Mellow Mushroom takes “unique” to a whole new level — from the way it bakes its pizza to its free, anti-corporate culture and hippy-inspired store design and decor.

Canton, Mass. — Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc., the parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, has appointed five new vice presidents to its management team.   

New Hartford, N.Y. — Jack in the Box Inc. has selected PAR Technology Corporation’s PAR EverServ® hardware and service solutions for all of its Jack in the Box® and Qdoba Mexican Grill® corporate stores and has named PAR as the approved hardware terminal vendor for all franchise locations.

Vancouver, Wash. — Papa Murphy’s Holdings, Inc. has signed expanded store development agreements with Waterman Acquisition Company, LLC to develop an additional 12 new Papa Murphy’s pizza stores in Huntsville and Birmingham, Ala., and two stores in Raleigh, N.C., over the next 4 years. Currently there are 42 Papa Murphy’s stores located in Alabama and North Carolina.

Joliet, Ill. — Mahoney Environmental, a leading recycler of cooking oil for over 60 years, has received the "2015 Vendor of Excellence" award from Buffalo Wild Wings (BWW), a leading national restaurant chain with more than 1,000 locations in North America.

Atlanta — Arby’s Restaurant Group, Inc. (ARG), parent company of the franchisor of the Arby’s brand, has signed several recent franchise development agreements beginning late fourth quarter 2015 through March 15, 2016 for the development of 138 new restaurants. This news follows a strong year of development for Arby’s in 2015 with 61 new restaurant openings and 179 remodels system-wide.

Jackson, Miss. — As a part of Newk’s Eatery’s plan to double in size by 2019, the fast-casual brand has promoted Adam Karveller to Newk’s vice president of information technology and Keith Moody to vice president of franchise operations. Both Karveller and Moody collectively bring more than 40 years of experience in the IT and restaurant operations industries to the brand.

Atlanta — FOCUS Brands Inc. has appointed Michael Dixon as chief financial officer for its more than 5,000 ice cream shops, bakeries, restaurants and cafes through its affiliate brands, which include Auntie Anne's®, Carvel®, Cinnabon®, McAlister's Deli®, Moe's Southwest Grill® and Schlotzsky's®.

New Hartford, N.Y. — Giardino Gourmet Salads has selected PAR Brink POS software for its corporate and franchised stores. ParTech Inc. (PAR) is a leading global provider of point-of-sale (POS) and food safety solutions to the restaurant industry and subsidiary of PAR Technology Corporation. Giardino’s is a fast-casual salad chain with 12 locations, based in southern Florida.

Atlanta — GPS Hospitality, a fast-growing Atlanta-based franchisee group with more than 220 BURGER KING® restaurants, has appointed Brian Arnold as chief development officer.

Boston — Wahlburgers, the better burger restaurant founded by Chef Paul Wahlberg with celebrity brothers Mark and Donnie, has signed franchise deals with five new franchise groups to open over 30 stores in several major metro markets in Massachusetts, California, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio, North Carolina and South Carolina. Seven restaurants are currently open, with three more slated within the next few months in Boston's Logan Airport, Las Vegas and Philadelphia.

Canton, Mass. — Dunkin’ Donuts has signed a franchise agreement with Alimentacion Mexico Americana, part of Berny Group, to develop 20 new restaurants in Mexico. With the signing of this agreement, Dunkin’ Donuts has plans to develop nearly 150 restaurants in Mexico over the coming years.

Minneapolis — Restaurant Technologies has partnered with Twisted Root Burger Co., the Dallas-based, award-winning restaurant brand. With 11 new total oil management solution installations from Restaurant Technologies, the burger joint reports several successes to its back-of-house operations.

6 tips for restaurant brands considering expanding into non-traditional venues.

Dallas — Brinker International, Inc. has named John Cywinski as executive vice president of strategic innovation, effective March 7, 2016. Cywinski has held multiple leadership positions at Yum! Brands, Inc., Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar®, McDonald's Corporation, BURGER KING® and The Walt Disney Company. Most recently, he served as president of KFC U.S.

Nashville, Tenn. — Captain D's LLC, a leading fast-casual seafood restaurant, has hired Steve Bielewicz, Jennifer Benjamin and Jeff White to join the company's development team.

Dallas — Rave Restaurant Group, Inc. has named restaurant industry veteran Bob Bafundo as the new president of Pizza Inn, an international pizza chain and flagship brand under Rave Restaurant Group, Inc.

Atlanta — Ted’s Montana Grill, an Atlanta-based company inspired by the American West, will add new restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, Charlotte, N.C., and Christiana, Del., in the next 12 months. To support its growth, the restaurant has hired Jeff Heath as vice president of operations.

Dallas — Bruegger's Bagels, known for its authentic New York-style bagels and signature egg sandwiches, and Jamba Juice, a leading better-for-you specialty beverage brand, will open the first of several planned co-branded stores in early March in Melrose, Mass.

Denver — Smashburger, the rapidly expanding better burger restaurant, plans to add additional casino locations across the country. The following restaurants are scheduled to open in spring and fall 2016, bringing the brand's casino-based location count to four restaurants.