Restaurants Contracts

Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson will turn over its food service contract to a university-run organization at the end of the month, ending a rocky relationship with the current operator that has been marked by student boycotts and the eviction of a well-liked coffee bar. The CSUDH Foundation, a fund-raising arm of the university, will take over food operations when the contract with Professional Food Services Management of Florida expires May 25.

Cal State Dominguez Hills in Carson will turn over its food service contract to a university-run organization at the end of the month, ending a rocky relationship with the current operator that has been marked by student boycotts and the eviction of a well-liked coffee bar. The CSUDH Foundation, a fund-raising arm of the university, will take over food operations when the contract with Professional Food Services Management of Florida expires May 25.

As expected, Carl Karcher Enterprises Inc. announced Friday it signed a licensing agreement with a Malaysian partner to bring the Famous Star hamburger and the other offerings of its Carl's Jr. restaurants to nine Pacific Rim nations. Karcher signed the deal with MBf International, a financial services company based in Kuala Lumpur. MBf plans to open a Carl's Jr. restaurant in Malaysia next year and others later in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.

Kelly Jeffrey always dreamed of running her own business. So when layoffs started thinning the ranks at Marriott Corp.'s hotel division last year, she decided to take the plunge. She quit her job and, using her $20,000 profit-sharing check from Marriott, bought a cappuccino cart and began serving customers outside the cafeteria at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange.

Kelly Jeffrey always dreamed of running her own business. So when layoffs started thinning the ranks at Marriott Corp.'s hotel division last year, she decided to take the plunge. She quit her job and, using her $20,000 profit-sharing check from Marriott, bought a cappuccino cart and began serving customers outside the cafeteria at UC Irvine Medical Center in Orange.

Kelly Jeffrey always dreamed of running her own business, so when layoffs started thinning the ranks at Marriott Corp.'s hotel division last year, she decided to take the plunge. She quit her job and, using her $20,000 profit-sharing check from Marriott, found a little cappuccino cart business serving customers outside the cafeteria at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

Stouffer's has gone fishing for Orange County diners. The Cleveland-based company recently opened Parker's Seafood Grill on the Balboa Peninsula, the first of the Parker's dinner-house chain in Orange County. Four other cities, including Long Beach--have Parker's Lighthouse restaurants. But contracts restrict using that name within a three-county radius.

The first half of the season has been a yawn, and some of the biggest sluggers in the lineup have holes in their bats. But one time-tested veteran swings for the fences and hits a home run every night at Dodger Stadium. Chef Dave Pearson. Like the Dodgers, Pearson got his start in New York.

Before film producers Gerald and Patricia Green took over a movie festival in Bangkok, the weeklong event struggled to capture Hollywood's attention. Over the next four years, the Southern California couple transformed the festival into a rising star on the international circuit for screening new films, attracting the likes of Michael Douglas, Jeremy Irons and director Oliver Stone to Thailand. The success earned the couple a small fortune and drew scrutiny from federal prosecutors who have charged them with bribing Thai officials to run the festival and land lucrative contracts.

Kelly Jeffrey always dreamed of running her own business, so when layoffs started thinning the ranks at Marriott Corp.'s hotel division last year, she decided to take the plunge. She quit her job and, using her $20,000 profit-sharing check from Marriott, found a little cappuccino cart business serving customers outside the cafeteria at UCI Medical Center in Orange.

As expected, Carl Karcher Enterprises Inc. announced Friday it signed a licensing agreement with a Malaysian partner to bring the Famous Star hamburger and the other offerings of its Carl's Jr. restaurants to nine Pacific Rim nations. Karcher signed the deal with MBf International, a financial services company based in Kuala Lumpur. MBf plans to open a Carl's Jr. restaurant in Malaysia next year and others later in Singapore, Australia and Hong Kong.