Buffalo Wild Wings is “flying high,” reports Barron’s Online. The Minneapolis-based chain started summer with same-store sales increasing more than 8 percent from a year ago. (Franchise same-store sales were up 4.5 percent.) Buffalo Wild Wings is rolling out a redesigned menu this week and nearing completion of its HDTV and remodeling upgrades with football season on the horizon. The company reported close to $1 billion in sales during the second quarter, working out to 31 cents profit per share.
A few dozen hotels around the world will soon change their signs to read Radisson, Country Inn or another Carlson Hotels Worldwide brand. The company reached franchise or management agreements with 38 new properties during the second quarter. The hotels span 13 countries with sites ranging in exoticism from a Radisson resort in northern Morocco to a Country Inn & Suites, St. Louis Airport West. The additions bring the Minnetonka company’s portfolio up to 995 hotels with 148,500 rooms in 73 countries.
A standoff like the one going on right now between two of the state’s largest health care organizations isn’t unprecedented, Finance and Commerce’s Kendall Anderson reports. Fairview Health Services and BlueCross and BlueShield of Minnesota can’t agree on reimbursement amounts. Patients could be inconvenienced if a deal isn’t reached by Aug. 22. BCBC was at a similar impasse last year with a Grand Rapids clinic and hospital and has since come to terms. Fairview said it has been to this point twice in the last decade. Both times agreements were reached before the old contracts expired.
Delta Air Lines intends to integrate Northwest Airlines “as quickly as we can,” said Delta CEO Richard Anderson in an interview Wednesday on CNBC. MarketWatch reports that Delta plans to operate Northwest as a subsidiary for the first 18 months following the merger. Also: a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee holds a meeting today on how the proposed merger would affect workers. The Associated Press reports that employee representatives have raised concerns about the combined airline’s ability to pay pensions.
A St. Paul software firm is offering to give away its product to every American if George W. Bush accomplishes any of his goals during the remainder of his presidency. CodeWeavers Inc. makes a program that lets Mac and Linux users run Windows programs. Its “Great American Lame Duck Presidential Challenge” offers to make the software free if Bush does any one of the following: reduces gas prices, reduces food prices, create more jobs, rejuvenate the housing market, or bring Osama Bin Laden to justice. Well, good luck with that.
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Well, that’s a safe bet for CodeWeavers to make!