Author

Katie Lee

Industry Voicesrestaurantssignage

Their Story

by Katie Lee

— By Jon Jaggers — How to leverage brand heritage in the restaurant industry and beyond. Have you ever found yourself drawn to a restaurant not just because of the food, but because of its unique history and story? Maybe it’s a local diner that’s been around for decades, or a chain that’s been passed down from generation to generation. Whatever it may be, brand heritage is a powerful tool in the food and beverage industry. In this post, we’ll dive into why brand heritage matters, and how it can …

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flooring/floor careIndustry Voicesrestaurants

Stick With It

by Katie Lee

— By Mickie Bollinger — How to get a grip on floor safety. Slips, trips and falls have unfortunately provided the source material for countless viral videos on social media, but business owners and facility managers know they’re no laughing matter. Whether it’s a team member who’s at risk due to unsafe working conditions, or a customer who encounters slippery floors when they enter your building, there’s great potential for injuries and liability claims if you’re not all in on floor safety. Slips, Trips and Falls by the Numbers The …

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construction and designfranchise developmentNewsrestaurants

QDOBA Plans to Double in Size Over the Next Decade

by Katie Lee

San Diego — QDOBA, America’s #2 fast-casual Mexican restaurant brand, is planning for rapid expansion. With 750 restaurants in 45 states, the privately held company expects to double in size over the next decade, with plans to open 40 new restaurants this year, followed by 60 in 2024, and 80+ annually beginning in 2025. “QDOBA is an exceptionally well positioned brand in one of the most attractive restaurant categories. We possess long-standing momentum, strong unit economics, a compelling operating model, an extraordinarily passionate guest following and significant untapped geographic potential,” says …

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Newsretailers

FRANKIE4 Expands U.S. Presence, Including a New Flagship Store in Seattle

by Katie Lee

Seattle — After landing stateside 2 years ago with its U.S. e-commerce platform, Australia-based women’s footwear brand, FRANKiE4, is amplifying its presence in North America. The brand recently rolled out wholesale partnerships with Nordstrom and J.Jill and will open a flagship store in Bellevue, Wash., just outside of Seattle, in September. This will be a permanent location following the success of its Bellevue Square pop-up location, which launched in April 2023. The brand’s upcoming Seattle store opening which will be located at The Bellevue Collection, a 1,300-square-foot store that will …

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construction and designNewspeoplerestaurants

Captain D’s Names New Chief Financial Officer

by Katie Lee

Nashville, Tenn. — Captain D’s has named Jeff Wilson as its new chief financial officer. He joins Captain D’s at a time when the fast-casual seafood franchise is expanding its geographic footprint, introducing new menu offerings and offering an exceptional customer experience with streamlined digital, drive-thru and delivery options. Wilson joins Captain D’s from Cracker Barrel. “We are pleased to have Jeff join the Captain D’s executive team, bringing with him a wealth of finance, operations, and profitability enhancement skills in both public and private companies,” says Phil Greifeld, CEO and …

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Newsretailers

Ace Hardware Opens More Than 100 Stores in 2023; Plans 70 More

by Katie Lee

Oak Brook, Ill. — Ace Hardware, the largest retailer-owned hardware cooperative in the world, has opened more than 100 new stores in 2023, and is planning to open more than 170 by the end of the year. Globally, Ace has opened more than 1,100 stores in the past 5 years. “With over 100 new stores already opened for the year, we remain enthusiastically bullish about the continued prospect for new store growth,” says John Venhuizen, president and CEO of Ace Hardware. “I applaud our local Ace owners for the pace …

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franchise developmentNewsrestaurants

Playa Bowls Opens 200th Location; Plans 33 More By Year End

by Katie Lee

Belmar, N.J. — Playa Bowls, a leading superfruit bowl franchise, has opened its 200th shop. This new opening marks Playa Bowls’ 71st franchise agreement this year, demonstrating the brand’s dedication to growth since first launching in Belmar, N.J., in 2014. The brand plans to open 33 additional shops before the end of the year. “Playa Bowls once began as a patio table outside of a pizza shop, and now, nearly a decade later, we’ve reached 200 locations across the nation,” says Abby Taylor, chief marketing officer of Playa Bowls. “With …

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Newspeopleretailers

Williams-Sonoma, Inc. Names New Pottery Barn President

by Katie Lee

San Francisco — Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has promoted Monica Bhargava to president of the Pottery Barn brand. In her 23 years since joining the Williams-Sonoma, Inc. family of brands, Bhargava has taken on an increasingly broader leadership scope culminating in her recent position as Williams-Sonoma, Inc.’s chief design officer, where she led the Pottery Barn visual merchandising and photography teams while developing product in partnership with the brand’s in-house design teams. “Monica’s design leadership and product development expertise have been instrumental to the growth of our brands, including Pottery Barn,” says …

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Checkers and Rally’s Rolls Out Hi Auto’s First-Ever Spanish Language Drive-Thru Voice AI Ordering

by Katie Lee

Dayton, Ohio — Hi Auto and Checkers and Rally’s Drive-in Restaurants have added Spanish drive-thru voice AI ordering, representing a milestone development both for the QSR industry and for North America’s more than 50 million Spanish and bilingual speakers. Already operational at more than 350 of the restaurant group’s locations, Hi Auto’s is the world’s most widely deployed drive-thru voice AI ordering technology. Following beta testing over the past 2 months at five of its drive-thrus, Checkers and Rally’s is ready to expand the Spanish drive-thru voice AI rollout to …

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Newsretailers

DICK’S Sporting Goods Opens 9 New ‘DICK’S House of Sport’ Stores

by Katie Lee

Pittsburgh, Pa. — DICK’S Sporting Goods has continued to expand the House of Sport brand as nine new locations celebrated their grand openings in July and August. These locations join the first three House of Sport stores in Victor, N.Y.; Knoxville, Tenn.; and Minnetonka, Minn. DICK’S anticipates opening between 75 to 100 House of Sport stores by 2027. The new stores opened in the following communities: • Katy, Texas: The Shops at Park West • Baybrook, Texas: Baybrook Mall • Davenport, Iowa: Davenport Commons • Champaign, Ill.: Market Place Shopping …

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