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R e s t a u r a n t D a i l y N e w s 5 5 F r i d a y, M a y 1 5 , 2 0 1 5 UNCLE STEVE'S ITALIAN SPECIALTIES Uncle Steve's Italian Specialties was cre- ated by Steve Schirripa earlier this year. Each jar of Uncle Steve's sauce is pro- duced in the USA from small batches of fresh imported organic Italian plum tomatoes, vegetables and spices, "Our products are USDA-certified organic, gluten free, dairy free, vegan, and contain no added sugar. With no GMOs, no pes- ticides, and nothing artificial, you can be confident you are feeding your family not only great-tasting products, but nourish- ing them as well." said Schirripa. "My mother cooked her sauce for six hours and unlike the others, we are doing the same." Uncle Steve's is available in three flavors: Marinara, Tomato Basil and Arrabiata. It is available at Whole Foods Market, Central Market, ShopRite, Stop 'n Shop and many other grocery and health food stores across the USA. For more information on where to buy or to purchase by mail, go towww.unclestevesny.com. MCDONALD'S ARCHWAYS TO OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM AWARDS FIRST DIPLOMA McDonald's recently General Manager Juan Garcia of Chatsworth, California with a high school diploma, following his completion of the high school comple- tion curriculum under McDonald's Archways to Opportunity program. To date, Juan is the first McDonald's employee to complete the online set of courses and earn his diploma. Archways to Opportunity is McDonald's overarching education strat- egy that promotes workforce education to both support the business and ensure its employees' success and achievement. The program offerings include free high school completion and college tuition assistance. Through Career Online High School (COHS), a national accredited program, eligible restaurant employees can take classes required to earn a high school diploma when and where it's con- venient for them and McDonald's will cover the costs. For those seeking a col- lege education, McDonald's will assist with college credits and tuition assis- tance. And for those who speak English as a second language, McDonald's offers free English language classes through its English Under the Arches ® program. The High School Completion pro- gram that Juan successfully completed is a nationally accredited Career Online High School program. This platform is adult and career focused and provides a coach to help its students along the way, setting them up for success. Understanding that high school curricula can be challenging for many reasons, this program is competency-based so stu- dents are able to master a skill through a career-focused curriculum first, allowing them to build confidence before diving into a traditional curriculum. "As part of our ongoing commitment to education, McDonald's invests in its employees and their future," said Clay Paschen III, President, McDonald's Operators' Association of Southern California. "We are proud of Juan, and all other crew members working toward just that - a future." When an employee decides to pur- sue education, the company also offers resources and support that remove the barriers employees often face when returning to school including, tuition assistance programs, scholarships, edu- cation advising, virtual apps to calculate ACE college credit recommendations and a learning module that helps employ- ees understand the various education opportunities. POLL RECORDS RESTAURANT OPERATOR OPTIMISM As a result of higher same-store sales and a continued optimistic outlook for future business conditions, the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) remained in positive territory in March. The RPI – a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restau- rant industry – stood at 102.2 in March, down 0.4 percent from February's level of 102.6. Despite the decline, March marked the 25th consecutive month in which the RPI stood above 100, which signifies expansion in the index of key industry indicators. For the full outlook on the restaurant industry, view the Restaurant Performance Index at www.restaurant.org/RPI. "Although a majority of restaurant operators reported higher same-store sales in March, customer traffic levels were somewhat dampened," said Hudson Riehle, Senior Vice President of the Research and Knowledge Group for the Association. "Looking forward, restau- rant operators remain solidly optimistic about future business conditions, with six in 10 expecting to have higher sales in six months." The RPI is constructed so that the health of the restaurant industry is meas- ured in relation to a steady-state level of 100. Index values above 100 indicate that key industry indicators are in a period of expansion, while index values below 100 represent a period of contraction for key industry indicators. The Index consists of two components – the Current Situation Index and the Expectations Index. Current Situation Index The Current Situation Index, which measures current trends in four industry indicators (same-store sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures), stood at 101.8 in March – down slightly from a level of 102.0 in February. Despite the decline, the Current Situation Index stood above 100 for the 13th consecutive month, which signifies expansion in the current situation indicators. A majority of restaurant operators reported higher same-store sales for the 13th consecutive month in March, with results coming in similar to February's performance. Sixty-two percent of restaurant operators reported a same- store sales gain between March 2014 and March 2015, while 24 percent reported lower sales. In February, 60 percent of operators reported higher same-store sales, while 24 percent reported a sales decline. While same-store sales remained solidly positive, restaurant operators reported dampened customer traffic results in March. Forty-five percent of restaurant operators reported an increase in customer traffic between March 2014 and March 2015, down from 57 percent who reported higher traffic in February. Thirty-four percent of operators said their traffic declined in March, up slightly from 32 percent in February. With same-store sales and customer traffic trending upward in recent months, restaurant operators beefed up capital spending. Fifty-six percent of operators said they made a capital expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling dur- ing the last three months, which marked the sixth consecutive month in which a majority of operators reported making an expenditure. Expectations Index The Expectations Index, which measures restaurant operators' six-month outlook for four industry indicators (same-store sales, employees, capital expenditures and business conditions), stood at 102.6 in March – down 0.7 percent from February's level of 103.3. Despite the decline, March represented the 29th con- secutive month in which the Expectations Index stood above 100, which indicates a positive outlook for business conditions in the coming months. Restaurant operators remain solidly optimistic about sales growth in the com- ing months. Fifty-nine percent of restau- rant operators expect to have higher sales in six months (compared to the same period in the previous year), unchanged from last month. In contrast, only 3 per- cent of restaurant operators expect their sales volume in six months to be lower than it was during the same period in the previous year, down from 4 percent last month. Restaurant operators are also gener- ally optimistic about the direction of the overall economy. Thirty-five percent of restaurant operators said they expect eco- nomic conditions to improve in six months, down slightly from 37 percent last month. Only 8 percent expect eco- nomic conditions to worsen in six months, while the remaining 57 percent expect economic conditions in six months to be about the same as they are now. For the 19th consecutive month, a majority of restaurant operators said they are planning for capital expenditures in the months ahead. Fifty-three percent of restaurant operators plan to make a capi- tal expenditure for equipment, expansion or remodeling in the next six months, down from 64 percent who reported sim- ilarly last month. The RPI is based on the responses to the National Restaurant Association's Restaurant Industry Tracking Survey, which is fielded monthly among restau- rant operators nationwide on a variety of indicators including sales, traffic, labor and capital expenditures. The full report and video summary are available online at Restaurant.org/RPI. The RPI is released on the last busi- ness day of each month, and a more detailed data and analysis can be found on Restaurant TrendMapper, the Association's subscription-based web site that provides detailed analysis of restaurant industry trends. JAMES O'REILLY NAMED CEO OF LONG JOHN SILVER'S Long John Silver's ® , the nation's largest quick-service seafood chain, has named James O'Reilly as Chief Executive Officer. O'Reilly brings to the role more than 20 years of food service leadership, including, most recently, chief brand offi- cer for Sonic Drive-In. Additionally, O'Reilly has served in a variety of domestic and international leadership positions for many prominent brands including Einstein Noah Restaurant Group, Yum! Brands, and Procter and Gamble. He earned an MBA from York University and B.S. in Biochemistry from McMaster University. "I am very pleased that James has accepted the position of CEO for Long John Silver's," said Rick Duffy, Chairman of the Board for LJS Partners, LLC. "James brings the right combination of brand building, system leadership, and innovation to the LJS system. I am confident that his leadership of the brand will poise the com- pany for growth in the years ahead." O'Reilly added, "I'm pleased to join the team at Long John Silver's. It's an iconic brand, and I look forward to draw- ing upon my knowledge of the quick- service industry to give consumers more reasons to love Long John Silver's."