SURREY, B.C. — British Columbia’s Grandview Corners Shopping Mall in South Surrey has become the home of the newest De Dutch Pannekoek House. The opening marks the first of several more scheduled for 2010.

“We are so pleased to start the string of this year’s new restaurant openings with our new location in the South Surrey area, which is a young, vibrant community experiencing positive and steady growth,” said Bill Waring, the company’s president. The location is headed by franchisee Michelle Kendall, who managed the company’s Strawberry Hill, Surrey location.

LAS VEGAS — Dave Houseman's pizza rolled out among the world’s best, scoring sixth place at the International Pizza Challenge in Las Vegas this week, according to the Edmonton Sun.

"It was my first time competing in anything like this, so it was a big learning experience. A lot of people I was competing against have done this for years," he’s quoted as saying in the newspaper.

Eclipsing two other Canuck competitors, the Famoso Neapolitan Pizzeria owner, who has three locations in Edmonton, beat 120 pizza makers from around the world in a battle for the top prize of $10,000, which went to an entrant from Italy.

VICTORIA — British Columbia’s restaurant industry was left out in the cold again, as yesterday’s budget failed to alleviate any of the pressure operators will face with the introduction of HST in July.

"The province broke a promise to our industry when they introduced the HST, and today they have broken another one by offering nothing in the budget to lessen the impact on our industry," says Mark von Schellwitz, vice-president Western Canada for the Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association (CRFA).