Brewer chooses Dayton to test-market a new beer
will be available in draft form — the others are in San Francisco, Reno, Sacramento, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and Dallas.
So why Dayton? Meek said company officials look for a mix of large and medium-sized markets, a strong local distributor (in this case, Daytonbased Bonbright), and consumers “with diverse interests and diverse areas of passion.” My hunch: It may also have something to do with Yuengling’s rather successful launch of its brews here in Ohio last year, which poached market share from big breweries such as Miller and Bud.
To find out where to find the new brew, log on to www.d aytondailynews.com/go/ uncorked and scroll down to the May 29 entry about Third Shift.
Defining irony
The New York City law firm that until recently represented Miami Twp.-based NewPage in bankruptcy court is also now bankrupt itself, according to the Cumberland (Md.) TimesNews.
NewPage had about 350 employees in September 2011 at the time it filed for bankruptcy court protection from creditors as it restructures its debt and seeks to emerge as a financially stronger company. Dewey & LeBoeuf, which represented NewPage until May 14, filed for bankruptcy May 28 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York.It’s unclear if the law firm’s bankruptcy will slow NewPage’s bankruptcy case, according to the Times-News.
Restaurants hiring
The recent headlines about local restaurants have not been all that positive: One Dayton restaurant owner convicted of five felony counts and facing a potential prison term, another restaurateur in Ketttering who lost his legal battle to keep his landlord from seizing his restaurant. But the national picture is rosier: The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index, which tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry, stood at 101.6 in April, down 0.6 percent from March but the sixth consecutive month that the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators.
In addition, restaurants in Ohio are expected to add nearly 20,000 jobs this summer season, a 5.3 percent increase over the March 2012 employment level, according to the restaurant association. Nationwide, this year is projected to bring the highest summer restaurant employment numbers since 1993, although Shanon Morgan, president of the Miami Valley Restaurant Association, said most of the summer jobs go to students and do not turn into permanent positions.
Reading the tea leaves
Teavana, one of the three new stores that we let you know about in Wednesday’s DDN as opening soon at The Greene in Beavercreek, is enjoying some remarkable sales growth nationwide.
Atlanta-based Teavana Holdings Inc. announced last week its financial results for the first quarter 2012, including:
• Net sales increased by 27 percent to $44.3 million from compared to the first quarter of FY 2011.
• Teavana opened 23 stores during the three months, ending the quarter with 223 company-owned stores.
• Adjusted net income increased by 12 percent to $3.7 million.