancake and fries at participating locations; and a Free Original Grand Slam for birthdays at participating restaurants.

MRA Annual Awards Recipients Announced

The annual Mass. Restaurant Assn. Awards Dinner will be held Monday, March 15 at the Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel beginning at 6:00 p.m. (cocktail reception) with dinner at 7:00 p.m. Included in the program will be the announcement and presentation of the New England Food Show Booth of Excellence Award. Honorees this year will be Chef of the Year, Michael Schlow of Radius, Via Mata, and Alta Strade, all of Boston; Restaurateur of the Year, Ernie Tremblay of Sylvan Street Grille of Peabody, Mass.; Purveyor of the Year, Jim Kaloyanides of New England Coffee; and Salesperson of the Year, David Lamb of Costa Fruit & Produce. The awards dinner is part of the New England Food Show set for March 14-16 at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center.
The keynote speaker for the show his year is Tim Kirkland, author of The Renegade Server. His talk, titled “Uncommon Strategies for Making More Money in 21st Century Food Service,” will take place on Sunday, March 14, at 1:00 p.m. Another keynote session involves three noted Boston area chefs who will discuss “What’s in Store for 2010” Monday, March 15 at 1:00 p.m. Moderated by Chef Chuck Leonardo of Costa Fruit and Produce, the discussion panel includes Chef Martin Breslin, director of culinary operations for Harvard University Dining Services; Chef Thomas John, Au bon Pain’s executive chef, and Jamie Mammano, chef-owner of the Columbus Group, which includes Mistral, Teatro, Mooo, Sorelina, and L’Adana.

NRA Haitian Fundraising Efforts

The National Restaurant Assn. and the National Restaurant Assn. Educational Foundation have formed a national relief effort drive for Haiti. Through Share Our Strength, 100 percent of the proceeds for Restaurants For Relief Haiti will be sent to trusted relief organizations. For info, visit Restaurants For Relief Haiti for fundraising ideas. In other Haitian relief efforts, The Common Man Restaurants worked with the American Red Cross and Partners in Development to raise more than $60,000 through the generosity of its guests. Owner Alex Ray himself set for out Haiti on Jan. 26 with local nurse Carolyn Brown, bringing medical supplies, emergency equipment, a digital camera, and a laptop. He is chronicling his journey through www.thecman.com/do-good and associated Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Latest Word in Food Service...

• Tom Zatina, president of McLane Foodservice, is vice chairman of the International Foodservice Distributors Assn. (IDFA). Malcolm Sullivan Jr., president and chief executive officer of Pate Dawson Co. of Goldsboro, N.D. is the IDFA chairman and James Crawford, chairman and chief executive officer of Clover Hill Foods of Bridgeville, Pa. Larry Perkins, president of Perkins of Taunton, Mass. was re-elected as one of the IDFA board of directors.

• Jack Crawford, former president and chief executive officer of the Ground Round Independent Owners Cooperative has returned to his post after working for Uno Restaurant Holdings which recently filed for Chapter 11.

• The Sheraton Braintree Hotel is now closed for renovations after a group of investors purchased the 374 room hotel. Karma Nominee Trust is in the processing of hiring a new hotel management company and negotiating for a new hotel brand.

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