Author

Katie Lee

construction and designNewsrestaurants

First KAO Bar & Grill, a Container Restaurant, to Open in April

by Katie Lee

Miami — Co-founder Matias Pagano and The KAO Group — the minds behind South America’s Sushi Club concepts, as well as KAO Sushi & Grill in Coral Gables, Fla., and J&J Fresh Kitchen in Boca Raton, Fla. — are set to open the first KAO Bar & Grill concept in Hallandale Beach this April. The two-story restaurant will be the area’s first container project, adding a contemporary and vibrant spin to the neighborhood with colorful hand-painted murals by artist Falopapas and flavorful Argentine grill-inspired cuisine. The entire two-story, 5,000-square-foot restaurant, …

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franchise developmentNewsretailers

Pet Supplies Plus Acquires 20 Loyal Companion Pet Stores

by Katie Lee

Livonia, Mich. — Pet Supplies Plus, the largest independent pet retailer in North America with over 660 stores in 41 states, and Wag N’ Wash, the emerging grooming, self-wash and natural pet food franchise, are expanding in the Northeastern United States through their latest acquisition of 20 Loyal Companion pet stores from their parent company, Independent Pet Partners. Of these 20 stores located in Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire and Virginia, 10 will be Pet Supplies Plus stores and 10 will be Wag N’ Wash stores. “This is an incredible …

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construction and designenergy managementHVAC/RIndustry Voices

Cold Case

by Katie Lee

— By Kevin Piel and Joe McMenamin — Choosing the best insulated-panel system is paramount in ensuring optimal climate-controlled operation in many different applications.   The days when grocery shopping was solely an in-person, on-site event that involved the maneuvering of a shopping cart (wobbly wheel optional) through a maze of aisles featuring shelves stocked with a wide array of goods have come to an end. Technological advances had already begun to make grocery shopping from home much more accessible and appealing in recent years. Then came March 2020. The …

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Industry Voicesrestaurantssoftware/technology

Bridging the Digital Divide

by Katie Lee

— By Jim Metevier —   Striking the right balance between dine-in and digital investments.   In a world where convenience is king, the quick-service restaurant industry is experiencing an unprecedented push toward digitization, and understandably so. Throughout 2020 and 2021, while in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic, brands needed to pivot to survive. Traditional guest-facing techniques fell to the wayside, as consumers called for contactless pickup and delivery — relying mostly on apps and websites to place orders, and demanding as little person-to-person contact as possible. Amazingly, for …

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Newspeoplerestaurants

Church’s Texas Chicken Names New EVP, Global Chief Marketing Officer

by Katie Lee

Atlanta — Quick-service chicken restaurant chain Church’s Texas Chicken® has hired Natalia Franco as executive vice president, global chief marketing officer role on March 6, bringing more than 30 years of executive leadership experience to the brand. In her new role, Franco is responsible for providing a strategic vision for the brand and creatively leading marketing ideation, brand execution and digital prowess across the organization to drive brand awareness and positioning, resulting in continued growth and stronger franchise relationships. “I’m thrilled to join this iconic brand as it continues on …

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Newspeopleretailers

MarineMax Promotes Chief Accounting Officer to EVP, Finance

by Katie Lee

Clearwater, Fla. — MarineMax, Inc., the world’s largest recreational boat, yacht and superyacht company, has promoted Anthony E. Cassella, Jr. to executive vice president, finance, in addition to his current title as chief accounting officer. Cassella has served as vice president of MarineMax since February 2016, and chief accounting officer since October 2014 at which time he was appointed an executive officer of the company. Since joining MarineMax in 1998, Cassella has excelled in numerous positions of increasing responsibility, including director of accounting and shared services from October 2007 until …

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Newspeoplesoftware/technologyvendors

POS Leader LINGA Appoints New VP of Sales

by Katie Lee

Naples, Fla. — LINGA rOS, the all-in-one cloud-based restaurant operating system provider, has appointed Daymion Phelps as its new vice president of sales. She joins LINGA from Heartland Retail. Phelps brings more than 20 years of retail automation solution sales and consulting experience to LINGA with a deep background in the point-of-sale, SaaS and payment solutions industries. Phelps was most recently the director of sales for Heartland Retail, where she focused on providing point-of-sale solutions to growing small business, mid-market and enterprise retailers. Phelps’ professional software sales career began with …

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Newsrestaurants

Subway® Opens New Global Dual-Headquarters in Miami

by Katie Lee

Miami — Subway, one of the world’s largest restaurant brands, has officially opened its new global dual-headquarters in Miami’s Waterford Business District. (The brand will also maintain its headquarters in Milford, Conn.) Located at 1000 Sub Way — a new street name designated by Miami-Dade County — the space is designed to advance the brand’s multi-year transformation journey to improve across all aspects of the business, including its workspaces. The office features the first-in-Subway-history Innovation Center and Mock Restaurant as well as a modern, open layout with multiple collaborative spaces, …

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Newspeopleretailers

Express, Inc. President & COO to Retire

by Katie Lee

Columbus, Ohio — The president and chief operating officer of fashion apparel retailer Express, Inc., Matthew Moellering, plans to retire on May 5, 2023. He has been with the company for 20 years. Express has retained executive search and leadership advisory firm Spencer Stuart to conduct an external search for Moellering’s replacement. Moellering has been with Express since 2003 and was appointed to his current position in September 2019. He served as interim CFO from October 2021 to March 2022 and interim CEO and president from January through June 2019; …

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construction and designgreen building/LEEDNewsremodelsrestaurants

Sizzler Enlists Restaurant Design Studio, TNI Design, For New Look

by Katie Lee

Los Angeles — Creative restaurant design studio TNI Design has been enlisted to redesign Sizzler locations around the country. TNI, an acronym for ‘The Next Idea,’ has completed its pilot design for Sizzler’s Corona, Calif., location. It serves as the new remodel other locations will undergo over the next few years. “In partnership with Sizzler, we created Sizzler’s new interior design and now we are applying the design to around 60 locations over the next 2 years,” says Robert Ancill, CEO and creative officer at TNI Design. Several are currently …

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