Jeff Fuller has the restaurant business in his DNA. The president and CEO of Vancouver-based Joey Restaurants, a premium casual-dining concept, shares the restaurant landscape with his brothers who operate other well-known concepts, predominantly in Western Canada, such as Earls and Saltlik Steakhouse; his family owns an interest in Cactus Club Cafe, too.

The green movement isn’t just an idea to Bob Desautels — it’s the lifeblood that feeds his business. The president and group director of Guelph, Ont.’s Neighbourhood Group of Companies, Limited, which is comprised of two upscale-casual restaurants called Borealis Grille & Bar and The Woolwich Arrow Neighbour-hood Pub, plans to eventually run his operations with a zero carbon footprint. Here he tells F&H how he’s making a difference on his home turf.

The co-founder of Extreme Brandz has an idea about what constitutes healthy food. To Alex Rechichi, the president and CEO of the Mississauga, Ont.-based Extreme Pita, Mucho Burrito, Purblendz and Via Cibo, the key is examining every ingredient and evaluating if it’s something our ancestors ate.

It’s often been said: “don’t mess with a good thing,” and the foodservice operators on F&H’s annual Top 100 took that to heart in 2012. In fact, the top foodservice performers kept a balanced approach and realized gross sales of $29.4 billion. In response to moderate sales growth and cautious consumer optimism, the “Top 100” peak performers, which represent approximately 45 per cent of the country’s foodservice market, have been introducing menu favourites with a twist and value deals designed to encourage more traffic.