The team at Goo Goo Cluster last week opened the doors to their first branded store, a spot on the grounds of the Fontanel complex north of downtown. The store will carry the three Goo Goo Cluster variations, Bravo Gelato's locally made products, brand merchandise and other knick-knacks.

The Vistar division of national distribution powerhouse Performance Food Group has opened the doors to a 20,000-square-foot Merchant's Mart cash-and-carry wholesale store. The Elm Hill Pike location is Vistar's 13th around the country.

“This will be our first store to carry a broad inventory of food products ‒ not just candy, snacks and beverages,” said Pat Hagerty, President & CEO of Vistar. “The Nashville Merchant’s Mart will feature frozen food and canned goods, pastries, condiments, as well as a limited selection of produce and perishable items. We’ll even offer party supplies and concession items.”

The strong fiscal Q2 reported Tuesday by Cracker Barrel Old Country Store was built on best-in-class sales improvements, says Miller + Tabak analyst Stephen Anderson. In a note to clients, Anderson said investors might be a bit disappointed in the guidance for the current quarter, but added that we shouldn't be surprised if the company tops its own guidance thanks to lower input costs.

[W]e still think there could be upside to today’s increased full-year FY13 EPS guidance, particularly as many publicly-traded restaurant companies recently have moderated their outlook for food costs in the next 12 months.

For the record, Cracker Barrel's cost of goods sold during the three months ended Feb. 1 was 34.75 percent of revenues versus 34.96 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Food giant Tyson has begun spending $7.7 million to expand its massive meat processing plant adjacent to Interstate 65 in Goodlettsville. The investment will add new equipment and production lines as well as 100 jobs to the roughly 1,500 already there. The project is expected to wrap in April.

“These are major investments we believe will help us maintain our position as a leader in the case ready business at two strategic locations, and in chicken and steaks with some of our key foodservice customers,” Smith said. “All of these are prime locations because of the existing facilities and access to an excellent workforce.”

A battle of the Cracker Barrels looms...

Kraft Foods has sued Cracker Barrel Old Country Store over the Lebanon-based chain's plans to partner with John Morrell Food Group on a range of products to be sold in grocery stores and mass merchandisers. For Cracker Barrel officials, the agreement signed last November was part of a plan to boost the profile of their brand. In an Illinois lawsuit, Kraft says the move would violate its rights to its own Cracker Barrel brand, which it uses primarily for cheese products. Kraft last fall rolled out a new ad campaign for its Cracker Barrel line.

Forbes magazine has named Nashvillian Max Goldberg (pictured) — he of Catbird Seat, Paradise Park and Patterson House fame with brother Benjamin — to its 30 Under 30 list for the Food and Wine category.

In addition, the list includes James Peisker, co-founder of Porter Road Butcher in East Nashville, which opened its doors about a year ago.

Check out the full list here.

The Nashville native is slowly transforming his hometown into a dining destination with the multi-award winning chef's tasting room, The Catbird Seat, and a kitschy honky-tonk on Broadway called Paradise Park. He and co-owner Benjamin Goldberg currently own five businesses with a combined revenue of $10 million.

Trained at Hyde Park's Culinary Institute of America, Peisker discovered his love for butchering as a sous chef at Niche in St. Louis. Before opening Porter Road, he did a stage at Chicago's The Butcher and Larder to further his education in whole animal butchering.